New-York tribune., 1900-08-24
SEYMOUR'S BRAVE EFFORT.
M'CALLA's GRAPHIC STORY OF COL
UMNS ADVANCE, RETREAT
AND RELIEF.

Washington Aug. 23.-The Navy Department
has made public the report of Captain B. H. Nc
Gala. who was in command OF the American
contingent Of the international column under
Admiral Seymour that. June 10. made the
first move in the relief Of Peking. but cut
off by the Chinese troops on the road and forced
to turn back from Yang-Tsun, being in danger
of complete annihilation before coming IN touch
with the reinforcements sent out to meet them
from Tien-Tsin. The report is most interesting.
despite the official brevity with which the ro
mantle features OF the story dismissed and
the corresponding wealth of official detail.
The force Of which Captain McCalla's COM
mand a part was made up Of eight nation
alities-British. Russian, German Austrian,
italian. japanese French and American marines
and bluejackets Its aggregate strength was
2.07S officers and men, Of which 112 were the
Newark's men. These forces were all acting
with nominal independence. but were tacitly
under the command of Admiral Seymour and
operated as one body. 1t is interesting to note
Captain McCalla's description of how the vari-
commands co-operated-how the British
and Russians in turn helped to shift the New
ark's 3-inch rifle from position to another
when the American guns crew was inadequate
to transport it. how the Americans led the ad-
vance up the railway and protected the rear in
the retreat. and how in the repeated attacks of
the Chinese the Tien-Tsin arsenal British
Russians and Americans in turn would spring
into the breach to defend the hard pressed out
posts of some other nationality that was bear
Ing the brunt Of the attack The cooperation Of
the entire force seems to have been perfect and
Captain McCalla has nothing except the warm
est praise both for Admiral Seymour and all of
the other officers who took part in the expedi-
ton.
DIFFICULTY OF THE ADVANCE.
The start OF the international column for Pc
king was begun after the receipt of urgent mes
sages from both the British and American Le-
cations in Peking. To the allied force was fur
nished railroad transportation by the Chinese
authorities in Tien-Tsin, although it was
thought at first they might have to seize the
necessary trains A start was made on June
10. and from that time on the advance was
made under constantly increasing difficulties
Whole sections Of track were torn I'D. bridges
and culverts were found wrecked stations
burned, and pumping appliances at the water
tanks were destroyed. The first attacks on the
column were by parties of Boxers but +hAsa
soon were Joined by regular Chinese troops and
the little column had to fight its way forward
repairing the track almost rail by rail with
nank1ng parties out to protect the construction
train. while other detachments foraged the sur
rounding country for supplies
The advance continued up to June 10 and
wasfmet by two messengers at different times
bearing urgent requests from the besieged le-
cations for relief Captain McCalla and his
marines finally were put in charge OF the con-
struction train by Admiral Seymour's direction
and the work pushed far as the important
city of YangTsun. From this point the railroad
was so badly crippled that evidently II was i'm
practicable to advance further by train. and the
international column secured the country for
horses and carts, hoping to make forced march
TO Peking by road The resistance encountered
at Lang-Fang amounted to pitched battle and
resulted in the killing of seven ana wounding of
forty Of the allied forces. That four hundred
Chinese were killed in this engagement was lit
tie consolation to the allies, since with a large
number OF wounded on their ha1ds. and the con-
stantly increasing force OF Chinese in both front
and rear, it was evidently impossible to make
the forced march contemplated. The news
from the direction of Tien-Tsin showed that the
railroad had been destroyed in their rear. and
after meeting Of the commanders, it was de-
sided that retreat must be made by way of the
river.
THE RETURN TO TIEN-TsIN.
Fortunately. at this point a German force
from the column captured four large junks.
while Ensign Wurtzbaugh and Cadet Courtney.
with parties Of the Newark's men. gathered in
four large sampans. The little fotina was dis
tributed among the allied forces and the whole
column embarked on June 10 for the return to
Tien-Tsin. The soldiers of the modern war
ships at first made slow work OF navigating
these unwieldy Oriental craft. but they made
fair progress. The retreat was slow. however
Every village along the thickly settled banks
was a vantage point from which the Chinese
hotly contested the movement OF the column
will rfiII
parties had to be thrown out on each side. and
town after town cleared by the lmpetuous
charges Of Japanese, Austrans and Germans.
while the American field gun. the British O.
Founders and the German and Russian guns
shelled out the Chinese from their mud redou3ts
and kept at bay the squadrons Of cavalry that
hovered on the tanks, hoping to cut up the re-
treating column. The strongest opposition was
met at Pei-Tsang, where sharp fight occurred
The casualties OF the Newark's officers and men
in this fight were one killed and nine wounded
while the allies also lost the services OF Captain
Jellico. Admiral seymour's chief OF star. who
was severely wounded
CAPTURE OF CHINESE ARSENAL.
The resistance to the party increased steadily
or the trip down the river until they came In
the vicinity of the Chinese arsenal where the
little column cleared out the Chinese, occupying
the walled inclosure and took shelter in posi
tions that the Chinese had evacuated Here
the American gun mounted on a parapet
commanding the road leading to the arsenal
and an all day fight occurred Three OF the
Newark's men were killed and thirteen wound
ed. while the percentage OF loss among the
British and Germans was about the same. It
was here that the commander OF the Kaiseriu
Augusta was killed while directing the defence
frNn fhA