Formosa Expedition

Formosa Expedition
"Attack of United States Marines and Sailors on the pirates of the island of Formosa, East Indies" by Harper's Weekly.
Date June 1867 Location Southern Formosa, Pacific Ocean Result Formosan victory, American failure
Belligerents
United States	Paiwan
Commanders and leaders
Henry H. Bell Alexander Slidell MacKenzie †	Tauketok
Strength
Land: 43 marines 138 sailors Sea: 2 sloops-of-war	Unknown
Casualties and losses
1 killed	None

The Formosa Expedition, or the Taiwan Expedition of 1867 was a punitive expedition launched by the United States against Formosa. The expedition was undertaken in retaliation for the Rover incident, in which the Rover, an American bark, had been wrecked and its crew massacred by native warriors in March 1867. A United States Navy and Marine company landed in southern Formosa and skirmished with the Paiwan aboriginals until they disengaged and retreated after their ambushes failed to halt the American advance. Nevertheless, the Americans withdrew shortly after without completing their objective of decisively defeating the natives in battle. The event is regarded as a failure in United States Naval history.

On 12 March 1867, the United States merchantman Rover was sailing off Oluanpi, Formosa when she wrecked on uncharted reef and began drifting out to sea. Her crew of over two dozen safely made it ashore but were attacked and killed by the Paiwanans. The Royal Navy ship HMS Cormorant reached the "Koalut country" on March 26, discovered the fate of the Rover and informed the American East India Station. Squadron commander Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell ordered Commander John C. Febiger in the newly commissioned gunboat USS Ashuelot to proceed from Foochow to the island for an investigation of the incident.

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