More on French war dead - Oct 8 1884

[Above: Insignia on the beret of a fusilier marin. In the morning of Oct 8, 1884, the French fusiliers marins landed at the beaches in northwest Tamsui to mount an attack and were beaten back severely by the defending Hunan Braves.]

A few notes taken from two Sino-French war contemporary sources are posted below. The two authors, Alexander Frater and John Dodd were both in Tamsui at the time of French invasion. Frater in particular had dealt directly over the French war dead issue with Gen Sun Kai-Hua, commander of Qing Army in Tamsui, and Liu Min-Chuan, the Imperial Commissioner then stationed in Manga (now Wanhua). One of John Dodd's household staff was also accused of spying for the French and had implicated the "Three-Legged" Dodd [who walked with a cane]. The staff member was later executed for treason; although Dodd emerged from the bad situation unscathed and who eventually went back home to Scotland to live out the rest of his life.

Source 1:

Alexander Frater, British Consul, in Volume 3: 1881-1885, Taiwan : political and economic reports, 1861-1960 (10 v.) Editor: Robert L Jarman, Publisher: Cambridge Archive Editions, 1997.

10/9/1884: …The above narrative has to be accepted with the reservation that we have no account from the French side. 14 Frenchmen’s heads were brought into the town [Tamsui] in the afternoon and it is said that four more were carried along yesterday morning. The Chinese make their own loss out to be 200 killed and wounded. The Missionary Hospital [the Mackay Clinic] has been crowded with injured soldiers, and it is noticeable that most of them have been wounded in two or three places. All day yesterday, the troops were engaged in burying their dead. Three of General Suns [Sun Kai-Hua] officers were killed.

P 458 Oct 13/ 1884: … It proceeds to say that the portion referring to the cutting off of heads applies only to cases of actual fighting; that the production of the head of an enemy as a proof of a deed of bravery was sanctioned by the law of the country; that the Imperial Commissioner [Liu Ming-Chuan] was just the man to follow the guidance of the law; and that General Sun and the TaoTai had issued similar notices. After stating that the heads after they had been produced for inspection were buried at once – about which I may remark that it is known that some of them were sent up to Bangka, probably to be shown to the Imperial Commissioner, who I find is still there – Li goes on to say that care was taken…

P 463: A friend of Li, the International Officer, states that the latter two days ago [Oct 11] buried thirteen bodies of Frenchmen at a cost of $4 each.

Source 2:

John Dodd: Journal of a Blockaded Resident in Northern Formosa, The Daily Press, Hong Kong,1888.

P 51 10/9/1884: 14 French heads, 6 in the market place [near MaZu Temple] and 8 at the camp [near the Hobe Gun Fort] were exhibited. “Fourteen left their bodies on shore…”

P 55 10/13/1884: It is said the Chinese buried the dead bodies of the Frenchmen after the engagement on 8th instant by order of General Soon [Gen Sun Kai-Hua].

P 112 2/24/1885: It is reported that the Chinese have found the head of the French officer who fell on the Downs in the engagement of the 8th October last [Lt Fontaine]. The head was buried at Banca; the body on the Downs, it is supposed.