The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-09-09


unit. its guns being attached to the
battalions and its men being included
in the 500. The small arms of the in
fantry and cavalry are of various mod
els, mostly of 1S70-S9 but the artillery
has modern field and mountain guns,
Hotchkiss guns and guns constructed
in the Shanghai arsenal. The separate
battalions or squadrons are each sta
toned in a square inclosure, surround
ed by an earthen parapet and ditch.
The men are in tents or earthen huts.
There is no prescribed uniform, but
the soldiers generally wear n blouse
of blue wooden cloth, trimmed with
red. n white piece on back and breast
containing the designation of the unit
to which the soldier belongs; trousers
of blue or black cloth, black cloth shoes
with thick felt soles. Occasionally
leather shoes are seen, and in the south
sandals. and in summer a straw hat.
which in rainy weather is covered with
red waterproof cloth. in winter black
turban or ordinary mandarin hat. Rank
is indicated by colored button on the
hat.
The train is very large, battalion of
500 men requiring 200 carriers.
In some respects the Chinese make
good soldiers. for they are used to
hardships and can live on very lit
tie. They have a keen eye and a
steady hand. nerves are unknown to
them. and as they are fatalists in the
strongest sense they have no fear of
death. But they have little self re-
lance and no initiative. Only the poor
est material goes into the army. The
officers are ignorant and have no social
standing. and their places are general
ly purchased.
Everything relating to organization.
training and administration is left to
the governors general, consequently
the Field Troops may be divided into
sections according TO the provinces.
In Manchuria there are about $4,000
Field Troops. with about GO guns; D.
600 in Mukden province, 10000 of whom
are armed with small caliber rifles and
modern field guns; 5000 in Amur prov
ince and 5000 in Kirin province.
In Chilli and Shangtung, including
Peking. these troops comprise. first.
the Peking Field Troops. 10000 strong.
recently quartered in the Imperial park
south of Peking. commanded by Prince
Ching. president of the tsung- li-yamen
and protector of the foreigners In Pc
king. and armed partly with old Chi
nese weapons and partly with modern
rifles: second. the Hwai army. former
ly Ii Hung Chang's troops. $4,000 in
all. $4,000 of which, under General
Mich. were stationed before the recent
outbreak at Lutai, on the Tien-tsin-
! Shangtung railroad; 10000. with 81
guns. partly in Taku and Shihton, part
| ly at Shan-hei Kwan and Peh-tang;
third. the former Port Arthur army.
| 10000 men. now in Shan-hei Kwan.
! under General Ma Yu Kun; fourth.
! the troops of Tung Fu-Siang. 1900
men. nearly all armed with modern
weapons, who held one of the gates OF
the east front in the attack on Peking;
fifth. the troops of Yuan Shikai. organ
! lied originally for the Japanese war
| by the German officer Won Hanneken
well drilled and armed with the Mann
| licher rifle, centimeter field guns
| and and centimeter mountain guns
stationed as follows: 5000 at Tsinan
fu. the capital Of Shangtung; 5000 or
the borders of Chilli; the best troops in
China. all well drilled, the artillery by
a Belgian major. the cavalry by q
Swede, the infantry by German non
commissioned officers; sixth, othel
Field Troops in Shangtung province
5000 men, Of which six battalions are
stationed in Tshifu. three in Tsaot
shoufu and the cavalry in Pingtu; sew
enth. the so called new army" form
ed in 1898, had a strength of 5000 last
year and was under the command OF
General Yunglu, stationed at Peking
eighth. the so called school troops OIL
trained army Q.ien Chin. 1900 men
In several garrisons CTien-tsin. etc. o.
Chill province, all armed with modern
weapons.
The total number of Field Troops II
Chill and Shangtung Including Pc
king is therefore about $1,000, Of
whom G0.0O0 are under General Yung
lu. and of these $1,000 some 3O.OOt
were in Peking up to the late attach
and 10000 are stationed in Shangtung
leaving about Al 900 available for tn,
late battles around Tien-tsin.
The Field Troops in the other prov
inces amount to 100000 men. of whom
about 10000 are posted in the Yang-ts'
valley. and of these latter some 2.60'
stationed in Wusung (mouth of tn,
Yang-tse) have been trained by German
officers and are armed with the lates
and best weapons. These are forme'
into eight companies of go men each
two sGuadrons of 1S0 men each, on
field battery Of 200 men and one engi
neer company Of 100 men. About 60
600 are in the provinces of southern
China under the control of Ii Hun
Chang. and these are the remnants o
the Black Flags. organized in 1SS4-s
The remainder are in the provinces @
middle China The troops of the south
ern provinces have not been newl
armed since 1885. and their trainin
and instruction have been neglected S
that they are by no means equal I