The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-04
"American Soldiers the Worlds Best
Fighters, the Verdict of Military
Officers of Other Nations.
MINGLING OF THE ALLIES
ODD AND INTERESTING SIGHTS WIT,
MESSED IN TIEN-TSIN.
Japanese Growing Ambitious ant
Likely to Be Heard From-Trib-
ute to Lieutenant LawtOn:

Srecial Correspondence OF the Journal
TIEN-TSIN. July is.-Now that the battle
is over and order is being gradually re-
stored, and now that the riot of looting
is securely a thing of the past there is
time TO observe, hear and write of mat
ters that escaped the most vigilant of cor
respondents in the heat of action and sub
sequent chaos.
The city seems full of the wounded be-
longing to the allied armies. By that L
mean, of course, the less severely wounded.
The seriously wounded are in the various
hospitals. Some of them have started for
Taku and the remainder will soon be en-
route. While there have been some cases
of extra hardship for the badly wounded,
everything has been done that could be
done for them in the hard stress of swift,
terrible war
Only the slightly or moderately wounded
men are in evidence on the streets, but
there would seem TO be enough of them to
make a formidable brigade. There are
men with bound UP heads. who have lost
a piece of bone from the skull. There are
men who have had the tip of the nose
carried away by Mauser ball, and there
are men who have lost teeth. But the
most of these light wounds are not in the
head at all. but in lower parts of the body.
1t is a common sight to see soldiers who
have been struck in the left wrist or arm.
When they lie on the ground firing, the
left arm, across which the rife barrel rests.
is the most exposed part of the body.
Hence most of the wounds are found in
the left arm The men having these lighter
wounds have begged off from going to the
hospital. Instead they report to surgeon
once day. have the wound inspected.
and, If necessary, dressed These men are
then ordered to quarters, which means in
effect that they are allowed TO roam about
the city provided they are careful not to
get into any trouble.
HOW THE SOLDIERS MIX.
One of the oldest sights to be seen in
Tien-Tsin to-day is the fraternal ming
ling of soldiers belonging to the diff
ferent countries. Naturally the tendency
of the American and the English soldiers is
to travel with each other. Bandaged men
in khaki go about in small groups, only
the helmet and the sombrero serving to
show which is which. There are many
Germans in our army, and. naturally
enough. many of these go over to talk with
the Kaiser's stiff-backed men. The
Frenchmen and the Russians do not seem
to be as good friends as one would expect,
i'm view of all the French enthusiasm a
few years ago over the prospect of
fighting alliance with the Great White
Bear. The French and Russians. in fact,
mix just about as we'll as water and oil.
Certainly the Russians are not fayorites
with any of the allies. When it comes to
A
vastly and cordially admired for the way
they tackle their work i'm battle. and for
the splendid accuracy of their infantry fire.
1--WE have learned to know when We are
facing the Americans" captured Chinese
say through interpreters. "Wnen we see
so many falling dead around us that we
are forced to run, then We know we have
been fighting Americans"
Thus great truth about American fight
ing men comes out of the mouth of the
enemy British troops are full of grit and
dash German troops will follow any
orders that are given them, no matter
what the death rate that follows. The
Russians are fatalists. and can't be scared.
There are those who have been trying to
tell me that the French troops are easily
driven into panic, but this is nonsense.
Slovenly in dress and raw in maneuver
these Frenchmen certainly are. but they
are not towards. As brave impetuous and
utterly reckless little people as can be
found i'm the world are the understood
Japanese. They laugh at danger. smile
over wounds and have all of the school
boys enthusiasm over the glory of dying
in uniform.
AMERICAN SUPREMACY.
Yet now that the smoke of the fight has
blown away and the troops of the various
commands have chance to mingle and ex-
change ideas, 1t is quickly understood that
rhe American soldiers are looked upon
here as the best all-round fighters in the
world What makes them so? 1t is marks
manshp, that quality which has made the
American soldier the fighter most dreaded
by the yellow foe and the most respected
by his polyglot comrades. He fires low
and wastes but little ammunition. III a
company or battalion of our troops are
ordered TO fire by volley at the top of a
wall. the swift little Krag bullets chip out
Masonry all along the top of that wall.
II say. you fellows are the luckiest pot
shots in the world. is the way one British
soldier expressed il TO two wounded Ameri-
cans with whom he was talking in one of
the Chinese sam shut shops in the walled
city "You must have the finest rifles of
any Of the lads here
And sharper. truer eyes behind the
rifles. guess. nodded one of the pair of
Americans. You know our people rather
pride themselves on their shooting
so do we Englishmen.' contended
Tommy warmly. But l say. we haven't
been as lucky as YOU beggars seem to be
One of ms sergeants was up on the wall