Battle of Baguashan

Part of Japanese Invasion of Taiwan (1895)

The battle of Baguashan martyr's memorial park.

Date	27 August 1895
Location	Changhua, Formosa (Taiwan)
Result	Decisive Japanese victory

Belligerents

Empire of Japan

Republic of Formosa

Hakka militias

Commanders and leaders

Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa

Wu Tang-hsing †

Wu Peng-nien †

Hsu Hsiang

Strength

15,000

5,000, with fire support from Bagua battery

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Heavy

The Battle of Baguashan (Chinese: 八卦山戰役), the largest battle ever fought on Taiwanese soil, was the pivotal battle of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan. The battle, fought on 27 August 1895 near the city of Changhua in central Taiwan between the invading Japanese army and the forces of the short-lived Republic of Formosa, was a decisive Japanese victory, and doomed the Republic of Formosa to early extinction. The battle was one of the few occasions on which the Formosans were able to deploy artillery against the Japanese.

Following the capture of Miaoli, the last Formosan stronghold in northern Taiwan, the Imperial Japanese Army advanced south towards Changhua, the largest city in central Taiwan and the gateway to southern Taiwan. The city was surrounded by hills that offered strong defensive positions, and was protected by the Bagua Battery (八卦砲台) on the heights of Baguashan (Chinese and Japanese: 八卦山; rōmaji: Hakkezan), which was one kilometer east of the city. Changhua was also defended by walls, which was by no means usual at this period. Rebellions were frequent in Taiwan, and the Qing government preferred to keep Taiwanese cities unwalled.

The vanguard units of the IJA reached the north bank of Dadu River on August 25, and immediately began preparation for crossing the river. In anticipation of a large scale confrontation, both sides tried to gather as many forces and supplies as possible. However, due to internal strife, the Formosans could only muster around 5,000 men, many of whom were remnants of militia units that were defeated in Miaoli, or raw recruits from Changhua; President Liu Yung-fu ignored the repeated requests for reinforcement due to political rivalry with Li Jin-sung (黎景嵩), the commander-general of northern Taiwan. The Japanese massed about 15,000 soldiers, with support of modern artillery. On August 27, General Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, commander of the Japanese forces in the area, inspected the front line at the bank to draw plan for an assault on the Formosan positions. He was spotted by the garrison in Bagua battery, who opened fire on him and his group of staff. The unexpected bombardment killed his second-in-command and wounded him; some sources alleged that the wound he received later cost him his life.

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Wikipedia