Sinmiyangyo: The bloody US-Korea battle born of cultural misunderstanding

The officers and crew of the U.S.S. Monocacy in 1871 / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

By Robert Neff

Unsurprisingly, you have probably never heard of Bowline Tom, Bassilio, Fore Brace, Jib Sheet and Main Tack; they were the names given to five young shipwrecked Korean fishermen who were rescued by the American warship Colorado as it sailed to Nagasaki in May 1871. These fishermen ― the youngest was only 19 and the oldest was 22 ― were among the earliest Korean witnesses of the preparations leading up to Sinmiyangyo ― the brief conflict between the United States and Korea in June 1871.

The American fleet arrived off the coast of Jemulpo (modern-day Incheon) on May 23 and began conducting surveys. On May 31, a Korean delegation was entertained aboard the American flagship in which the Americans tried to reassure their imposed-upon hosts that they came in peace and only wanted to survey the surrounding coastal areas. The Korean delegation gave no response which the Americans mistook as approval. According to professor Thomas Duvernay, "This was probably the first cultural misunderstanding between the United States and the Korean governments, and also the most crucial to early relations."

Duvernay, in his book "Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 conflict between the United States and Korea," meticulously examines and describes the conflict. The battles have been described before by various other authors using the same sources (diplomatic reports, newspapers and magazines) but Duvernay did much more than just scour archives for material ― he actually went out and walked the battlefields. Using copies of the Felice Beato photographs of 1871 and his own photographs taken over the last two decades, he illustrates the battle sites and narrates the events. Adding to this is information he has gleaned from the descendants of some of the conflict's participants including Eo Jae-yeon (the Korean commanding general) and Lieutenant Hugh McKee.

Korean casualties during the conflict. / F. Beato image 1871, courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

The book is packed full of information and each time I reread it I discover something new. There are chapters devoted to describing the weapons (Korean and American) and ships used during the conflict. Other chapters describe life aboard the warships ― it might surprise you to know that a surprisingly large number of the crew were not Americans including a 12-year-old Korean boy. There is a brief chapter describing Korean soldiers and their leaders and there is page after page of biographies of the chief participants. Part of the book is dedicated to explaining his own field research and his successful efforts to have Korean items taken during the conflict returned to the peninsula.

I was especially amused by the section dealing with discipline aboard the warships. Some of the serious offenses ― such as lying to an officer, absence without leave (AWOL), gambling and fighting ― were rightfully punished severely with reduction of rank, solitary confinement, leg irons and, of course, bread and water. Some of the lesser infractions and their punishments were: quarreling (confinement for one to 10 days); misbehaving at divine services (solitary confinement with bread and water, or reduction of rank, or extra duty); hanging or washing hammocks and clothes in the wrong area (extra duty); making loud noises could earn you a confinement of a day to 10 days but spitting on deck only earned you extra duty ― from what I have read in other sources, spitting on deck was usually punished with humiliation and filth (having to carry full spittoons around your neck and later wash them.

American sailors and marines on a Korean fortification / F. Beato image 1871, courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

One marine, John Coleman, was charged with drunkenness on duty, resistance to lawful authority and disrespect in language and deportment to his superior officer. At his court martial he was found not guilty of the first offense but guilty of the other two and was sentenced to confinement on board ship for six months in double irons, with bread and water every alternate week and the loss of four months' pay ($52). Fortunately for Coleman, he was recommended for a medal of honor for his acts during the conflict and his punishment was waived.

Not all of the acts of the sailors and marines deserved praise.

A Korean merchant and his large pot / Robert Neff Collection

The "bite" bullet discovered by Thomas Duvernay on Ganghwa Island / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

While passing through a Korean farmyard, one sailor smashed an onggi (large clay pot) with the butt of his rifle. It was a malicious act and caused great pain to the farmer who, "with tears in his eyes, he bent to the ground, picked up a piece of the broken jar and kissed it." According to noncommissioned officer Albion V. Wadhams who witnessed the scene, "It was touching. The hardest heart in the party was softened."

