The Atlanta constitution., 1900-08-27
FIRST DETAILED STORY
OF BATTLE At TIEN TSIN
Correspondent Aymar Tells How the Allied Forces
Stormed the Walls of the Chinese City.
Good Work of Americans

uiSplay or mead or an arm reSulttu ]" d
wound. The Ninths splendid fellows were
| lying In water. exposed to n fire that
threatened to annihilate them. yet obeying
every order with n GOODNESS and precision
that have since brought them unstnted
praise from British General Dorward. 1t
was Dorward's mistake. since frankly ad-
mitted by him. that placed our men I'm
such a position. But IL was not Dor
wards fault II was one of those awful
mistakes that must sometimes happen in
war, and no American officer has other
than praise for the English commander.
Death of Colonel Liscum.
Down the line travelled the news that
Colonel Liscum had been killed. Ii did
not Gishearten the Ninth's boys. but
made them all the more determined on
victory. Ii was proposed at one time to
withdraw them from their position along
the river. Their officers protested. As IL
was finally decided that to withdraw
would result in as many casualties as TO
advance. the Ninth was allowed To have
its way. and stuck To Its position. firing
heavily at the Chinese rifiemen and gum
ncrs on the walls.
The light artillery fire of the Chinese
during the morning proved n snare. Those
yellow :ie1ds had abundant cannon mask
ed along the walls. Besides heavy ord
nance. there were numerous machine
guns. admirably served.
Are white men serving those pieccs?"
was a question that Americans frequently
asked each other. We have heard plenty
Of rumors that renegade white men were
the ones who ran up our list of dead and
wounded. So far we do not know IL It be
true. No white men were found among
the dead Chinese.
The Ninth's men wore their blue fan
mel shirts. without khaki blouses. These
same blue shirts have before this proved
splendid marks I'm the field. All day
the surgeons were busy. they and ths
hospitl men showing splendid pluck.
Men with trenching tools and men using
their hands made artificial depressions
in the ground back of the firing line.
and here the wounded were taken when
ever possible and cared for. But there
was no safety. There was not even
comparative safety for our wounded
Major Regan, Major Lee and Captain,
BookmiIler when wounded. resisted the
idea Of leaving the firing line. The other
wounded officers among our men be-
haved with equal gallantry. Many of
the men were so slightly hit that they
refused to report TO the surgeons. but
kept on firing.
So the day wore on TO night Some
three-quartcrs Of an hour before dark
the artillery OF the allies opened ter
riiically on the walls.
This means n night assault on she
wall. was the word that passed along
the Ninth's line. IL meant murder. pure
and simple. as these jaded fighting men
saw IL. To swim the canal and try 20
get through those thick. high walls,
seemed an impossible feat, as indeed.
il would have been. But the artillery
fire continued with undiminished feroci-
~ until after dark. Then word came
that a conference of commanders had de-
cided that the Ninth was TO be with
drawn under cover of the darkness. Dur
ing the latter part Of the afternoon Lieu
tenant Colonel Coolidge. now command
ing the Ninth. had foreseen this possi-
hIli,y He had been anxionsly debat-
ing whether IL would he possible TO car
~ away all the wounded on withdraw
ing Unless he could do with COM
parative safety for the wounded he was
opposed to the idea of retreat. But
dark came, and the tired men were
moved back In small parties, others OF
their comrades remaining in position 10
cover their retreat. Siretchers and I'M
provised stretchers were used I'm getting
the wounded back. The manuever was
accomplished. And now the officers of
the Ninth had their first opportunity To
do more than merely guess at their
losses during the day. out or a total
losses amounted to one officer killed
and five wounded; seventeen enlisted
men killed and seventy-two wounded. 1t
was heavy, frightful. but the men of
the Ninth puffed at their pipes when all
was over. and said quietly:
"Oh. well get even
These men were grimy with powder
and the foulness OF their rifle barrels.
They were plastered with mud from head
n tor N
which 10 wash. Wash? There was none
to drink. The river and canals Were
muddy and foul with the bodies of the
dead enemy floating down. sleep would
have been a God-send. What do you
think these men of the Ninth were
doing in the darkness when they could
hardly keep their eyes open? Passing
gun grease and oil to one another. ear
Ing off fragments of cloth and swabhinS
out the barrels of their rifles. Every
where that one stepped through the close
knots of men In the night he came up
on men so engaged. They wanted their
guns up to the mark for the morrow. The
Ninth has been called the suicide
Club" by English officers. BY sticking
TO their position all day on the 18th they
stopped vast number OF the enemy from
advancing turning the right flank and
probably producing fearful slaughter on
faltered, the tale of Tien Tsin's capture
would have been far different: it would
have meant defeat for the allies.
Saturday We entered Tien Tsin. The
Japanese blew up one of the gates ani
rushed in lighting hand-to-hand in the
streets with the Chinese. For this
hand-to-hand work the japanese have
an especial liking They enter into it
with the gusto OF schoolboys playing
/ shiny The japanese have been firm
or friends OF ours than ever since the
/ fight of Friday. Some of them declare
even i'm the presence of representatives
/ of other nations. that our men are rhe
hest fighters with the allied army. IL Is
/ certain, however. that i'm recklessnesS. the
Japanese. when they get started. are not
/ to be surpassed. The men whom they
/ fought hand-to-hand in the streets of the
I walled city were mainly boxers. the rifle
| bearing troops of the enemy having made
! good their escape and left the fanatics
| 10 hear the brunt of the second day 5
| work.
To English 'jackies' belongs the dis
,inc,ion of lighting behind the costliest
barricade that troops have ever used
I'm fighting in the open. They found 4
go-down stocked with bales of camels'
/ hair These bales they dragged in.o
the open and threw them up into a wall
behind which a number of them fought
most effectively.
No Russian Atrocities.
Some one. name unknown. is industri-
ousIy circulating stories of Russian afro
60