The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-12-07

Liscum quickly ordered his men to
charge the mud and barricade fortress.
Tor 1T was death to remain idle under
that CALLING fire. The soldiers respond
ed CALAMITY. and the gray haired vet
eran, with his accustomed fearlessness,
led the van, gesturing and shouting to
his followers as he had done at San
Juan Hill, until Spanish Mauser laid
him low
In front OF the Americans the ground
was an open ricefield cut crosswise by
ditch here and there. At the farther
side of the field was canal or moat
250 yards from the Chinese fortifca-
tons. The advance was made by the
short rushes of handfuls from ditch to
ditch, the same as at San Juan Hill
AT the first rush dozens of brave Amer
leans fell. and the ground of the rice
field was literally plowed up by the
bullets which 5000 Chinese rifles hurl-
ed upon the doomed regiment The
deadly struggle lasted for hours and
just before reaching the moat Colonel
Liscum seized the flag from the hands
of Color Sergeant German, who was
staggering under a wound, and rushed
ahead to lead the line, flag in hand. He
was shot down, and the line halted at
the moat. AS the colonel was dying he
called to his soldiers, "Keep up the fire
on the loopholed forts"
Over 100 men of the Ninth had fallen
in that rush across the ricefield to the
moat, and but about 300 remained. The
regiment was alone, having lost touch
with the other troops. In front lay the
impossible moat and the fortress man
ned by 5000 Chinese which the small
band of Americans could not hope to
silence. II was a crisis, and the crisis
found its hero in the person of Lieuten-
ant L. Is. Lawton, adjutant of the
Ninth. Lawton had been at San Juan
Hill with Colonel Liscum, and in the
charge across the ricefeld a Chinese
bullet had left a mark upon his head.
Skillfully covering the wound with his
hat, the lieutenant kept his place in the
trench with his men. After the fall of
Colonel Liscum the leadership devolv-
ed upon Major Lee, and, seeing no hope
of carrying the position in front with
his thinned out command, he selected
Lawton to go back with message to
the British general asking for help.
There was no way to reach the gen.
eral except back over the bloody rice
field, which the Chinese still swept
with pitiless fire. When the fearless
aid climbed out of the trench and start
ed for the rear, the men thought he
must be dazed and shouted warnings
to call him to his senses. The Chi
nese marksmen took him for target
and got in their shots SO we'll that the
he would be hit. II was not frighten-
ed" said Lawton as he lay in the hos
pital as result Of his daring, "for
fright means loss Of presence of mind,
and I'm sure l wasn't at all ratified,
but the nervous tension was terrific.
No man wants to court death. didn't.
But here is where the pride of duty,
vanity or what you will plays part.
1t is not fearlessness, however, for the
man who says he knows no fear in bat
tie Is either fool or liar l was
afraid, but my pride and four years OF
West Point training and seven years.
active service in the regular army
would not let me hesitate.
1--WE We're in bad place. 1t was my
duty to get re-enforcements to help us
out. 1t would never do to be accused
of cowardicc. No man wants the finger
Of scorn pointed at him. I didn't.
That is the whole idea of the so called
fearlessness in nutshell. Pride i'm
pels you to go forward to what seems
certain death even when reluctance
to give up your life in an apparently
foolhardy undertaking makes you hes
itate. went"
Lawton got the re-enforcements and
led them to the. front as far as the Off
Ger in command would CO. But when