The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-15
FIGHTING THE CHlNAMEN.
SAVANNAH LADS AIDING IN THE RE-
LIEF OF PEIxIN.

LIEF OF PEhIN.
| Private Joe Byrnes of the Marines
Has Written His Mother From Tien
Tsin-PrIvate VIII Glass Is Also in
the Relief FOrce-Byrnes Describes
Some of the Fighting In Which He
and His Comrades Have Been En-
gaged-The Letter Left Them Rest
ing on Their Arms and Awaiting
ReinfOrcements to Undertake the
Advance on the Capital.
Private Joe Byrnes of the United States
Marines. and Private VIII Glass are Sa-
vannah lads who have been bravely fight
ing the Boxers in China and who are now
probably pushing on to Pekin to avenge
the insults that have been offered the
flags of Christendom.
Private Byrnes has written his mother,
Mrs. NJ. NJ. Byrnes of No. 500 Hunting
don street, under date of June 30, giving
descriptions of the fights in which his
band of marines had been engaged since
their arrival in China from Manila, where
they had also been employed in active ser
vice. Not only to the Savannah friends
and acquain' ances of the two lads, but to
the many who are interested in the sit
uation in China Private Byrnes' account
will be interesting.
II was aboard che gunboat Nashville
that Byrnes arrived off Taku. Thirty
men were landed, under the guns of the
forts at Taku. Lieuts. Leonard and Jolly
teing the officers in charge. These thirty
were joined by 100 that arrived not long
after the Nashville aboard the hospital
ship Solace, which had left Manila two
days after the slower gunboat. Maj.
Waller was in command of the new de-
tachment, and. by virtue of his rank, as
sumed command over the entire force.
June IS was the date of the arrival of
the Nashville at Taku. Before that the
forts had fired on small Russian gun
boat killing eight and wounding about
twenty of her men, whereupon the Chi
nese strongholds were bombarded and
taken. On June 10 the landing of the
American marines was effected, and then,
with 500 Russians, they started by train
for the relief of Tien Tsin. The cars
had 10 be forsaken after ride of fifteen
miles, for a burned bridge was there en-
countered. Even before that point was
reached, frequent stops had 90 be made
X,
Chinese had torn up in long stretches.
Camp was made by the track, and at
an early hour the start for Tien Tsin was
made. For fifteen miles the force
marched. passing three or four block
houses without being molested But the
Chinese were on the ebert and opened
fire from strong blockhouse, their hav-
ing allowed the allies to pass the others
having been a ruse. The Chinese attacked
49, sfs.,,z
had to retreat. For five miles the allies
retreated, being fired upon constantly by
the Chinese, the Americans losing three
men killed and two wounded 1t was
feared, Byrnes writes, that the Chinese
would surround them. such was their
force, but they left the retreat open, not
appearing in front.
A camp established by other Russians
was reached, and there stand was made
and the Chinese beaten off. The next
day forces of all nations joined. On June
q the allied forces advanced again on
Tien Tsin, meeting with no resistance
until they were within five miles of the
place. There they encountered a villa ge
where a stiff fight was made, and the
Chinese continued their firing until Tien
Tsin was entered.
The allies besieged in Tien Tsin, Pri-
vate Byrnes declared, were glad, indeed.
to receive the achievements. They had
been shut up and subjected to heavy
bombardment After a brief rest. Byrnes
had to start out with another force for
the relief of 1900 soldiers who were sur
rounded about eight miles from Tien Tsin
This detachment had attempted to reach
Pekin to did the ministers who were I'M
derstood TO be in peril of their lives but
was forced back. Troops of several ma
tions were in the relieved and relieving
forces, and Byrnes says the flags were
wildly waved on both sides of a small
stream that separated them when night
found the soldiers from Tien Tsin at the
end of their march. The next morning
the entire force returned to Tien Ten.
Capt McCalla with 200 marines and blue
jackets being among those rescued from
their perilous position.
An English officer remained behind on
the rest of the forces leaving the fort.
where the stand against the surrounding
Chinese had been made. A splendid mag
azine and arsenal were there, and 1t was
the intention of the officer to destroy
them. This he did very effectively laying
a fuse and riding on to join the retreat
ing force. From a distance of three miles
Byrnes saw and heard the explosion that
sent the fort skyward.
No ling rest followed this expedition
The very next day Byrnes was in a force
that was dispatched TO assist Russians in
capturing a fort about three miles from
Tien Tsin. From this fort fully 5000 Chi
namen were dislodged, and Byrnes writes
that taking II was the most difficult work
in which he took part.
Private Byrnes and his comrades were
left by the letter resting upon their arms
and awaiting reinforcements for the adj
vance on Pekin. He said that many men
of all nations represented among the al
lies had been killed and wounded in the
fighting. but he had no way of even APP
proximating the number. Touching upon
the climate. as a sort of afterthought. he
says it is much the same as that in the
United States, though the people had told
him that snow falls during the winter and
that the river is frozen over for four
months.