This, however, was not the worst act Wadhams was acquainted with. When an artillery unit passed by a farmhouse, a Korean boy was discovered. The officer in charge made the decision to have the boy detained under guard ― "lest he should furnish information to his people" ― until the rear-ward officer could decide whether to release or keep him as a prisoner. "The order was merely verbal and not too definite" and was given to each succeeding commander as they passed the farmhouse. Wadhams was horrified to later discover that a sailor, left behind as the guard, grew impatient with the delay and "wantonly shot the poor boy" so that he could rejoin his unit.

I was kind of surprised that Duvernay did not include the story about the cotton armor in his book. Almost two decades ago, I recall we were talking about the accounts of the Korean soldiers fleeing from the American marines and sailors by casting themselves into the river. Duvernay was told by some of the villagers on Ganghwa Island that the Korean soldiers were not fleeing the Americans but rather the flames ― their cotton armor had caught fire from the American soldiers' lead. When asked about it recently, Duvernay replied, "I won't completely discount it but even then I was a bit incredulous about it."

In his preface, Duvernay wrote:

"Another item I heard about was a fan. Villagers on Ganghwa Island, where the fighting in 1871 took place, told me about it. They said it was signed by the Korean defenders [as part of a death pact]. Indeed, there was a folding fan in the exhibit, and it was signed, but not by the defenders as the villagers had mentioned, but by many of the US participants. In later years, I would still hear the same thing about the fan but whenever I showed people the photos I took of it, they always had a look of discouragement."

In an email correspondence with me, Duvernay added, "I think it was a way for villagers to cope with what they might have considered cowardice."

The fan signed by the American sailors and marines at the U.S. Naval Academy / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

The villagers and some present-day Koreans may view it that way but the Americans involved in the conflict did not. Rear Admiral John Rodgers wrote:

"The fighting inside the fort was desperate. The resolution of the Coreans was unyielding; they apparently expected no quarter, and probably would have given none. They fought to the death, and only when the last man fell did the conflict cease."

The Korean sword that Thomas Duvernay helped return to Korea / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

The cover of Thomas Duvernay's "Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 conflict between the United States and Korea" published in 2021 / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

Even the American press seemed impressed with the Korean defenders' resolve. On Aug. 23, 1871, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote:

"[Our] men had pushed the Coreans down to the lower entrenchment overlooking the river, and out to the precipitous point of the peninsula, where many of them were shot fighting to the last rather than surrender; while some threw themselves into the river. This obstinacy sometimes irritated the Americans apparently to the verge of savagery. The commanding general [Bak Chi-seong] ran down to the lower fort and being pursued rushed into the river and there cut his own throat."

It's amazing to see the amount of physical material Duvernay has collected, including a "bite" or "pain" bullet which he believes may have been used by a Korean soldier wounded by a canister shot. According to his theory, the soldier was told to bite down on the bullet as one of his limbs was being amputated hastily on the battlefield by an American medic.

The only real complaints I have about the book are: there are not enough maps in English and I think it would be great to have the Korean narrative of the events. Duvernay has assured me that his friend Eo Jae-seon (great-great-grandson of General Eo Jae-yeon) is working on a book giving the Korean perspective of the conflict but even he is struggling to find material.

As for the many items related to the conflict that Duvernay has collected over the years, it is his intention for them to all eventually go into the museum that Eo Jae-seon is establishing. "I don't consider them to be mine," Duvernay explained. "I am just their current caretaker."

When asked why he wrote the book, he replied:

"While the 1871 battle between the United States and Korea was not a major event in either country's history, it was still an important event when it comes to looking at the history of relations between the two countries. People from both countries can see the changes in the relationship from 150 years ago to the present. Also, to us today, it might seem like an insignificant event in the grand scheme of things, but to the three Americans and the probably more than 300 Koreans who died in battle with each other in June 1871, it was their entire world ending in service to their countries. The sacrifices on both sides touched me deeply; they should never be forgotten."

Thomas Duvernay and the sujagi (general's flag) that he helped return to Korea / Courtesy of Thomas Duvernay

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.