Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea

By Thomas Duvernay

In 1871, five ships of the United States Asiatic Fleet headed into Korean waters, intent on establishing relations with Korea, a country that had shunned the outside world for centuries. However, as the country had been in conflict with Western countries just five years earlier, it was going to be no easy task but one full of dangers.

The Koreans, who were steadfast and unwilling to compromise the safety of their country, saw the people of the “Flowery Flag Country” as interlopers coming to cause trouble like those before them. No matter what it took, they would resist to the last man. No quarter was expected and none would be given.

Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea is a historical account of what took place during the spring of 1871 between the forces of the United States and Korea. It recounts the story from when the Americans first met curious villagers, and then mysterious Korean government officials, leading to the first big cultural misunderstanding between the two countries, which led to a very hostile interaction that reverberates up to the present day.

Dr. Thomas Duvernay, who has researched the event for decades, narrates this exciting story, which includes not only the descriptions of the battles fought but also insights into the people, weapons, and strategies that shaped American-Korean relations for generations. There are others who have written about it, but none have seen it as closely as Dr. Duvernay.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seoul Selection
• Release date: Jun 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781624121371

Book preview

Sinmiyangyo

The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea

Thomas Duvernay, PhD

Copyright © 2020 Thomas Duvernay

All rights reserved.

This book is dedicated to all United States and Korean armed forces past and present

Table of Contents

Table of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Gathering Storm

Chapter 2. Firearms and Munitions

Artillery

Small Arms

Marines

Sailors

Officers

Korean Firearms

Artillery

Chapter 3. Edged Weapons

United States

Korea

Chapter 4. Personnel

Navy

Key Personnel

Korean Officers

Korean Enlisted Personnel

Chapter 5. Ships

Ships

Chapter 6. Ship Routines

Everyday Life Aboard Ship

Daily Routines

Health and Medicine

Discipline

Chapter 7. Fortresses

Fortresses

Jinbo

Dondae

Chapter 8. Research Surveys

1. First Survey

2. Second Survey

3. Third Survey

4. Fourth Survey

5. Fifth Survey

6. Sixth Survey

Chapter 9. The Battle Begins

Day 1. June 10

Day 2. June 11

Prelude to the Attack on the Sondolmok Fort

The Attack

Postlude of the Attack

Day 3. June 12

Chapter 10. Epilogue

Discussion and Conclusion

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Key US Personnel

United States Officers

United States Enlisted Personnel

Civilian Personnel

Notes

Bibliography

Korean Resources

Online and Digital Resources

Index

Table of Figures

FIGURE 1   OPTIMUM AIR BURST FOR ARTILLERY [#2] (NPS)

FIGURE 2   DAHLGREN 9-INCH SHELLGUN (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 3   GUN CREW MANNING 9-INCH DAHLGREN ON USS MIAMI (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 4   9-INCH SHELL ON WOOD SABOT (ICOLLECTOR)

FIGURE 5   FRAGMENTS OF 9-INCH SHELL (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 6   STAND OF GRAPESHOT (RIDGEWAY)

FIGURE 7   ADMIRAL DAVID PORTER LEANING AGAINST A 20-PDR DAHLGREN (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 8   GROUND-EXPLODED 4" SCHENKL SHELL RECOVERED FROM HWANGSAN ISLAND (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 9   24-PDR DAHLGREN IN BROADSIDE (SEACOAST ARTILLERY)

FIGURE 10   24-POUNDER SHELL WITH WATERCAP FUZE (RIDGEWAY)

FIGURE 11   TYPICAL CANISTER ROUND (THOMAS LEGION)

FIGURE 12   60-PDR PARROTT RIFLE (ROBINSON’S BATTERY)

FIGURE 13   CREW ON USS MENDOTA WITH 100-PDR PARROTT RIFLE (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 14   TYPICAL PARROTT SHELL WITH FUZE (RIDGEWAY)

