Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-24
M'CALLA'S REPORT
Story Of the First Relief Expedition
In China.
FORCED 10 RETURN TO fIEN FSIN
Fighting Both Boxers and Regular
Chinese Troops.
BRAVERY OF THE MEN

BRAVERY OF THE MEN
One of the most interesting narratives
growing out of the recent military opera
tons in China is the history of the march
of 112 officers and men of the U. s. 8. New
ark with the Inflated expedition of Admiral
Seymour in the first attempt to reach Pc
kim 1t is a story of battle and hardship,
heroism and determinatio which adds an
other chapter to the long and glorious rec
ord of the United States navy.
report to the Navy Department Capt.
B. F. McCalla of the Newark tells of the
movements of his detachment of 112 men
from Tien Tsin to a point above Lang
Fang. Capt. McCalla was in charge of a
construction train which was repairing the
railroad and keeping communication open.
The allies were constantly fighting, and
progress was very difficult
THE construction train moved three miles
beyond Lang Fang" says Capt. McCalla
land continued to repair the up line. AT
this time it was understood that a march
on Pekin would be made as soon as the
road was repaired to Anting. and British
and American seamen, with Chinese coolies
brought from Tien Tsin on the 10th instant,
worked with renewed zeal to accomplish
this end.
Early in the morning Of the 10th the
repairs to the road were continued, but
about am. / received note from Capt
Jellicoe telling me that the shuttle train
which had started for Tien Tsin the preced-
ing morning could not get through to Yang
tsun; that the line south Of Lola had been
badly cut up, and that Lola station had
been threatened by large force the pre-
ceding afternoon. He further advised me
that many strong parties were appearing
toward Yangtsun to make repairs to the
road. Shortly afterward / received advices
from Vice Admiral Seymour that our con-
nections with Tien Tsin had been interrupt
ed, with instructions for me to return SO
soon possible with the construction
train, armed car and guards.
A Conference of Officers.
This was done at once, and after our
arrival at Lang Fang conference of COM
handing officers was held with Admiral
Seymour presiding, at which 1t was unani-
mously decided that further progress
toward Pekin could be made until our com
munications had been reopened with Tien
Tsin.
Both parts OF the first train then re-
turned to Lola passing the fourth train at
that point. and continued for a few
miles TO the place where the track had been
torn up. AT sunset the construction train
was in sight of the Yangtsun station,
which we hoped to find intact, large Chi
nese military force being present at the
station on the afternoon of the 18th.
ON the morning of the 18th work began
early on the road and steady but slow
progress toward the Yangtsun station was
made throughout the day, for the sleepers
of both tracks opposite villages had now
been carried off. as was the case north of
Lang Fang. In ether words. while the
damages which were done to the tracks be-
fore the 10th instant were slight and super
fetal. the railway in our rear in many
places had been most thoroughly wrecked.
During the morning, as Boxer flags We're
seen flying over a village near the railway,
two shells from the British 6-pounder
caused the villagers to take to fight, a force
of German and British seamen Immediately
advancing on the village and capturing the
flags BY nightfall the road had been
paired TO within several hundred yards of
the iron bridge across the Pei Ho at the
Yangtsun station, which was found to have
been completely destroyed. and the tracks
wrecked as far as the eye could see in the
direction of Tian Tsin. But even at this
time 1t was hoped that the expedition would
not have to abandon the advance to Pekin.
"On the evening of this day the same Chi
nese messenger who had first reached the
naval force with a letter from Mr.. Squiers
again returned with letters from the first
secretary and minister Mr. Conger.
These letters gave the Information that
Boxers were being drilled within the walls
of Pekin. that American missions had been
burned within the city and that the native
Christians who were not so fortunate
to reach the legation had been murdered.
"On the 18th the railway was repaired to
the northern end of the bridge. An attempt
was made to obtain provisions from the
large city OF Yangtsun. on the right bank of
the river. one-half a mile north OF the
bridge, but though the natives promised to
establish market between the city and the
railway no effort was made to redeem the
promise. prevented, no doubt. by an armed
force Of Chinese which appeared at the
north end Of the city when the effort was
made
Naval Forces Attacked.
Late in the afternoon the train under
the command of Captain de Marolles which
had gone to Lang Fang for a carload of
coal returned with the information that
the naval forces In the second and third
trains, about 1000 men, had been attacked
three times at Lang Fang between and
In the afternoon, and that Captain Won
Usedom, the senior officer. was then falling
back on Yangtsun with all the force.
THE first attack was by Boxers; the
other two following the first were engage
ments which amounted to a battle, and
were with a Chinese military force esti-
mated to be between 1000 and 6, 900 men,
and the allied force of English, Germans
Russians and Japanese, under Capt Won
tsedom. The Chinese were driven back
leaving about 400 killed and wounded on
the field, Captain Won Usedom having it
was reported. disposed Of his force to the
best advantage. There were seven killed
and about forty wounded Of the allied
forces. An inscription on one of the BAN
ners captured by the Germans, and which
was translated by Captain MORT of the
Japanese navy, proved tina. the attacking
forces were part of the army of General
Tung fu Hsiang, stationed in and about
Pekin.
THE wounded complicated the situation,
for IT was evident now that the relief
force under Admiral Seymour must return
as speedily possible to Tien Tsln In
talking of this possibility before the news
of the battle of Lang Fang on the 18th
reached Admiral Seymour, and without a
knowledge of what was taking place be-
tween Yang.sun and the sea- forced
march along the line of the railway ON
Tien Tsin eighteen miles distant, seemed
to be more desirable than proceeding by
the tortuous river But being without
transport the moment we had a large
number of wounded to carry 1t became an
parent TO all that the retreat must be made
by the river route.
Fortunately, during the day, the officer
commanding German force now with the
first train had taken possession of four
jnnks, which were anchored to the right
bank of the river at the bridge and Ensign
Wur:zbaugh and Cadet Courtney with
parties from the Newarks men. secured
four large sampans from adjoining viii
lagos. During the day and night and dur
ing the preceding night the sound of heavy
guns TO the southwark was ranorta7 -