The port of Wonsan in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

The General Sherman, an American merchant ship, sailed up the Taedong River in August 1866 — right up to the very gates of Pyongyang. Ostensibly, the ship's mission was one of peace: to establish trade and open the Hermit Kingdom to the rest of the world. However, the expedition ended disastrously. The General Sherman was destroyed, its crew slaughtered and its anchor chain became a symbol of defiance against foreign intervention. To this day, North Korea cites the General Sherman incident as an example of early unwanted American adventurism on the Korean Peninsula.

The tale of the General Sherman and its fate is a well-known episode of early Korean-American history, but it might surprise you to know that there was another American ship named Sherman — a military transport vessel — that sailed in Korean waters at the end of the 19th century. Though not as infamous as its predecessor, the Sherman and its crew caused quite a stir among the populace on the East Coast.

In the spring of 1899, the Sherman arrived at Wonsan in modern-day North Korea, in hopes of replenishing its coal bunkers — unfortunately, the Russian navy had recently visited the port and purchased all the coal.

A street view of Wonsan in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

A group of American soldiers, eager for the opportunity to stretch their legs after being cramped aboard ship for so long, went ashore and were soon surrounded by a large number of curious Korean men in winter clothing. Given that our narrator, an American infantry officer, was prone to exaggeration, I am a little skeptical of his claim of "several thousand men, dressed like clowns in a circus …were out on the beach to greet us." Despite his frequent embellishments, his amusing account of this early encounter is rather interesting.

The Koreans "all seemed very tired, as though they had been working for years without a let up" and were smoking pipes that varied from a mere two feet to an extraordinary 6 feet long. According to our narrator, many of the men "were far too weary and exhausted to hold their own pipes" so they had their servants squat in front of them on the ground. The yangban — upper-class gentlemen — then rested their pipes on the shoulders of their servants.

The soldiers were impressed, though not by the length of the pipes or the iron-fisted power of the yangbans over their servants, but by the manner in which the Koreans squatted — "perched high up upon their heels."

Playing a game while enjoying a good smoke in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

The Americans soon met a Russian soldier roaming the streets who kindly consented to act as their guide around the city:

"[The] main street runs between rows of pigsties constructed of mud and straw, which afterward developed into the residences of the Coreans — the people, not the pigs, though I am afraid this is a distinction without a difference. We came in a few minutes to a great swamp covered with filth. Opening upon it were several low-class Japanese tea houses, in one of which we took up our station to observe more closely the wonders of this new civilization that is, I believe, about five thousand years old."

As military men, they were not impressed by the Korean officials they encountered. Each official rode a small Korean pony and "required two minions to hold his steed for him by the ears or snout, while another servant walked by his side and held him in the saddle."

The "swamp" turned out to be the central market and soon it was filled with merchants who offered the foreigners "a countless number of tiger and leopard skins … at temptingly low prices." Three or four silver dollars could purchase a leopard skin while tiger skins sold for 15-20 dollars. The Americans all purchased these great cat pelts and draped them over their shoulders causing the narrator to describe the unit as looking "like the Hungarian body-guard of the Austrian Emperor."

A Korean official is carried on his chair, which is decked out with a leopard pelt. Robert Neff Collection

The Russian guide assured them that the countryside around Wonsan was filled with tigers and leopards and almost nightly they prowled the streets of the city rummaging in the garbage or snatching children who wandered away from the safety of their houses or drunken men who passed out in the streets. He wasn't exaggerating.

It is a shame the men did not meet any of the foreign missionaries in the settlement; perhaps they would have also learned of the supernatural aspect of the Korean tiger: "[Those] who die by tigers become tiger-spirits, and are so possessed until the tiger devours someone else, and so lets the spirit of the first victim free." At least one Korean man warned foreigners (those who suffered from an "inordinate love for striped tiger skins") about the dangers of these tiger spirits, but it is unclear if they heeded his advice.

Seeing the size of the tiger pelts and hearing of their predations upon the Korean public, the American soldiers looked upon their Korean hosts with a newfound respect. It also inspired them to go out on their own tiger-hunting expedition.

A leopard pelt is draped over a chair in the city street. Robert Neff Collection

They asked the Russian to help organize it but, despite his best efforts, he ultimately failed. He patiently explained:

"[The Koreans] say it is impossible to comply with your request for the following reason: the [Korean] sporting calendar is divided into two seasons of equal length. In one man hunts the tiger; in the other the tiger hunts the man; the present is the tiger-hunt-man season, consequently the hunt that you desire would run counter to the natural order of things, and besides it might prove dangerous."

He then went on to add that Koreans hunt tigers during the winter, when the great beasts "are weakened by starvation" and hampered by the deep snow drifts. The Koreans then dig pits and cover them with twigs and snow and bait the trap with a goat or a pig. When the tiger pounces upon the bait, its weight causes it to fall into the trap at which point the villagers come and "blow him to pieces with their blunderbusses and Chinese muskets."

Just before the soldiers returned to their ship, they witnessed an angry confrontation between two Korea officials who were upset with their share of the commission from the tiger hides. "Quivering with rage and foaming at the mouth," the two men met on the beach and the American sailors eagerly made bets amongst themselves as to which of these two men would win what was expected to be "a display of the pugilistic art, according to the [Korean] dispensation."

The clean streets of Wonsan in the early 20th century / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

No punches were thrown, and no insults were hurled, but instead each man took off his hat and silently bowed. The soldiers, perplexed, looked to the Russian for explanation.

"You have seen the end of a lifelong friendship," he declared laughing. "They have exchanged a formal bow; they have taken off their hats in contempt, and that in [Korea] is the one supreme and unpardonable insult."

The Americans returned to their ship and sailed off. It is interesting to note that for the next 10 days, many of the soldiers attempted to imitate the manner in which the Korean men squatted on the beach. All failed.

Several decades ago, when I was a young soldier, I had a similar experience with the "Korean squat." Many of my peers tried to squat like the Korean soldiers in the camp next to us. Everyone failed except for me — probably because I was a lot thinner then. Now just standing up is a chore. I guess some things never really change — except our waistlines.

I would like to express my appreciation to Diane Nars for her assistance and for allowing me to use one of her images.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.