FIGURE 15   FRAGMENT FROM 60-PDR PARROTT SHELL (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 16   DAHLGREN 12-PDR HOWITZER ON FIELD CARRIAGE (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 17   LOADING 12-PDR HOWITZER ON USS HUNCHBACK (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 18   12-PDR SHELL WITHOUT FUZE (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 19   CLOSE-UP OF BORMANN FUZE IN 12-PDR SHELL (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 20   BORMANN FUZES (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 21   SPRINGFIELD M1861 RIFLE (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 22   .58 CALIBER BULLETS (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 23   MARINES (NARA)

FIGURE 24   .69 CALIBER WHITNEYVILLE PLYMOUTH RIFLE WITH BAYONETS (VGCA)

FIGURE 25   .69 CALIBER BULLETS (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 26   REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK .50 CALIBER RIMFIRE PISTOL (NMAH)

FIGURE 27   REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK .50-45 NAVY CARBINE (ICOLLECTOR)

FIGURE 28   REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK CARBINES IN ACTION IN KOREA IN 1871 (NARA)

FIGURE 29   ORIGINAL REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK CARBINE AND PISTOL CARTRIDGES, BULLETS, AND CASES (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 30   MUSHROOMED .50 CALIBER BULLET (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 31   COLT M1861 NAVY .38 CALIBER CARTRIDGE CONVERSION REVOLVER (ROCK ISLAND AUCTION)

FIGURE 32   .38 CALIBER SHORT COLT (IAA)

FIGURE 33   SHINJE CHONGTONG (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 34   SAJEON CHONGTONG (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 35   JUJA CHONGTONG (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 36   CHEONJA CHONGTONG (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 37   HYEONGJA CHONGTONG (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 38   PROJECTILE IN GUN TUBE ON CARRIAGE (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 39   HONG’IPO (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 40   CHEOLJEDAEPO AT THE CHOJI FORTRESS ON GANGHWA ISLAND (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 41   NO. 4 BULLANGGIPO, REMOVABLE BREECH BLOCKS (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 42   NO. 4 BULLANGGIPO CAPTURED IN THE SINMIYANGYO AND CLOSE-UP OF MUZZLE (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 43   VARIOUS MATCHLOCKS AT THE KOREA ARMY MUSEUM (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 44   DANCHONG AT THE KOREA ARMY MUSEUM (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 45   CLOSE-UP OF MATCHLOCK LOCK MECHANISM (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 46   POSSIBLE CHEONBOCHONG (NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA)

FIGURE 47   M1852 NAVAL OFFICER’S SWORD (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 48 M1859 MARINE OFFICER’S SWORD (SWORDFORUM)

FIGURE 49 M1861 NAVAL CUTLASS (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 50 M1855 SOCKET BAYONET (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 51 TOP—DAHLGREN BOWIE KNIFE BAYONET/BOTTOM—SABER BAYONET (VGCA)

FIGURE 52   SWORD AND CUTLASS (NARA)

FIGURE 53   BAYONETS AND SWORD (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 54   KOREAN SWORD (KOREA ARMY MUSEUM)

FIGURE 55   POSSIBLE SWORD FROM THE SINMIYANGYO (UNKNOWN)

FIGURE 56   SPEAR POINTS (KOREA ARMY MUSEUM)

FIGURE 57   SPEAR STICKING IN GROUND AFTER THE BATTLE OF THE SONDOLMOK FORTRESS (NARA)

FIGURE 58   TRIDENTS (KOREA ARMY MUSEUM)

FIGURE 59   OFFICERS ON THE USS ALASKA (NARA)

FIGURE 60    OFFICERS ON THE USS COLORADO (NARA)

FIGURE 61   OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE USS MONOCACY (NARA)

FIGURE 62   ENLISTED NAVY PERSONNEL (NARA)

FIGURE 63   OFFICERS ON THE USS MONOCACY (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 64   SENIOR OFFICERS ON THE USS COLORADO (NARA)

