The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-12-07

soldiers rallying around it. American
self to the astonshment of the world.
An English writer in China says that
the Americans make for the enemy
like panthers stalking prey, not like
stiff, trained soldiers. There is war to
the knife, a deadly intentness in every
movement. When the Yankee soldier
lies down to fire. he does so with the
intention of hitting the enemy. Most
troops fire in the direction of the enemy
merely. Not SO with the Yankee. He
shoots to kill. and he shows it in every
feature and muscle. The same writer
says: "Allied to their feline stealthiness
the Americans in battle have the most
pose themselves With a strange con-
tempt for death. An officer will take
chances no European would care to
take. The field battery was generally
found in places where no one read in
tactics would have dared to put it,
General Chaffee and his staff always
rode where the enemy was most likely
to see them and shoot at them. Young
and inexperienced correspondents were
warned not to go during an action near
prominent buildings or the American
staff
1t is little odd that an American
soldier of fortune should have been the
first hero in China from the new world.
The annals of the TAPPING rebellion,
which mark the period of the first deal
ings of the United States with the Ce-
lestial empire, recount the adventures
of Frederick Ferdinand Ward. giving
to his name the hant:le of general"
Ward was q Puritan by birth and
blood and had been with the filibuster-
er Walker on his ill fated Nicaraguan
expeditions.
Ward was in his thirties when he
landed at Shanghai in 1860. sailor
before the mast. He had sailed along
the Chinese coast until he knew the
jargon which served as a means of
communication between the natives
and people speaking his mother tongue.
The rebels under the Heavenly King"
were established in Nankin, the an
cient capital of the empire. Ward told
the Chinese officials that With band
of white men he could lead native SOL
diers against the rebels and retake
their strongholds. Means were given
him, and with desperate men of all
white nations picked up in the ports
he began to invade the interior and. it
,,e.% l,.> Il
His experience with the yellow men
who formed part of his contingent
taught him that the Chinese would
make the best fighters if led by white
officers. The result was that he be-
came general Of the imperial army
and in short time was at the head Of
10000 troops This was the real, ever
victorious army associated with the
name Of Chinese" Gordon. Ward ere
ated it, led it into battle and fell NOR
tally wounded at the storming of a
place near Ningpo, in the Yang-tse-Ki-
ang valley. After Ward came his
American lieutenant. North Carroll
MAN named Burgevine; then Chinese"
Gordon, who like Ward, so capably
drilled and led the Celestials that for
eign military men have always since
that time been in high favor in China.
With sense enough to appreciate in Il
foeman that valor they esteem among
the great virtues the Chinese have new
cause to look up to the white man from
over the big sea.
'Thapn havp hnan hnrnnS iy, (hi.
ma of little episodes of gallantry, nota-
bly, the marines on the march to Tien
tsin and in the fighting there and with
Captain Riley's battery at the walls of
Picking. But for stubborn fighting in
the American style the Ninth infantry
at Tien-tsin bears the palm The gal
liant veteran. Colonel Il. HI. Liscum,
fate, but there was no. fiinching, even
after the horrible slaughter of one
fourth of the command.
rresh on the battle-ground, the Ninth
joined the column of English and Japa-
nese mustered to storm the gete
through the big wall of the city. The
wall, II feet high and feet wide. was
lliohhSo ny uOluS vi ScicSlIuiS w llu
cannon in position. The moment the
allies got within range the Chinese
opened their guns. Colonel Liscum
was compelled to take his men to the
position assigned them under a shell
tire. No sooner had he formed the
line under the embankment of a raised
roadway than the Chinese opened upon
it with rifles at 1000 yards from the
cover of cluster of huts. This fire
was cntilade, and Colonel Liscum
changed front to face it.
The huts where the Chinese took
lodgment were of mud and we'll loop
lloled. Between the structures the enc
my had built barbados. so that the
position was long fortress. from
which the occupants could pour ter
rible fire upon the Americans with but
little exposure to themselves. Colonel