Evening star., 1900-10-05
SIXTH CAVALRY IN ACTION.
Regiment Which VS. Once Stationed
at Fort MyeE


An assistant surgeon on duty in China
recently wrote friend in This city de-
scription of an engagement in which the
9Th United States Cavalry participated. The
| letter follows:
There have been awful times here, but
every one has become so accustomed to
| the horrors Of such a war - this that no
attention Is any longer; paid to details. /
had the time Of my life. though, yesterday,
for I was in a real lively battle. It hap
pened this way: News came that the 9Th
Cavalry, the regiment which used to be
stationed at Fort Myer, was going out to
attack the Chinese troops and the Boxers
| who had been annoying US recently. 1
first got leave Of absence for the next day,
and then went to the camp to see Capt.
Rhodes, a friend Of mine, who took me to
the colonel. The colonel said he would be
only too glad to have me along. and ordered
a good horse to be picked out for me. We
were up at o'clock in the morning, and
off by 4, and were soon Joined by the Ben
gal Lancers and column of Japanese and
British infantry. 1t was a lonely ride in
the early morning until we came to the
first village, about half way to the field,
| where We were obliged to leave behind the
ambulances and proceed by bride path
to the field beyond.
1.-The field was an immense plain Of thou
sands upon thousands of acres, covered at
past village well up toward the enemy's s
position. 1t was here. while riding to over
take the column, after leaving the ambu-
lances, that we encountered the first
wounded man. He was coming to the rear
on his horse, having been shot by the en-
emy's picket in the corn field In a few
minutes the rifles began to pop away mer-
rily beyond the corn field, but our men
were holding their fire. I was soon sent
over to the right to join several horsemen
who seemed to be fumbling over some
thing, which turned out to be the sergeant
major, whose collar bone had been broken
by his horse falling with him. fixed 1t up
for him as best I could, but he persisted in
remaining in the field, and rode about the
| whole day.
Directly we started through the corn,
and We were near the lower end Of 1t, ap-
preaching the firing line, when something
went whe-e-e-w-spat, and a stalk Of corn
about two feet to the left of my horse bent
over slowly with the wind. That was the
first, and very soon we came out on the
open field just behind the firing line. Our
little cavalcade Of about ten horsemen
must have made nice mark, for We had
just got into the open when quite little
shower of bullets came about They
made all sorts Of noises, and 1 could hear
them plunk into the mud all around.
THE colonel would persist in looking
through his glass at every part of the field
and l thought he would never get through
for while he was doing this we had to re-
main stock-still, sitting bolt upright in the
saddle. After what seemed about half an
hour he moved over to the left and took
| another survey but the bullets followed U.S.
1 made up my mind not to dodge but my
head would persist in getting down between
my shoulders when l wasn't watching it,
and then l would think of how must look
and shoot it up again like jack-in- the
box. only to have it slip back again later
on. Only one of our party was hft how
ever, bugler being wounded slightly in
the arm.
1T was very interesting to watch the en-
emy, for they were moving along out of
the village toward our right and the sound
Of our rifles popping at them was like boy
drawing stick along picket fence. Sud-
denly there was a great hubbub In the vii
lage. The enemy were leaving, the Bengal
Lancers having slipped around our left and
attacked there. Then the enemy started to
return along their line and we got in some
up and down the line, looking for my
wounded, and did not mind the bullets so
much, for l did not think of them. We had
only six men hit so far as | could learn
and no one killed outright, though one man
was shot through the skull and another
through the chest. Both are alive and
doing well this morning
In little While the horses were brought
up, the men having been dsmounted during
the firing, and son there was a mad dash
across the plain at the demoralized enemy
The Cinnamon did not stand long but fed
in all directions. Some however held out
One horse was killed by spear thrust and
one trooper was wounded In the knee by
another. The troopers empted their re-
volvers and then drew their sabers and
there is no use in describing what happened
afterward the enemy were pursued into the
village behind, and all their banners and
spears, well as a hundred prisoners.
We're captured. came off with a spear,
which l gave to a friend because he looked
so glum when he heard Of the fun we had
The enemy left considerably over two hum
dred dead on the field"