FIGURE 65   JUNIOR OFFICERS ON THE USS COLORADO (NARA)

FIGURE 66   NAVY OFFICERS AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL IN CHOJI FORT ON JUNE 11, 1871 (NARA)

FIGURE 67   1871 US SAILOR WITH CARBINE, CUTLASS, BEDROLL, AND GAITERS (NARA)

FIGURE 68   1871 US SAILORS WITH CARBINES, CARTRIDGE BOXES, BEDROLL, AND OTHER EQUIPMENT (NARA)

FIGURE 69   GENERAL EO JAE-YEON (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 70   JOSEON DYNASTY GENERAL (SBS DRAMA, JANG GIL SANG)

FIGURE 71   KOREAN DEAD IN SONDOLMOK FORT (NARA)

FIGURE 72   MYEON TUGU (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 73   MYEON TUGU SHOWING NAME (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 74   DEAD KOREAN SOLDIER IN COTTON ARMOR (NARA)

FIGURE 75   AUTHOR WITH MYEONJEBAEGAP REPRODUCTION DESIGNER, AN IN-SIL (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 76   KOREAN MUSKETEER (SONG)

FIGURE 77   USS ALASKA (NARA)

FIGURE 78   USS BENICIA (NARA)

FIGURE 79   USS COLORADO (NARA)

FIGURE 80   USS MONOCACY TOWING BOATS (NARA)

FIGURE 81   USS PALOS (NARA)

FIGURE 82   GANGHWA ISLAND’S 12 JINBO [FORTRESS], 54 DONDAE [REDOUBT], AND 8 PODAE [ARTILLERY] POSITIONS (KMA)

FIGURE 83   NATIONAL ARCHIVES CHART MODIFIED BY AUTHOR

FIGURE 84   GANGHWA ISLAND SHOWING IMPORTANT AREAS FROM 1871 (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 85   CHOJI FORT, NOW AND THEN (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 86   US CAMP (GOOGLE EARTH/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 87   TROOP LINE-UP (ARSN)

FIGURE 88   LANDING FORCE ARTILLERY (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 89   DEOKJINDONDAE, THEN AND NOW (NARA/COYNER)

FIGURE 90   SATELLITE VIEW OF DEOKJINDONDAE (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 91   SATELLITE VIEW OF INITIAL HOWITZER POSITION (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 92   WATERCAP FUZE TAB (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 93   ARTILLERY HILLS (NARA/GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 94   AMERICAN POSITIONS (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 95   ARTILLERY AIR BURST (NPS)

FIGURE 96   POSITIONS BEFORE MAIN ATTACK (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 97   LOOKING UP AT SOUTHERN-EASTERN FACES OF THE SONDOLMOK FORT (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 98   PROBABLY WESTERN FACE OF SONDOLMOK FORT IN 1871 (NARA)

FIGURE 99   ARTILLERY POSITION AND ESCAPING KOREAN TROOPS (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 100   FOOTPATH TO SHORE (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 101   CANISTER CLUSTER (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 102   BITE BULLET (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 103   TROOP POSITIONS POST-BATTLE (GOOGLE EARTH)

FIGURE 104   EMBARKATION POINT (GOOGLE EARTH/NARA)

FIGURE 105   UNEXPLODED SCHENKL (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 106   INTACT .50-45 CAL. DUD CARTRIDGE SHOWING PIN STRIKE (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 107   GENERAL ORDER NO. 33 (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 108 KWG3—VILLAGE OF KANGHWA SHOWING THE ENTRANCE TO THE SALT RIVER LEADING TO SEOUL

FIGURE 109 KWG7—CHIEF OF ROZE ISLAND

FIGURE 110 KWG8—"KOREAN OFFICIALS ON AN INTERVIEW ONBOARD THE USS COLORADO"

FIGURE 111 KWG9—COREAN OFFICER AND SOLDIERS WITH DISPATCHES ONBOARD THE COLORADO

FIGURE 112 KWG12—"COUNCIL OF WAR ABOARD THE FLAGSHIP USS COLORADO"

