The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-29

in long line, some distance behind
these, came the Ninth American regi-
ment, looking very smart and work
manlike in their neat blue shirts brown
| knickerbockers and soft felt hats. The
whole presented a fine appearance. 1t
was q curious sensation being in their
front. Bullets kept whizzing over the
I mud wall which sheltered me, and |
saw several men drop hit, but the shells
that screamed overhead and burst with
so much sound and fury, throwing up
big showers of dust and mud, hurt no
one. The japanese had reached the
cover of the mud wall before | arrived,
and shortly before eight their infantry
doubled through the gate, party in
their rear carrying scaling ladders and
| gun cotton To the Japanese was as
signed the most difficult and dangerous
part of the operations They We're to
4 make straight for the south gate of the
city, blow it up and effect an entrance.
The rest of the allied force then follow
! ing up, it was proposed to take the city
by working round on top of the walls.
The tough part of the days work was
now about to begin, the japanese lead
ing the attack In the center. On their
right We're the French Two battalions
/ Of the Ninth American regiment under
1 Colonel Liscum were sent out to the
left along the mud wall where they re-
/ manned a short while under its cover,
preparatory to going over 1t to support
! the Japanese left. To their left again
! two companies of the Royal Welsh Flu
sliers under Captain GWynne were
making ready to follow. Colonel Lis
cum called on his men and instantly
the whole dark blue line climbed up
and over the wall and ran forward to-
wards the CITY, from the old-world bat
Elements of which furious rifle fire
was now pouring. AS ill-luck would
have it, Colonel Liscum appears to
have changed his directions under the
impression that the japanese urgently
needed his help on their right. In any
case, instead of keeping to their left he
crossed in their rear from left to right,
and eventually brought up where the
fire of the enemy was so hot that it
was alike impossible to go on or to ex-
tricate his men from the position. He
behaved with the utmost gallantry, not
taking cover himself, but directing his
men where to take it, and showing
them a splendid example of courage
and GOODNESS. While thus occupied he
was struck by a bullet over the heart,
surely not an unenviable end for an old
soldier.
But all this took some time to hap
pen. In the meantime the Royal Welsh
Fusiliers had gone over the mud ram
part and Captain Gwynne had found
cover for his men In the position as
signed to him on the left of that which
should have been occupied by the
Ninth American regiment. The ex-
IRENE left was guarded by company
of the Hong Kong regiment, under
Captain RoWcroft, and a party of
American marines. From the inside of
the gateway in the mud rampant the
guns of the Royal Asiatic artillery, I'M
der Major st, John shelled the city
wall, as did also the two batteries of
japanese field-guns from the arsenal
The American field-Guns had been at
work previous to this, but were now re-
tired, having exhausted their ammuni-
ton. Along the mud wall to the right
the naval guns Numbered For two
hours from now a hot shell and rifle
fire continued Towards 10 a. m. the
fire of the Chinese slackened some
what and sanguine oRlookers thought
the end had come, but those informed
as to the nature Of the news. which had
been coming in from the fighting-line
knew better. Apart from this it could
be seen that our men were still for the
most part in the positions which they
had taken up couple of hours earlier.
Some were taking shelter behind holls-
es at the outskirts Of the, suburb sur
rounding the approach to the south
gate; others, to the right and left in
bitches or behind graves in the open.
The japanese storming party we could
not see. They were evidently working
up through the mud houses of the su-
burb towards the gate. Outside the |
city wall. between 1t and the suburbs,
is ditch dignified with the title of |
"moat' on the maps In my recollec-
ton it was usually dry, and so / found |
1t the following morning, but even dry |
1t was difficult to cross in the face of |,
such heavy fire. A report came back |
from the front that the Chinese had de-
stroyed the bridge by which the Japa-
nese had intended to cross. Evidently |
things were not going SO smoothly as
had been anticipated, and by the num-
Der of wounded being brought back for
shelter behind the mud wall it was
plain to be seen that the losses were
going to be very heavy.
News Of Colonel Liscum's death had
Just been received. Six other officers of
the Ninth American regiment were re-
ported wounded, and two United States
ma rinp ofTipprSs From the Ninth
American regiment came an urgent re-
quest for assistance, and the naval
brigade, which had been held in re-
serve, was now ordered out, Com
mander Beattie, with a company of
and Major Luke, with COM
oany of marines from Fl. M. s. Bar
1eur, went down to strengthen the Jap
anese right, and Lieutenant Philimore,
With a second company of Barfieur
crossed over to the right
o support the Ninth American regi-
nent In reserve now only remained a
Of the First Chinese regi-
nent, some French and American blue
jackets, and some Austrian and Japa-
lese bluejackets, hardly a sufficient
orce to protect the left flank if de-
scent were made upon it by the body of
Chinese infantry and cavalry which
Turing the whole morning had been )
lra nm IN Dllin away ia thn |