The age-herald., 1900-08-24
Report on the Movement of Sey-
 mour's Column.
COOPERATION WAS PERFECT
All Worked Together and Answered All Calls of Distress Many Acts of Heroism While Surround
 ed by Chinese.

WaShlnRtOn, August Eo.-l HC ANesNS partment has made public the report or Captain B. H. McCalla, who was in com mand of the American contingent or the international column under Admiral Sey- mour that on June 10 made the first move for the relief of Pekin, but who was cut off by the Chinese troops on the road and forced to turn back from Tang Tsun, being in danger of complete annihilation before coming in touch with the endorsements sent out to meet them from Tien Tsln. The report is most interesting, despite the oft1- cial brevity with which the dramatic lea lures of the story are dismissed. The force of which Captain McCalla's command was a part was made up of British, Russian German, Austrian, Italian, Japanese French and American marines and blue jackets. Its strength was 2,07S officers and men of which 112 were the Newarks men, 1nese forces, all nominally independent, were tacitly under the command of Ad- miral Seymour as one body
 It is interesting to note Captain McCallas co-operated, how the British and Russians in turn helped to shift the Newark's three inch rifle from one position to another
 
 to transport it; how the Americans lead the advance up the railway and protected the rear in the retreat, and how during the repeated attacks of the Chinese on the Tien Tsin arsenal British, Russians and Ameri- cans in turn would spring into the breach to defend the hard-pressed outposts of some other nationality that was bearing the brunt of the attack. The cooperation of the entire force seems to have been per A,.>, and Captain McCalla has nothing but the warmest praise for both Admiral Sey- mour and all the other officers who partici- pated in the expedition.
 Had Railway Transportation
 The international column started forI Pekin after the receipt of urgent messages from both the British and American Le- gations in Pekin. The allied force was furnished with railroad transportation by the Chinese authorities in Tien Tsin, al- though it was thought at first they would have to seize the necessary trains. A start was made on the 10th of June, and from that time on the advance was made under constantly increasing difficulties. Whole sections of track were torn up, bridges and culverts were found wrecked; stations
 
 water tanks were destroyed. The first at tack on the columns were by parties of Boxers, but these soon were destroyed by regular Chinese troops and the little col umn had to fight its way forward, repair ing the track almost rail by rail with flank ing parties out to protect the construction train while other attachments foraged the country for supplies. The advance con tinued up to the 18th, and were met by two messengers at different times bearing 
 tionerS for relief. Captain McCalla and his marines final 1y were put in charge of the construction train by Admiral Seymours direction, and the work pushed far as the important city of Yang Tsun. From this point the railroad was so badly crippled that evil dently it was impracticable to advance farther by train, and the international column secured the country for horses and carts, hoping to make forced march to Pekin by road. The resistance encounted at Lang Fang amounted to a pitched bat tie, and resulted in killing of several and wounding of forty of the allied forces. That fourhundred Chinese were killed in the engagement was little consolation to the allies since with large number of wounded on their hands and the constant ly increasing force of Chinese, in both front and rear, it was evidently impossi- ble to make the forced march as contem- plated.
 Retreat Decided Upon
 The news from the direction of Tien Tsin showed that the railroad had been de- stroyed in their rear and after a meeting of the commanders 1t was decided that a retreat must be made by way of the river. Fortunately at this point, a German force from the column, shipped four large junks, while Ensign Wurtzburgh and Cadet Court ney, with parties of the Newarks men, gathered four large sampans. This little " distributed ha oU ial forces and the whole column embarked on the 18th for the return to Tien Tsn.
 The sailors from the modern warships at first made slow work of navigating these unwieldy Oriental craft, but they made fair progress. The retreat was slow, how ever. Every village along the thickly set tied banks was vantage point from which the Chinese hotly contested the movement of the column, both with artillery and small arms Flanking parties had to be thrown out on each side and town after town was cleared by the impetuous charges pf Japanese, Austrians and Germans, while the American field gun, the British g. pounder, and the German and Russian guns shelled out the Chinese from their mud redoubts and kept at bay the squadrons of cavalry that lowered on the banks, hoping 10 cut up the retreating column. The strongest opposition was met at Pietsang, where sharp fight occurred. The casual ties of the Newark's officers and men In
 
 ed, while the allies also lost the services of Captain Jellicoe, Admiral Seymour's chief of staff, who was severely wounded.
 Resistance Increased
 ' The resistance to the party increased steadily on the trip down the river until they came in the vicinity of the Chinese arsenal, where a little column cleared out the Chinese, occupying the walled enclos- ure and took shelter in positions that the Chinese had evacuated Here the Ameri- can gun was mounted on a parapet com manding the road leading into the arsenal, and an all-day fight occurred. Three of the Newark's- men were killed and thirteen wounded, while the percentage of loss among the British and Germans were about the same. It was here that the commander of the Kaiserin Auguste was The NOn-Lritatin6