Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-07-27
THE T1ENTsIN BATH E.
A Detailed Account OF the Recent Ate
tack on the City by the
Allied Forces.

the native city of Tientsin on July 13
resulted in the narrowest escape from
what seemed UP to midnight would be a
terrible disaster for the allies. The Rus
slams swinging north and the other allies
south, at daybreak the Russians were
to take the forts near the native city
wall and the other allies the city itself.
Gen. Fukushina, the japanese COM
mander promised that the Japanese en-
gineers 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 breach for
the infantry to enter.
Upon this depended everything. Gen.
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 1t. The allies
shell fire in nowise subdued the Chinese
rifle fire from the loop-holed wall. which
was 30 feet high with a moat 20 feet In
depth around 1t.
An outer wall of mud made 1t impos-
sible for the infantry and marines com
ing on the field to reply to the Chi
nese.
They lost so men in ten minutes, then
rushed back from the mud wall, which
they had reached.
Gen. Dorward, the British command
er. fastened forward with a frae aementary
instead of an integral skirmish line.
The American marines and the welsh
fusileers, together under command of
Waller, were on the extreme left. Then
the British marines and the French ad-
vanced with the Japanese along the road
toward the gate In the mud wall.
Forwards plan for the Americans to
support the Japanese was not made
clear to Col. Liscum, of the Ninth United
States infantry
Dorward lays the blame for the blum
der and sacrifice of life on Liscum. but
Dorward's chief of staff was heard to
say when Liscum moved:
Get in down the road anywhere,
quickly
Col. Liscum hurriedly led his men
through the gate in as open order as pos
sible. They were Immediately under
fire.
The stan saw them pass over the
bridge leading to a field, which proved to
be cul de Sac.
Before the two battalons of Amer
leans, numbering 426 men. could extend
themselves, they were subjected, besides
the fire from the laopholes Sn the fort,
to n fierce fire from the embrasures In
a line of fortified mud houses on their
flank
Three thousand rifles probably were
| turned on them with an accuracy which
has amazed every officer among the al
| lies.
The blue shirts of the American troops
made them distinct marks where the kha-
| ki uniforms of the other allies could not
| be seen. Col Liscum, guiding his men,
| walked up and down the line. not even
ducking 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.
1t was evidently Col Liseum's intention
4 x,.l,sn oh, h.a nNlr
| fire was coming, and thus get position
| for fanking the wall.
At 1890 the line had Just reached the
| shore of the canal and 30 yards sepa-
| rated them from the houses, when the
color bearer fell.
Col. L.iscum picked up the colors and
| stood looking around apparently for a
ford.
Better get down or they'll hit you,"
| shouted Mai. Regan.
~ guess not" was Liscum's reply.
The next instant sharpshooter's bull
| let went through the colonels abdomen.
i've got it, he said as he fell
| Get at them If you cam the dying
| officer said and added his last words:
| Don't retreat, boys: keep firing
Regan was hit Immediately afterward.
All day long the allies line lay under
any cover they could find. running out of
ammunition.
The July sun was beating down on them,
| and they had nothing to drink but the
| salty marsh water.
| Meanwhile, the wounded came strag-
| Cling and crawling through the gate in
, the mud wall
| There was no order. They We're sent
| anywhere without men to carry the
| litters The doctors were hit by the
sharpshooters while trying to attend the
| wounded of the Ninth.
They could not attempt to carry of
| the wounded from the bloody field
| Maj. Regan. Capt. Bookmiller and Capt
| Noyes were all hit twice.
| Noyes. who was adjutant, was hit In
| the arm before going into the field, and
| through the ditch, with the water to
his neck, to report the situation to Col
| Dorward. t..
At one o'clock Gen. Fukushina reported
| In writing to Dorward that the Japanese
| were in the city. / could see the loop
holes blazing with bullets and lyddlte
shells. No infantry could charge in the
face of this fire from two o'clock until
| five.
Though acting conjointly, neither Dor
ward nor Fukushina knew each others
| whereabouts.
Under cover of the darkness the mer
of the Ninth crept back from their dan
gerous position, bearing their wounded
They executed this movement with a loss
of one man killed. The casualties were
| VI men ana HNe Out VI
The marines lost 80. including Capt
Davis, who was shot through the heart
while talking to Col. Meade. on the might
of July Is.
1t was decided to withdraw. wher
news came that the Chinese were evacu
ating. The Russians were not so sue
cessful as hoped during the day, and the
total loss of the allies was 200.
The Japanese losses were severe. TIL,
Japanese were most gallant in the fight
But for the Americans stopping the fanl
fire, the Japanese loss would have beer
much heavier.
There is n terrible row over the burn
ing of the town. Several foreign Off
GERS are reported lost.
The tired soldiers remained on tn,
walls. The natives went looting through
the Chinese town. The bank and th'
arsenal were heavy sufferers.
An advance movement on Pekipg Il
not contemplated soon. The American
wounded crowd the hospitals, but all ar
doing well.