FIGURE 113 KWG13—EXTERIOR OF MARINE REDOUBT. THE FIRST FORT CAPTURED 10 JUNE 1871

FIGURE 114 KWG14—INTERIOR OF MARINE REDOUBT

FIGURE 115 KWG15—INTERIOR OF SECOND FORT CAPTURED

FIGURE 116 KWG16—A COREAN CAMP NEAR MARINE REDOUBT

FIGURE 117 KWG17—COREAN MAGAZINE IN MARINE REDOUBT

FIGURE 118 KWG18—MONOCACY AND PALOS COVERING TROOPS ON THEIR WAY TO MARINE REDOUBT

FIGURE 119 KWG19—VIEW FROM MARINE REDOUBT SHOWING THE LINE OF MARCH OF US TROOPS TO FORT MCKEE

FIGURE 120 KWG20—FORT MONOCACY AFTER CAPTURE BY MARINES

FIGURE 121 KWG21—VIEW FROM FORT MONOCACY WITH FORT MCKEE IN THE DISTANCE

FIGURE 122 KWG22—INTERIOR OF FORT MCKEE

FIGURE 123 KWG23—INTERIOR OF FORT MCKEE

FIGURE 124 KWG24—INTERIOR OF FORT MCKEE

FIGURE 125 KWG27—ELBOW FORT, THE FIRST TO OPEN FIRE ON THE SURVEYING EXPEDITION OF THE US SQUADRON

FIGURE 126 KWG31—USS MONOCACY

FIGURE 127 KWG32—USS COLORADO

FIGURE 128 KWG33—USS ALASKA

FIGURE 129 KWG34—USS BENICIA

FIGURE 130 KWG35—USS PALOS

FIGURE 131 KWG36—GROUP OF CAPTIVES ONBOARD THE COLORADO

FIGURE 132 KWG37—EDWARD DREW AND FREDERICK LOW WITH CHINESE TRANSLATORS

FIGURE 133 KWG39—"WATCH OFFICERS OF THE USS COLORADO"

FIGURE 134 KWG40—"OFFICERS OF THE USS COLORADO"

FIGURE 135 KWG42—"OFFICERS AND CREW OF USS MONOCACY"

FIGURE 136 KWG43—"OFFICERS OF THE USS ALASKA"

FIGURE 137 KWG46—THE FLAG OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE COREAN FORCES

FIGURE 138   GENERAL’S FLAG (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 139   RAISING REPRODUCTION SUJAGI (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 140   EAST AND WEST WALLS 1871 (NARA)

FIGURE 141   WEST WALL EXTERIOR (NARA)

FIGURE 142   WEST WALL INTERIOR (AUTHOR)

FIGURE 143    WEST GATE OF SONDOLMOK FORT AND MODERN GATE (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 144   VIEW OF WEST WALL INTERIOR—1871 AND MODERN (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 145   1871 AND MODERN PHOTOS OF THE EASTERN WALL (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 146   VIEW OF EAST WALL INTERIOR 1871 AND MODERN (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 147   NORTHEAST VIEW OF INTERIOR OF SONDOLMOK FORT, 1871 (NARA/AUTHOR)

FIGURE 148   EASTWARD VIEW OF INTERIOR OF SONDOLMOK FORT, 1871 (NARA)

FIGURE 149    REAR ADMIRAL JOHN RODGERS—USS COLORADO (ANC)

FIGURE 150   COMMANDER HOMER C. BLAKE—USS ALASKA (FIND-A-GRAVE)

FIGURE 151   COMMANDER LEWIS A. KIMBERLY—USS BENICIA (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 152   COMMANDER E.P. MCCREA—USS MONOCACY (NAVSOURCE)

FIGURE 153   LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY—USS BENICIA (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 154   LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DOUGLAS CASSEL—USS ALASKA (USNA)

