Before the engagement, Qing forces prepared defenses along the shores of Xiamen and built batteries on Gulangyu Island.

The British began the battle by bombarding the island's batteries for two to four hours (sources vary), with little effect.

A garrison force of 550 men, mostly from the 18th, and three ships — the Druid, Pylades, and the Algerine— were left moored at Gulangyu to defend Xiamen.

[7] Commander John Elliot Bingham (late first lieutenant of HMS Modeste) wrote a detailed first-hand account of the battle from a British perspective.

Ships: Wellesley, 74; Blenheim, 74; Blonde, 44; Druid, 44; Modeste, 18; Cruizer, 18; Pylades, 18; Columbine, 16; Bentinck, 10; Algerine, 10; Sesostris, 4; Phlegethon, 4; Nemesis, 4; Queen, 4[7]