Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of First Bar

Battle of First Bar was a battle fought on 27 February 1841 at Pearl River, in what is now China. It was part of First Opium War, which ran from 1839 to 1842. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 2 steamers; 4 corvettes; 1 bomb ketch against 2,000+ troops; 40+ junks; 1 East Indiaman.

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Attack on First Bar battery, Canton River.
Attack on First Bar battery, Canton River.. Unclear, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought27 February 1841
WherePearl River, China23.075N, 113.479E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; British East India CompanyagainstQing China
Part ofFirst Opium War1839 to 1842

Where it sits in First Opium War

Battle of Kowloon, 1839Battle of Chuenpee, 1839Capture of Chusan, 1840Battle of the Barrier, 1840Battle of Canton, 1841Battle of Da'an, 1841Second Battle of Chuenpee, 1841Battle of the Bogue, 1841Battle of First Bar, 1841Battle of Whampoa, 1841Battle of Canton, 1841Battle of Amoy, 1841Battle of Chinhai, 1841Battle of Ningpo, 1842Battle of Tsekee, 1842Battle of Chapoo, 1842Battle of Woosung, 1842Battle of Chinkiang, 184218391842Battle of First Bar, 1841
18 placed engagements of First Opium War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 February 1841
PlacePearl River, China
23.075N, 113.479E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength2 steamers; 4 corvettes; 1 bomb ketch2,000+ troops; 40+ junks; 1 East Indiaman
Casualties and losses1 died (due to an accident); 8 wounded300 killed; 98 guns captured; 1 East Indiaman destroyed
Commanders
Battle of First BarBattle of First BarBattle of Escape CreekBattle of WhampoaBattle of the Pearl River FortsCanton OperationCapture of the French Folly FortBattle of Escape CreekBattle of the Pearl River FortsShenzhenZhuhaiMacauQingyuanJiangmenZhaoqingHeyuanHong Kong100 km23.075N, 113.479E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1841

Battle of First Bar is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 448 in present-day China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4871017, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of First Bar, revision 1370440741, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.