FIGURE 155   LIEUTENANT WILLIAM WHITMAN MEAD—USS COLORADO (NARA)

FIGURE 156   LIEUTENANT ALBERT SYDNEY SNOW—USS ALASKA (USNA)

FIGURE 157   LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SILAS CASEY—USS COLORADO (USNA)

FIGURE 158   LIEUTENANT COMMANDER WILLIAM KNOX WHEELER—USS COLORADO (USNA)

FIGURE 159   CAPTAIN MCLANE TILTON—USS COLORADO/USMC (NHF)

FIGURE 160   LIEUTENANT HUGH W. MCKEE—USS COLORADO (WARDROP)

FIGURE 161   LIEUTENANT BLOOMFIELD MCILVAINE—USS COLORADO (USNA)

FIGURE 162   PRIVATE HUGH PURVIS—USMC (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 163   HENRY WACHTER (EPPICK)

FIGURE 164   SAMUEL F. ROGERS (EDWARDS)

FIGURE 165   WILLIAM F. LUKES (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 166   FREDERICK LOW (WIKIPEDIA)

FIGURE 167   EDWARD B. DREW (NARA)

FIGURE 168   FELICE BEATO (WIKIPEDIA)

Preface

Sinmiyangyo¹ is what the first US military action in Korea² (1871) is called by Koreans. Many people ask me what sparked my interest in it. As with most great discoveries, I came upon the story of the 1871 conflict quite by accident. It was sometime around 1995, and I had been practicing Korean traditional archery for a couple of years. I wondered when the last time was that Korea used the bow in warfare; I had heard somewhere about the US first battling with Koreans in the late nineteenth century, so I imagined maybe that could have been the time. I did more research to see what I could find, and what I found was not much. There were a few articles I found on the action, but most didn’t give me much information. In that time of the nascent Internet, I contacted the United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to see if they had more info. They sent me a few photocopies, including some pages from the 1871 Annual Report to the Secretary of the Navy (ARSN).

What I found from what they sent both disappointed and encouraged me. It was clear that the bow and arrow were not used by the Koreans during this action, but the more I read about the event itself, the more I wanted to know; I started down the proverbial rabbit hole as many researchers often do. The 1871 story was absolutely fascinating to me on its own, and the more I found out about it, the greater my desire to learn the whole story. In subsequent years, I became a regular customer of eBay and AbeBooks. I bought anything I could find that had anything to do with the 1871 event: books, magazines, photos, etc. I found two original copies of the 1871 ARSN, and immediately bought them (I gave one copy to the Korea Army Museum). I contacted NARA again and bought microfilm of the deck logs of the ships of the US Asiatic Squadron in 1871, along with 35-millimeter negatives of the Felice Beato photos taken in 1871 of the action. I immersed myself in that history and felt more and more drawn into it; I even started having dreams about it.

I had learned how to code web pages in HTML a few years before, and by 1999 I started shinmiyangyo.org. That summer, together with my wife and son, I visited the US Naval Academy Museum to see their 1871 exhibit. This required me to step back a bit, as I had found out earlier about a large flag taken from the Koreans by the US during the 1871 action. I started enquiring about it to the Academy and also to US government officials, including senators, representatives, and even the president of the United States. I wondered why the US was still holding property from a friendly nation. I received replies that all pretty much said the same thing, that the flag was captured and put into the exhibit by a presidential decree, and that it was by the bravery of American sailors and Marines who risked their lives to do so that the flag was now there. When I asked why the flag hadn’t been given back to Korea, I received responses that also said pretty much the same thing, that it would take an Act of Congress to do so.

