Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1900-07-22
NARROW ESCAPE OF
THE ALLIES FROM A
TERRIBLE DISASTER
Plans of the British Com
mander Misunderstood.
Liscum Blamed.
JAPANESE SAVED THE DAY

Americans W ak into ira Pills.
cum Fails Leading His Men Bearing
the RegimentaI Colors.
CHE Foo, July 10, via SHANGHAI, July
/ 21-The attack on the native city of
Tien Tsin on July IS resulted in the mar
powest escape from what seemed up to
midnight would be a terrible disaster for
the allies. The Russians swung north
and the other allies south. At daybreak
the Russians were to take the forts near
the native city wall and the othe- allies
the city itself
General Fukushi4a, the japanese
commander, promised that the japanese
/ engineers, after three hours shell fire
from all guns, would cross the bridge
over the moat before the wall, and,
| blowing up the great south gate, make
! a breach for the infantry to enter.
! Upon this depended everything. Gen
eral Fukushina had not secuted the
bridge and in "a hours had not secuted
| the ground over which the charge on
! the bridge had to be made.
| The Chinese destroyed the bridge and
| flooded the land around it. The allies
! shell fire in no wise subdued the Chinese
| rifle fire from the loop-holed wall, which
/ was 80 feet high and almost 20 feet in
| depth around it. An outer wall of mud
made it impossible for the infantry and
marines coming on the field to reply to
! the Chinese fire. They lost 80 men in
ten minutes, then rushed lack from the
mud wall. which they had reached.
General Dorward, the British COM
mander, fastened forward with frag-
mertary instead Of an integral slirmish
| line.
! The American marines and the Welsh
! fusiliers, together under command Of
! Waller, were on the extreme left. Then
! the British marines and the French adj
/ vanced with the japanese along the road
toward the gate in the mud wall.
Dorvvard BIames Liscum.
| Doward's plan for the Americans to
support the Japanese was not made clear
| to Colonel Iscum Of the Ninth United
! States infantry
Dorward lays the blame for the blum
| der and sacrifice Of life on Liscum, but
| Forwards chief Of staff was heard to
say when Liscum moved:
! ''Get in down the road anywhere,
| quickly"
Colonel Lscum hurriedly led his men
through the gate in as open order as
possible. They were Immediately under
fire.
The staff saw them pass over the
bridge leading to field which proved
| to be q cul dc sac.
Before the two battalions of Ameri-
! cans, numbering 426 men, could extend
/ how
| the fire from the loopholessin the forts, to
| a fierce fire from the embrasures in line
| OF fortified mud houses on their flank.
| Three thousand rifles were probably
! turned on them with an accuracy which
| has amazed every officer among the
| allies.
The blue shirts Of the American troops
made them distinct marks, where the
| khaki uniforms of the other allies could
not be seen. Colonel I1scum, guiding
| his men, walked up and down the line,
| not even duczing his head while the
| bullets fell around.
The Americans charged into the flank
! fire with rushes. The ground over which
they charged was marshy and lined
with bitches
Liscum Saves the Colors.
1t was evidently Colonel Mscum's in
| tention to rush the houses from which
| the flank fire was coming, and thus get
a position for thanking the wall.
The line had just reached the shore of
the canal and 80 yards separated them
from the houses, when the colorbearer
fell.
| Colonel Liscum picked up the colors
and stood looking around apparently for
| q ford
! The next instant q sharpshooter's bull
let went through the colonel's abdomen.
Get at them if you cam" the dying
officer said, and added as his last words
Don't retreat boys, keep firing"
| Regain was hit Immediately after
ward
All day long the allies line lay under
any cover the men could find, running
| out of ammunition.
The doctors were hit by the sharp
shooters while trying to attend the
wounded of the Ninth.
They could not attempt to carry off
/ the wounded from the bloody field.
Major Regain, Captain Bookmiller and
Captain Noyes were all hit twice.
At 1 o'clock General Fukushina re-
! ported in writing to Dorward that the
! Japanese were III the city. The loop
shells. 10 infantry could charge in the
face Of this fire from o'clock until g.
Though acting conformity, neither Dor
! ward nor Funkushina knew each others
/ whereabouts.
Under cover Of the darkness the men
| of the Ninth crept back from their dan
! gerOus positions, bearing their wounded.
| They executed this movement with
/ loss of one man killed
The casualties were 81 men and 5
| officers out of 426.
The marines lost 80, including Captain
Davis, who was shot through the heart,
| while talking to Colonel Meade on the
night Of July Is.
BIG BATTLE IN PROGRESS.
Lord Roberts Leads Attack on Middle
burg kruger Directs Defense.
CAPE Town. July 21.-Lord Roberts
has attacked Middleburg in force, and
big battle is in progress.
President Kruger is with the burgh-
ers, directing the defente.
VIII Visit Chicago.
CHICAGO, July 21.-The Duke Of Ar
COS, the Spanish minister at Washing.
ton, will visit Chicago NJ n lay, Aug. 81.
General John O. Black, chairman of the
invitation committee of the Grand
Army of the Republic encampment, has
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