The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-11-24

this city,T
United StaA ,AxJ
interestingly Ne q
gagements thaNolacte
about Tientsin. WE Ae. .
Tientsin, Aug. AS 81
lows
''Our troop left Fort Riley u
went to the Preside in California
were in Frisco from June % to july
when we embarked aboard the transports
Grant. Weleft the same night and landed
July % at Kobe, Japan. We could get
no pilot here to take us through the inland
sea and narrowly escaped running on the
rocks during a fog We reached Nagasaki
at 5. As a. m. July "a and remained there
three days to coal up. Our next stop was
Che Foo, China. We stayed here just
long enough to receive orders Then we
proceeded to Taku. At that place we were
transferred from the transport to the Mo
nocacy in hfeboats from the Brooklyn.
They took us as far as Tongko and we
camped there over night. Next morning
we took train for Tentsin, our present
camping place.
THE city is total wreck; the build
ings that were not entirely ruined are now
being used for hospitals and army head
quarters. There are English, Japanese,
Russian, French, German and American
soldiers here, besides regiment of Sikhs
from India, known as the Bengal Lancers.
The Japs are fine. They simply idolize an
American. They are better soldiers than
all the rest put together. They are fine
fighters and we get along with them just
as if they were Americans.
s'On the morning of the 9th fifty Troop
A men myself among them) aud thirty
of the India lancers were sent about eight
miles out west of the town TO locate body
of several thousand Chimes, as we call the
Chinese troops, who had managed to get
between the lines and were endangering
our pack trains. We found them. The
first we knew of their whereabouts was
when we received volley right IN our
faces. 1t came from blind trench abnut
one hundred yards ahead and we had t.
retire in confusion to about three hundred
wards in the rear Here we dismounted
10 fight on foot. We returned their tire
for half an hour until they began TO get
our range; then We made hasty retreat
back to town One Sikh was wounded
and three horses killed in this encounter.
"On the morning Of the 18Th, about ,
o clock. our whole command together with
about thirty Sikbs, numbering in all about
FIVE hundred and fifty mounted men, made
a general move against the enemy to try to
dislodge them from their intrenchments.
1t was nervy piece Of work. a. there we're
at least four thousand Of them We ran
across the Chinks sooner than We expected,
their outpostS being concealed in corn
field They allowed our advance guard 10
pass them and then they fired into our
main body. Our troop was the tirst, aud
from then on throughout the fight Troop
A stood the brunt of the attack. The hrst
volley hit man at my left in the arm and
the bullets hummed around Us like bees
ave then dismounted aud threw out
skirsnish line. We led our horses by the
bride rein and started through the high
corn ON the run Ii was ticklisb piece
of business. We were hustling through
that corniield. not knowing whether the
enemy was ten OF hundred yards ahead
of us. Right near Us bullets were cutting
the cornstalks on all sides When We got
cut Of the eurnfeld into the open We could
see their outpost fleeing 10 their trenches,
700 yards away. Ii was biz relief 10 u
to be able to see where they were. From
then ON il was case of ran 100 yards, Z
kneel, fire six or eight shots and start of
again. We made stand near the Chinks
trenches and laid a skirmishing line there
under heavy FIRE, which We returned as
good as they sent.
'sFor four hours it was fierce work, but
the good part was yet to come. We had
no artillery, but we made it - het for the
enemy that they had to leave their big
guns and we could see them running away.
Our squadron commander then galloped
along the line, yelling Mount, men;
mount We knew what was coming and /
il seemed hardly second before every man
was in his saddle Then somebody yelled 4
Charge Holy smoke We drew pistol I
and went down that line like hurricane /
let loose. An English officer who was with !
our Colonel said to him When those /
Yankees get once started all he'll couldn 1
stop them And he was right.
The fellows yelled like Comanches |
when they swooped down upon those
Chinks. When we had emp,ied our
pistols we drew our sabres and what We did /
was a-plenty. The main body Of the enemy
got away, but we cut party of Boxers to I
pieces. | can swear to killing five With
my pistol and three more with my sabre.
When was coming back to the troop after
the recall had been sounded, had Chink
by the pigtail, bringing him in prisoner
Ny horse SHE'D at dead body aud the
Chink broke away. He picked up a spear |
from the side Of the dead body and made 1
a vicious swipe at me That Is where my
sabre practice came in parted his /
lunse. knocked down his guard aud gave
him slash in the neck that nearly lobbed /
his head off. dismounted, took his spear
and cut off his pigtail | am going To /
bring the pigtails home As souvenirs when |
the war ends.
'sThere were about twenty men wounded |
in all; several from our troop were hart
seriously. One was feartully cut with
spear. We lost about thirty horses in all,
but it was a glorious charge. Our chap
lain said that it was with the help of Prov
idence that we won against such heavy !
odds but | think it was our American grit 1
that pulled US through
cSTcNrEE or AsSIc4NEE OF |