Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-10-07


a chum of his, who is with company |,
Ninth regiment, which is now in China.
| The letter was written on the back OF
an imperial decree, written on fine silk,
which was taken from the military
record room of the imperial palace. 1t
is very handsome thing and Mr.. Hare
considers it great curiosity and will
not part with it for anything.
THE LETTER.
| INSIDE THE FORBIDDEN WALLS,
] PEkIN, August %, 1900
This is the second letter have writ
| ten since August 3, and | fear this will
be a failure. Nevertheless, shall try
and tell you of one of the greatest
marches made by American troops.
At $3.50 D. M August 4. we broke
camp at Tien Tsin and marched in
drenching rain to position outside the
walls of Old Tien Tsin. where we joined
the allied powers, $4,000 strong. We
made camp in a cornfield, where we re-
NAMED until 8: 30 a. M, August 8, when
we advanced one and one-haR miles TO
the firing line, and for five and hall
hours there was a battle royal. The air
was filled with bullets and shrapnel;
there was not one second during the
entire five and half hours that one
could not hear volley firing by at least
one-nalf the troops and fire at will by
the remainder. At $3.50 we routed the
enemy from their trenches and kept
them on the run until night; here we
biyouacked in another cornfield until 3
a. M, August g. We crossed the Pei
Ho river on pontoon bridges and re-
sumed our march to Pekin on a direct
line with the military road leading to
Tien Tsin to the Imperial City. Our
battle line was from 25 to 80 miles in
length. Just as we crossed the pontoon
bridge the Japs caught Jim Corbett.
the Boxer. Well, in less time than it
takes to tell it. he went to join the an
gels--he took the beyond route. We
passed through five towns in the fore
noon, burning everything, and at 1870
p. m. we reached the outskirts of Yung-
Yi-Tsin. At this place the railroad, or
what was once a railroad, ran directly
In front of our line of march. There
was an embankment about twenty feet
high made of crushed stone. The Box
ers and imperials were behind this
fertilization, and a pitched battle of
about six hours was fought, when we
put them on the hike" 1t was fierce
fight and our side lost heavily in killed
and wounded. In company |, Lieut..
Long and Pat Field were seriously
wounded. We were so badly cut up
and exhausted that we camped at this
place for thirty-six hours. AT sunrise,
August s, we resumed our hike" burn
ing every town. At $50 we passed
through city where there was an ar
senal with 10000 tons of powder. We
loft company C to blow it up and set
the town on fire. When we had ad
vanced about FIVE miles they sent an
| almoned eyed Monaghan to make fire.
works of the magazine. The explosion
was something terrific; even at five
miles it almost threw us off our feet.
| The battle of Yung-Tsin seemed to put
the Chinese army in different line of
| business. The Boxers and imperials
| took up foot racing for a profession,
and it proved success. Nothing Of
| Importance took place except the exc
cution of few stray Boxers until the
evening of August 10, when We went
| into camp about five miles from the
outer walls of Pekin. AT $3.50 p. m. the
| imperials and Boxers attacked our line
and a heavy fire was kept up until near
| ly daylight, when they found out they
were up against the real thing. At $3.50
4 a. m. August II. we advanced on Pc
kin, company l in support of Reilley's
battery. A heavy fire was kept up con-
tinually. At a. N. we blew UP the east
gate of the first wall, and it took seven
hours to fight our way through tho
streets TO the second wall, two miles
| distant At this point the Americans
we came to rescue were holding about
| 900 feet of wall. and beside them were
the British. This position they had
held against all the Chinese for over
two months. with Boxers and imperials
occupying the walls and court on all
sides The women were fighting as
well as the men. Well, the cheer we
received from this little handful of peo-
pie was one never TO be forgotten, but
we didn't have time to stop. Reilley's
blew up the gates of the second wall.
which were double and about 200 feet
apart We had tried TO advance, but
the terrific shower OF lead and
the small force made it i'm
practicable to hold this position.
We closed the gates and returned
TO a position outside the wall. directly
under the American and British refu-
gees. Here we slept without tents in a
drenching rain. The next morning at
6 a. N. the Ninth and Fourteenth reg
iments left the main roads and started
on the seven walls leading 70 the palace.
The gates of the first wall were blown
open at a. m and we advanced under
q shower OF lead. losing heavily. At
the second wall Captain Kelley, of the
artillery, was killed while directing
the fire OF his guns on the gates OF the
walls leading TO the palace. Ee sec
ond gate was about 500 yards from the
palace IL took three hours to make