When my wife, son, and I entered the USNA Museum, we were soon greeted by the then-director of the museum, Dr. Scott Harmon. When I introduced myself, he said something to the effect of, I know who you are. He was very kind and polite, but I felt a little like all my inquiries about having the flag returned to Korea may have irritated some people at the USNA. Anyway, I asked where the 1871 exhibit was and Dr. Harmon kindly directed us to it. It was in a display case with several other items in it; we learned that there were even other items, but as the museum holdings grew, the museum itself did not, and some items were relegated to storage. The Korean general’s flag—the sujagi³ once displayed in its full 4.36 × 4.16 meter (14.3 × 13.7 ft.) glory—was now rolled up and placed on the bottom shelf of the display case with only a small note card showing what it was. It was something that made me both sad about the situation and even more determined to have it returned to its home in Korea where I knew it would receive the national treasure status it deserved. However, it would be a few years before that could be realized.

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. 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 that fan, but whenever I showed people the photos I took of it, they always had a look of discouragement.

I also visited Ganghwa Island with professors from the Korea Military Academy in 1999 when they did a land survey of all the sixty-six fortresses (fifty-four lower-level and twelve higher-level forts) that ring the island. It was a very eye-opening experience to see the forts, including some at the northern part of the island (very near North Korea, and right at the Northern Limit Line (NLL) that separates the two countries) that are still in use by Korea’s military; it was truly a case of old meets new.

During those early years, I struck up a friendship with the mayor and municipal officials of the island. They borrowed my 1871 Beato photos and published a book featuring them, along with poster-size prints that they placed at the different historical sites (many of which are still there at this writing). From that time on, I had unlimited access to the fortresses involved in the 1871 action, along with great help from the municipal authorities whenever I would visit.

Fast-forward to 2006, when I was teaching at Handong Global University (HGU) in Pohang. A series of events took place that completely changed the trajectory of my life. Students at HGU had painted flags of many countries in parking spaces around the campus; they would, occasionally, re-paint the flags as needed. However, I noticed the US flag was allowed to deteriorate while others surrounding it were re-painted; it irked me greatly. I wrote a mass-email to HGU faculty wondering why that was and also pointed out that I, an American, had spent years trying to get a historic flag returned to Korea from the US. I didn’t expect much of an answer but received many apologies from some professors. I was assured that it was not an intended slight and that students would soon re-paint the US flag. Also, I received a letter from another professor—Ryu Dae-young—that would start the change I mentioned above. He forwarded the information about my efforts to recover the historic Korean flag to an online newspaper, which contacted me in return. The news hit the Associated Press somehow and was picked up by many news services. Professor Ryu also got some of his students to make a replica of that historic flag, which was flown on one of the HGU buildings for some time and was later given to me.

Many things were starting to happen at the same time. A friend of mine in Colorado, Doug Sterner, who was a Vietnam War veteran and founder of an Internet site dedicated to recipients of US military decorations, including Medal of Honor recipients, happily got involved to help out. He contacted his senator, Wayne Allard, about the issue. It caught the senator’s interest, and he had an interesting idea: trade the flag for a ship, the Pueblo (named after Pueblo, Colorado), which had been captured by the North Koreans in 1968. The news was picked up quickly, and it was even covered on CNN at that time. It was good and bad news; it gave the issue international coverage but also dangled the flag to North Korea, not South Korea.

At the same time, I was contacted by representatives of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration. They wanted to come and talk with me about the flag and other cultural items that had been taken by the US in 1871. They met me at my university office and we talked for an entire afternoon. I told them everything I knew about the flag and other items taken, of which I had records. I gave them a suggestion made by a friend of mine from the Korea Military Academy (Colonel Kim Ki-hoon), that the flag should be returned as a long-term loan from museum to museum. That idea interested them greatly. Later, they would not only use it to secure the flag, but also similarly to have returned an archive taken by the French in 1866.

Following those meetings, I was inundated with requests for interviews by newspapers, radio, and TV. The most interesting interview was with The Baltimore Sun reporter Brad Olson. He wrote a very good article, which got further international attention. In the spring of 2007, I received a telephone call from him letting me know that the flag was returning to Korea. Our campaign was successful and the flag would come back that fall.

