Battle of the Barrier
| Battle of the Barrier | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the First Opium War | |||||||
View of the Barrier Gate on the isthmus connecting the Macao Peninsula to the mainland (published 1844) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Qing China | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Henry Smith | Yi Zhongfu | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
2 sloops 1 frigate 1 steamer 1 transport ship 380 troops (land force) |
2,000 troops 8 junks | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 wounded |
50–60 killed 100–120 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of the Barrier (Chinese: 澳門之戰) was fought between British and Chinese forces at the boundary separating Macao from the Chinese mainland on 19 August 1840 during the First Opium War. Located in modern-day Portas do Cerco, the Macao Peninsula was connected to Xiangshan Island by a narrow isthmus about 100 m (330 ft) wide and 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long. A wall called the Barrier was built across the isthmus in 1573, and it served as Macao's border.