The Portland daily press., 1900-08-18

PORTLAND DAILY Pr
loss of their gallant colonel. e. n. Lis.
cum, and with the first regiment Of ma
rines in the death of Capt. Davis, who
met a soldiers death in the front of the
fight.
81 blame myself for the mistake made
in the taking up of their position by the
ninth regiment, not remembering that
troops wholly fresh to the scene of action
were likely to lose their way. Still the
position they gaIlantly stuck to all day
undoubtedly prevented a large body of
the enemy from turning the right of the
attacking line and 1nhicting serious loss
on the French and Japanese. propose
specially to bring to notice in dispatches
the conduct OF First Lieut. Smedley D.
Butler, U. 5. marine corps, in bringing
wounded man from the front under
heavy fire. Lieut.. Butler was wounded,
but 1 am glad to learn, not seriously.
The regimental adjutant, First Lieut..
Henry Leonard, as Lieut. Blu tier was
suffering severely, volunteered to carry
him out of the firing line. This gallant
feat he successfully accomplished but,
regret to say, was very dangerously
wounded.
1.-The ninth regiment were lighting
somewhat outside my sphere of action, so
L am able to bring forward only one in
stance of personal gallantry in that regi-
ment although lighting for about 10
hours almost alone and unsupported and
never giving back foot of ground until
directed to retire under cover of night
and fire of the naval guns, such instances
must have been very numerous. The one
would refer to is the bringing back to
me by the acting regimental adjutant,
Capt. Lawton, of the account of the po-
sition of the regiment across a wide and
fire swept space and returning with rein
forcements to guide them to his regiment
when he was sew erely wounded
''The withdrawal OF the regiment was
a delicate military operation, finely car
ried out on which I congratulate Lieut..
Col. Coolidge and the officers and men
under his command.
Il have the honor to be, sir,
''Your obedient servant.
/
"Brig. General.
(Ofdcial copy.)
Robert l.. Meade, colonel, U. S. M. c.,
commanding U. S. forces in lien Tsin,
China.
Col. Meade gives a list of the casual
ties and details the circumstances of the
death Of Col. Liscum and Capt. Davis
Major Waller report is OF especial inter-
est as he had command OF the marines in
the light before lien Tsin was reached.
The report is dated lien Tsin, June %,
and says III part:
AT 2 in the morning, July 10, the
Russian colonel informed me that he
would push on with his 4OO men and at
tempt to get into lien Tsin and aid in
the defense OF the city. 1 objected, but
was overruled In council. My reason
told me there was slim chance for pass
ing the Chinese force with only $50 men
and no guns; the three inch rifle proving
detective disabled it and rolled it into
the river and followed the Russians in
the 12-mile march on lien Tsin.
''The Russian column was in advance
400 strong, with Colt gun in their front,
under the Command of Lieut. Powell. The
advance continued until a. M, without
opposition when we reached point op-
posite the imperial arsenal.
''There we met a small flank fire which
was quickly s1lenced by our sharpshoot-
eTs. About ten minutes later we met a
heavy front and flank fire from 1900 or
1000 men intrenched. We depIoyed and
my line feeling the flank fire, turned to
the left and rear, confronting the flank
movement, our line at that time having
its front advanced and right flank re-
fused.
1.-The support of the Colt gun having
dwindled to two men, and the gun hay
ing jammed several times all the crew
being shot down but one, Mr.. Powell
very properly decided to abandon it,
which he did, after disabling the gun
Receiving notice that the Russians would
retreat to a point four miles beyond our
bivouac began my retreat, moving by
the right flank and Keeping up a fight
for four hours with the enemy who were
in force, imperial troops and Boxers. We
succeeded in falling back bringing our
wounded by hand. At 2 p. M, we had
reached our base, having marched 30
miles and fought for four hours. was
obliged to leave the dead but brought off
the wounded, Our casualties were four
killed and nine wounded.
ut was agreed that we should advance
in two columns on the next day, at a.
M, my force occupying the advance of
the British column and the right of the
firing line. We struck the enemy at about
a. m, and drove them steadily until
about IL 30 p. M, when we entered Tien
Tsin, relieving the besieged Europeans,
our losses being one killed and three
wounded.
AT noon on the 9th the Russians hay
Ing attacked the arsenal, asked for rein