The Forrest City times., 1900-09-07
ANOTHER GALLANT LAwTON.
4 lieutenant Of the Name Who Distts.
guished Himself In the Fight
Ing at Tieu Tsin.


Auburn, N. Y, Sept. 4.-Mrs. Louis
3. Lawton, of this city, wife of Lieut..
Lawton, of the Ninth United States
infantry, now doing service in China,
received yesterday a letter from Maj.
j. M. Lee, who took temporary COM
mand of the Ninth upon the death
of Col. Liscum, in which he gives q
graphic account of the battle of Tien
Tsin and comments upon the gallan-
try of Lieut.. Lawton, who was wound
ed four times during the battle while
executing orders.
Recommended for = Medal.
Maj. Lee says that Lieut.. Lawton
has been recommended for a medal
of honor and brevet, and describes
the lieutenant as "the most heroic,
gallant spirit that then went into bat
tle."
After referring to the loss sus-
tanned by the Ninth regiment, which
the major places at 25 per cent, in
killed and wounded, he says:
Amid Death and Carnage.
Capt. Noyes had been twice wound
ed. Capt. BoolSmiller had fallen, Maj.
Regan had fallen, severely wounded
within few feet of me, and soon af.
ter Ger. L;scum fell mortally wound
ed. This all occurred before or about
a. m. on the 18th.
Fighting Waist Deep In water.
''We had pushed forward to the
limit and were separated from the
enemy by canal or maot so yards
wide, and from six to eight feet deep
in water. The ground in our rear,
where SO many had fallen was liter
ally swept by bullets and shrapnel.
To advance was impossible, and with
the dead and wounded around US and
oil of us in mud and water from our
waists to arm pits, we determined to
hold the place and await reinforce
ments, ammunition and relief for our
wounded.
"The situation became more anc
more desperate.
A Perilous Unde ertaking.
about 10 a. IN. / decided to send
Lieut.. Lawton, with an orderly, back
for help. 1t was perilous undertake
ing, but l believed he would get
through, and he did so, under a heavy
fire, and coolly represented our needs
to Gen. Dorward. Some reinforce
ments were sent, about a hundred,
but they never reached our front line.
Lieut.. Lawton wounded.
Lieut.. Lawton stood up under fire
and urged them to move on. Just
then he received scalp wound. He
then started alone to join me and re-
port. We saw him coming. and the
word went along the line: There
comes Lieut.. Lawton, and every man
opened on the enemy to protect him.
l saw him stop to pick up something
and thought he was hit, but he had
dropped his note book, and had cool
ly stopped to pick it up. On he came,
and when nearly through he was hit
in the arm and breast severely, but,
thank God, not fatally.
Remained Until NightfalI.
Capt. Brewster and went to him,
and he calmly and clearly reported
the result of his perilous mission.
There he and /, with the dead and
wounded about us, remained under
fire until nightfall. He was again hit
in the sole of the shoe.
Nelson G. Price.
"The gallant, heroic little soldier
named Nelson c. Price, private in
Company F, Ninth infantry, attended
him, and protected him with a little
bank of earth, which was hit many
times. The superb heroism of this
young soldier, no doubt, saved your
husbands life and mine as well.
1.-Two or three times orders had
been sent 10 us to retire at night, but
we never got them.
Withdrew Under NightfalI.
"Lieut. Lawson, Lieut.. Franzier and
/ matured n plan to withdraw under
cover of darkness and carry off all
our wounded and the body of oui
colonel. This was accomplished, be
ginning the move at $40 p. m, though
under some of the enemy's fire.
| "One poor fellow lost his life, sho
seven times. For nearly an hour WI
| fioundered along over dikes and into
bitches filled with mud and water, AM
assembled under a mud wall, where
we found part of the regiment un
der Col. Coolidge"
The majors letter relating to ths
battle stops here and the remainder
is devoted to words of comfort to Mrs
Lawton.