Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-09
THE ALLIES LOST
TWELVE HUNDRED
Unofficial Report Of Battle Fought at
Peitsang Sunday Morning.
IT LASTED OVER SEVEN HOURS
Chinese Heavily Engaged by
Sixteen Thousand.
CELESTlALS SAID TO Be RETREATlNG

GELESTlALS SAID TO Be RETREATlNG |
Washington, Aug! 6--The following |
cablegraIns have been received at the |
Navy Department:
%Chefoo, Aug. g. Bureau Of Nayi-
cation, WashingtoDs British Fame re-
ports tunofficiall engagement at Peit-
sang Sunday morning from ; to 10 3o.
Allies loss, killed and wounded, 1,2O0,
chiefly Russians and japanese. Chinese
retreating. Iaussig.
.'Chefoo, Aug. 6--Bnreau of Navi-
CATION, Washington: Unofficial report
believed reliable. About 16,000 allies
heavily engaged Chinese at Peitsang
daylieht of the 9TH. Remey.
Taussig. who signed the first dis
ratch, is in command of the Yorktown,
which is at Chefuc.
Interest in the Chinese situation has
been intensified by the receipt OF the
DISPATCHES from Chefoo. The dispatches
Indicate, enthusiastically that the relief
column has started in earnest, and that
it is meeting with determined opposi..
tion. Although neither Of tine naval
dispatches mention the presence OF
American troops in the reported engage-
ment, it is generally assumed at the
War Department that at least a portion
OF Gen. Chaffee's small army was on
hand and took an aggressive part in
the affair.
According to the information in the
nossession of the War Department,
| Peitssng is at the head of tidewater on
the Peiho between il and u miles by
| road beyond Tientsin. 1t is a village
| nf r,,,J h,,fu - notic ijarul,ln Giza hut
| not walled. 1t presents no natural de-
fensive features, anti this War Depart
ment knows no strategic reason why
the Chinese should have made stand
| there rather than at any OF the other
of the dozen villages east of the walled
town of 'Tunchow, where is stored an
| immense amount Of provisions upon
which the City of Pekin would have
to depend in case of siege
| From the fact that the engagement
lasted ~ hours, it Is argued in the
| department that either the Chinese
must have been heavily entrenched Or
that there was an immense horde OF
them to so stubbornly contest tine ad-
vance of tho 5000 International
troops. 1t. is figured by military ex-
perts that loss of 1, 200 killed and
wounded On the part of the. allies
probably means loss of from three to
six times as many by the Chinese. II
is possible that blow of this magni-
tude may break the resistance of the
Chinese to the advance of the foreign
coIumn, hut, on the other hand, it is
possible that this may be one Of a
large numper of places on the road
that have been intrenched with view
to falling back and contesting the
foreign advance SO as to delay as long
as possible the arrival of the foreigners
at PelSin. Unless the opposition sud
denly breaks down, the military ex-
perts look fora desperate engagement
when the troops reach the walled city
+ of Tungchow, which is said to he even
more favorably located for purposes CT
defence than was Tientsin.
The position of the United States
automatically remains unchanged
This government will not consent to
the removal of the ministers and
foreigners from Fekin until there is
free communication by. the Powers
with the ministers. Nor will this
government consent TO communication
in plain language alone, but insists
that cipher messages must pass freely
between Minister Conaer and Our State
Department. 1t is emphatically stated
| Jnat, unless SuCu iH6SShSPo df0 VA
changed, the United States cannot
know beyond question, that the mos
saaes were not garbled ard both the
! United States government and the
, ministers nisled.
There seems to be no doubt about
: the safety of the ministers at Pekin for
J the present, and that they will remain
where they will be able 70 protect
themselves, and will not be induced to
accent any offers of the Chinese govern
ment to escort them TO Iientsin until
! they have had communication with
, their governments. Confidence is ex-
pressed, however, that tho Chinese
government will soon SEQ the necessity
, of accepting the terms laid down in
, Secretary Hays note to Consul Good
now. 1t is stated that il all the inter
! national forces in the neighborhood OF
} 1aku can be landed and the supplies
brought up, there is sufficient force to
overcome any army which the Chinese
+ may bring forward 10 prevent the
> march on Pelsin 1t also is believed at
: the War Department that the in
} formation received through the Navy
D Department OF battle is correct.
: Tientsin, China, Aug. ), Sa m, via
Shanghai, Aug. This morning, al
. daylight, 10000 allies attacked the
T Chinese at Peitsang, and forced the
3 enemy from tho trenches.
7 The Americans who participated were
: the Ninth and Fourteenth Regiments,
Reiliy's Iiattery and the marines.
J A heavy battle is still in progress.
LONDON HAS NO ADDITIONAL NEWS.
London, Eng, Aug THE special
; dispatch 10 the Associated Press from
Tientsin, dated August 9TH, $ u. M
7 via Shanghai, August 7th, is thu only
! press message which has been gotten
! through from Tientsin since the baths
!, al Peitsang.
Various Tientsin dispatches of earlier
= dates allude TO recommending ell
= counters with the Chinese preparatory
to general attack on the Chinese posi
J tions, which are five miles long. The
: reconnaissance has developed tnat tn,
). Chinese are in greater strength thar
expected, and tine allies, according to :
news agency dispatch from Tientsin
: dated August ID, are each day gushing
. nearer to the Chinese positions.
\ MESSAGE FROM GEN. CHAFFEE.
i Washington, Aug. THE War De-
Il partment has received the following
cablegram from Gen. 'Chaffee: