The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-07-27
BATTLE OF TIENTNN
Bloody Fight in Which Colonel
Liscum Died.
last words He Said Were. Don't
Retreat, Boys; Keep On
Firing"

New York July 21.-The Evenin
morld publishes the following from II
llentsln correspondent, under date :
CheIoo, July 10, via Shanghai .Tulv y
Inc attack on the native citv of Tipn
tsln On July 13 resulted in the narrowes
escape from what it seemed IN to mid
night would be terrible disaster to ~
aiIles. Inc Russians swinging north an,
Tue other allies south at davbreak tb,
russians were to take the forts near th,
natlve city wall and the other allies IN,
city itself ''''''' 'ii'
denerai Fnkushlma, the Japanese com
niahder' promised that the japanese en-
| gineers, alter three hours shell fire from
an guns, would crosse the bridge over tht
wall and blow up the great south gate
making a breach for the infantry r.
enter. Upon this depended everything
General Fukushima had nor scouted ~
bridge and in "a hours had not scented
Lne GROUND over which the charge on the
DrIdge had TO be made. The Chinese do
sstroyed the bridge and flooded the
ldhd around it. The allies shell fire in
no wise subdued the Chinese rifle fire
from the loOphOled wall, which was 80
ieet hlgh with mOat about 20 feet in
depth around it.
ne outer wall of mud made it imDOs-
slole lot the Infantry and marines com
ing on the field to reply to the Chinese
1hey lost 90 men in 10 minutes. then
rushed back from the mud wall which
theY had reached. General Dorward. the
Dfltlsh commander, hastened forward
with a fragmentary instead of an in
teegral sklrmish line The American ma
rlnes and the Welsh fuaileers. together
uhder command Of Waller, were on the
extreme left. Then the British marines
and the trench advanced with the Ian
ahese along the road toward the gate in
the mud wall
FORWARD S plan for the Americans to
support the japanese was not made
CIetr TO Colonel Liscum of the Ninth
= Cnlted states Infantry. DOrward laws
tne blame for the blunder and sacrifice
oi ilfe on Llscum, but Forwards chief Of
stan was heard to say when Liscum
arrived: -''S' ''i
Get in the road anywhere. Quickly
Colonel Liscum hurriedlv led his men
through the gate in as open order as
possible. They were immediately under
IRE; Inc stan saw them pass over the
orldge leading to field, which proved
. De Gu! de sac. Before the two bat |
idles iaHl9pH ih Gle hf6RFtfsE hf6RFtfsEft96n 10 gRrWedhnEP gRrWedh A2
he embrasures in a line of fortified mud |
houses on their flank.
Death of Liscum.
Three thousand rifles probably were
turned on them with an accuracy which |
IL
allies The blue shirts of the American |
troops made them distinct marks, whereas |
The Khaki uniforms of the allies could |
lOt be seen. Colonel Liscum, guiding his |
men, walked up and down the line, not |
even ducking his head while the bullets |
ell around. The Americans charged |
INTO the flank fire with rushes. The |
ground over which they charged was
marshy and lined with bitches. 1t was
evidently Colonel Liscum's intention to |
rush the houses from which the flank |
fire was coming, and thus get a position |
fOr hanking the wall. At 1890 O'Clock !
the line had just reached the shore OF the |
canal, and 30 yards separated them
from the houses when the color bearer
fell. Colonel Liscum picked up the cOlors
and stood looking around apparently
for a ford.
Better get down or they'll hit you,"
shouted Major Regain
Il guess not" was Liscum's reply.
The next instant a sharpshOOter'
bullet went through the coIonel's alb
domen.
"I've got it," he said as he fell.
"Get at them if you can," the dying
officer said, and added as his last
words:
Don't retreat, boys; keep on firing"
Regan was hit Immediately afterward.
All day long the allies lines lay under
any cover the men could find, running
out of ammunition. The July sun was
beating down on them and they had
nothing to drink but the salty marsh
waters. Meanwhile the wounded came
struggling and crawling through the
gate in the mud wall. There was no
order; they went anywhere, without men
to carry the litters. The doctors were
hit by the sharpshooters while trying to
attend the wounded of the Ninth. They
could not attempt to carry off the
wounded from the bloody field. Major
Regan, Captain Bookmiller and Captain
Noyes were all hit twice. Noyes, who
was adIutant, was hit IN the arm before
going from the field and then hit in the
leg. He crawled back through the ditch,
with the water to his neck, to report the
situation to Colonel Dorward.
At l O'Clock General Fukushima re-
ported in writing to Dorward that the
japanese were in the city. l could see
the loop holes blazing bullets and shells.
No infantry conld charge in the face oi
this fire from 2 O'Clock until 5. Thus
acting conformity, neither Dorward nor
Fukushima knew each others where
abouts. Under cover of darkness the
men OF the Ninth crept back from theiI
dangerous position, bearing theil
wounded. They executed this move
ment with loss OF one man killed. Tht
casualties we're 81 men and five officers
out OF 1876. The marines lost 30, in
Guiding Captain Davis, who was sho
through the heart while talking to Col
onel Meade, on the night of July 13.
was decided to withdraw when new
came that the Chinese were evacuating
The Russians were not so successful a
hoped during the day, and the total los
of the allies was 700.
The japanese losses we're severe. Th
H. . H,N Nfrhk