The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-04
LIEUT.. LAwTON,s BRAVERY.
eaiinnt Conduct of 0nlcer Who Was Hi
-Four Times at Tienisin


Auburn, y. Y, Sept. 2-Mrs. Louis r.
Lawtcn, Of this city. wife Of Lieut.. Law
ton, Of the Ninth United States Infantry.
Low doing service in China. received to-
DAY letter from MAJ. ]. n. Lee. VINO
took temporary command Of the Ninth
upon the death of Col. Liscum. in which
he gives graphic account Of the battle
Of Tientsln and comments upon the gall
lantry OF Lieut. Lawton, who was wound
ed four times during the battle while ex-
ecuting orders.
Maj. Lee says that Lieut. Lawton has
been recommended for a media! of honor
and breyet, and describes the lieutenant
as "the most heroic. gallant spirit that
then went into battle" After referring
TO the loss SUSTAINED by the Ninth Regi-
uent, which the major places at p per
cent. in killed ard snd wounded. ne says:
Capt. NOyes had been twice wounded
Capt. Bockmiller had fallen; Maj. Regain
had fallen severely wounded within a few
feet of me. and soon after Cen. Liseum
fell, mortally wounded. This all occurred
before or about 8 a. m. on the 18th. We
had pushed forward TO the limit, and
were separated from the enemy by a
| canal OF moat fifty yards wide and from
six to eight feet deep in water. The
groundtin our rear, where so many had
fallen. was literally swept by bullets and
shrapnel.
To advance was impossible. and with
the dead and wounded around us and all
| Of US In mud and water from on" waists
| to arm pits. we determined 10 hold the
place and await re-enforcements. ammu-
milton, and relief for our wounded. The
| situation became more and more desper-
/ ate About 10 a. m. / decided to send
Lieut.. Lawton with an orderly back for
| help, II was a perilous undertaking. but
/ / believed he would get through, and ne
aid so Hnder- heavy fire and coOlly rep
| resented all our needs TO Gen. Dorward
| Some re-enforcements were sent, about
| 100, but they never reached Our front
| line. Lieut.. Lawton stood up under lire
| and urg I'd them to move on. He then re-
| ceived a scalp wound. He then started
| alone 10 join me and report. We saw
him coming and the word went along thS
| line, There comes Lieut. Lawton. anC
| every man opened on the enemy TO pro-
tect him / saw him stop 70 pick uI
| something, and thought he was nit bu
he had dropped mis- note books and haC
CoOlly stopped 10 pick them up.
ION he came, and when nearly through
he was hit In the arm and breast So
| verely but, thank God, not fatally. Capt
| brewster ana i went 10 IQIn ana ne CAIN
ly and clearly reported the result of his
perilous mission. There, he and |, viii
the dead and wounded about us, remain
| ed under fire until nightfali. He wa:
again hit in the sole of the shoe. A gal.
liant, heroic little soldier named Nelson c
| Price, private in Company F. Ninth In.
fantry, attended him and protected hin
! with a little bank of earth. which was
hit many times
'The superb heroism of this young sol
dier no doubt saved your husbands life
| and mine as we'll. Two or three times or
ders had been sent 10 us 10 retire al night
but we never got them. Lieut. Lawton
| Lieut. Frazier. and / matured a plan t,
| withdraw under cover OF darkness anC
carry off all our wounded and the body o
our colonel. This we accomplished. begin
| ming the move at $40 p. m, though unde
| some of the enemy's fire. One poor fel
! low lost his life. shot seven times. FO
| nearly an hour we foundered along, owe
dikes and into bitches filled with mud ant
| water, and assembled under mud wall
| where We found a part Of the regimen
| under Col. Coolidge