On October 22, 2007, the flag was unveiled in a ceremony at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul. Many dignitaries were present, and many speeches were given (including a five-minute speech by me). Descendants of the Korean general Eo Jae-yeon (1823-1871), including great-great-grandson Eo Jae-seon, who is a close friend of mine, were given time to pay their respects to the flag. In February of the following year, I was given a citation from the Cultural Heritage Administration for my service in getting the flag returned.

Since that time, I have worked even harder to piece together the true history of what happened on Ganghwa Island in the early summer of 1871. Starting in 2010, and continuing up to this writing, I have been on numerous field surveys of the battle areas on Ganghwa Island. Some I did by myself, and others I did together with friends and colleagues. My friend and former university colleague Dan Morris was responsible for many interesting and important historical finds; his talent earned him the nickname The Relic Whisperer. Many of those surveys I will discuss in this book.

I have been wanting to write this book for many, many years now. At this point, I feel a very deep inclination to do so. The sesquicentennial of the event is in 2021 and the current year is 2020. Arguably, I know more about the Sinmiyangyo than anyone else in the world. Yet, I have seen historians who have not significantly studied the action interviewed as experts on it. Their level of knowledge on the subject is only superficial and often is riddled with inaccuracies or outright untruths. A Korean Netflix series used the 1871 event as a vehicle for the beginning of its plot (and many Koreans believe what they see as history). There are old tales and suppositions that were made over the past century-and-a-half that refuse to die and continue up to the present day. This book, hopefully, will put a stake in them. One of the most persistent myths is that the purpose of the American expedition to Korea was to avenge an American-owned ship that was destroyed by Koreans five years earlier (the same year as Byeonginyangyo, the French expedition that invaded the same area as the Americans in 1871). Regarding that ship, the General Sherman, the connection is as follows.

An American naval ship, the USS Wachusett, visited Korea in 1867 for the official purpose of determining the fate of the crew of the General Sherman, a privately owned, US-flagged, British-leased vessel that, ostensibly, was for the purpose of conducting trade. Contrary to popular belief, the later 1871 US contact with Korea had no direct relationship to the General Sherman incident of 1866, although there was some indirect relation. For that reason, it is important to explain why that is the case before the story of the 1871 military action can be discussed. Although the General Sherman incident was not directly related to the 1871 action, it was directly related to the 1867 visit by the USS Wachusett, as Commander Robert Wilson Shufeldt—who later in 1882 successfully concluded a treaty with Korea—was tasked with finding out what happened and securing the release of any survivors. Commander Shufeldt had a meeting with Koreans to find out what happened to the General Sherman. That meeting was, unfortunately, not successful as he encountered a less-than-helpful Korean official who just kept repeating that he knew nothing of the General Sherman, telling Shufeldt to depart speedily and return to your own country (ARSN, 1867–68, p.48). Eventually, Shufeldt did leave and, in the following year, Commander John C. Febiger, aboard the USS Shenandoah, sought the same information as Shufeldt. In the end, it was concluded that all hands of the General Sherman were lost. Most of the people aboard the General Sherman (numbers vary from twenty to twenty-seven) were either Chinese or Southeast Asian, with only a handful being either American or British. Commander Shufeldt in a memorandum noted that the Chinese onboard came to this coast to rob and plunder, to the great dread of the whole seaboard, and "Mr. Hogarth, an English subject on board of the Sherman, was known throughout China for his reckless character; and his acquaintances suppose that if a riot occurred, he would be very likely to be one of the means of causing it" (ARSN, 1867–68, pgs. 49-50). So, even at that time, the General Sherman had a poor reputation and was probably more just a convenient excuse for the US to survey Korea. As Commander Febiger in 1868 concluded and accepted that the crew of the General Sherman were all dead, so was the issue officially. That is not to say that all US officials were going to let it rest; Minister Frederick Low, who would later accompany the US Asiatic Squadron to Korea, in a message sent on June 15,