Evening star., 1900-08-17
Reports Of Maj. Waller and Col.
Meade on the Engagement.
PART TAKEN BY AMERICAN TROOPS
Graphic Account of the First Re-
lief Effort.
BRAVERY COMMENDED


public the reports Of Col. Robert L. Meade
and Maj. L. w. T. Waller of the United
States Marine Corps to Brig. Gen. Hey
wood on the battle Of Tien Tsin. 1t gives
not only a graphic account Of that initial
| engagement in the Chinese campaign. but
| furnishes the information with official ex-
| actness.
Major Waller's report, which is dated
| Tien Tsin, China, June 20, 1900, Is as fol-
| lows:
| I have the honor to report that, having
| been ordered from Manila to report to the
second in command of the squadron, I ar
rived with 1O1 men and five officers off
Taku on the 18th instant, meeting a small
| detachment of thirty men sent forward
| by the Nashville, the entire force amount
| ing to 131 men.
| The First Relief Column.
| Having received instructions from the
| rear admiral commanding to land and CO.
| operate with the powers to move forward
with the first column Of relief for the be-
sieged city of Tien Tsin, 1 landed on the
10th instant and proceeded to a short dis
tance from Tong Ku, moving to that place
on the early morning of June 30. During
the day l constructed a train with the very
valuabl assistance of Capt Wise of the
Monocacy, and proceeded up the railroad,
carrying construction car with me.
lie succeeded IN repairing llt tIdCh anu
opening communication to a point about
eighteen miles from Tong ku and about
twelve miles from Tien Tsin. l picked up
the Russians about twelve miles from Tien
Tsn. Finding the road impossible, put
3-inch gun on the track and bivouacked
for the night at that point. The under
standing was at II o'clock at night that we
should hold that position until reinforce
ments arrived the next afternoon. With
that understanding l turned in. At In the
morning tine Russian colonel informed me
that he would push on with his 400 men and
attempt to get into Tien Tsin and aid in the
defense of the city. l objected, but was
overruled in council. My reason told me
that there was slim chance for passing
the Chinese force with only $40 men and no
guns. The 3-inch rifle proving defective. 1
disabled it and rolled it into the river and
followed the Russians in the twelve-mile
march on Ten Tsin. The Russian column
was IN advance, 400 strong, with my Colt
6-mm gun in their front, under the COM
mand of Lieut.. Powell. The advance con-
tnued until am without opposition. when
We reached point opposite the imperial
arsenal. There we met a small flank fire.
which was quickly silenced by our sharp
shooters. About ten minutes later we met
very heavy front and flank fire from 800
or 1900 men fntrenched. We deployed, and
my line. feeling the flank fire, turned to the
left and rear. confronting the flank move
ment. our line at that time having It's front
advanced and right flank refused. We held
this position for some time, when the Rus
sian force began to fall back and form on
our rlght, at a distance of about one-half
mile This movement again brought the
fire of the enemy on our left flank.
The support of the Colt gun having
dwindled to two men. and the gun having
jammed several times. all the crew being
shot down but one, Mr.. Powell very prom
erly decided to abandon 1t, which he did
after disabling the gun. Receiving notice
that the russians would retreat to a point
four miles beyond our biviouac | began my
retreat by moving by the right flank and
keeping up fight for four hours with the
enemy, who We're in force imperial troops
and Boxers" We succeeded in falling back
| bringing our wounded by hand AT 9 pm
We had reached our base, having marched
| thirty miles and fought for four hours. |
| was Obliged to leave the dead but brought
| off the wounded. Cur casualties were four
| killed and nine wounded.
Acted with the British.
At about pm. a force of English and
Russians arrived and l decided to act in
cooperation with the British under Com
| mandcr Craddock.
On the following day we moved as far
as Rail Head our bivouac of the day be
| fore, where we camped for the night The
| force amounted at this time to about 1000
| men, one thousand being Russians and the
rest English, Germans, Americans, Italians
and Japanese, in strength and order men
| tened, the British being about 800 strong
| 1t was agreed that We should advance IN
| Two columns on the next day at am, my
| force occupying the advance of the British
| column and the right of the firing line. We
| struck the enemy at about Z am. and
| drove them steadily until about Il 30 p M.
when we entered Tien Tsin, relieving the
| besieged Europeans, losses being fo-
the day one killed and three wounded The
| Russian column DETECTED from the scene of
! cur defeat previous and followed us into
Tien Tsin. We rested for the remainder ol
the day, and at 1870 o'clock the next
morning, June 25, moved to the relief OF
Vice Admiral Seymour. Capt. McCalla and
| the men of the powers who had been
| forced back from their march on Pekin to
| the relief of the ministers, and intrenched
| at point about eight miles from Tien
| Tsin. We met very little opposition and
| succeeded in relieving the besieged at Il
| m, our casualties being two wounded from
shell fire, one bullet wound. The force had
| by a brilliant charge and without knowing
| what they had opposed to them, succeeded
| in capturing one of the most important
| arsenals in China the place being filled
with a plentiful supply of all sorts of NUM-
tions Of war. Capt. b. H. McCala was in
command of our forces and was still on his
feet, although suffering from three wounds.
We moved the sick and wounded from the
| arsenal on the evening of the 25th and en-
| camped on the opposite side of the river
for the night. AT am. the following day,
June 26, moved back to Tien Tsin with
the sick and wounded of the besieged, the
| march being very slow on account of the
large number of disabled men. Capt. Nc
| Gala left In charge of the combined
| force, American seamen and marines.
|
At noon on the 9th the Russians having
| attacked the arsenal the scene of my re-
pulse on the 22d, and which had not been
captured asked for reinforcements. 1 sent
out Second Lieut.. Jolly with forty men,
Mr. Harding. my adjutant, Joining as a
volunteer, and placed the whole under the
| command of Commander Craddock, r. N.
This force about 800 strong and sue
ceeded in driving the enemy from the para
pets, out of their fortifications and in full
flight 1t was developed that the enemy
had about 1000 men at this point. Our
men charged over the parapet with q Brit
ish company, being the first In, in this part
of the fight. Our loss here was one wound
ed and Lieut. Jolly overcome by the heat.
but not until after he had brought his
men back to their quarters. Lieut.. Hard
ing acted as volunteer and captured an
imperial flag, which he has presented to
me. Today we are resting, sending away
the wounded and getting ready for our
march on Pekin. My effective strength is
now about eighty-nine.
Having given you the bare facts, I wish
to invite attention to the incidents of the
busy week Our men have marched nine
ty-seven miles in the five days, fighting all
the way. They have lived on about one