The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-15


" men who have not forgotten
and never will forget Tientsin
and Peking. Among there are Silas
lChristianberry and Edward German of
the Ninth United States infantry, j.
Mitchell, gunner in charge of the fam
GUS old International gun at Peking,
and A. Richards, United States marine
sergeant. Two of them are hopelessly
crippled for life and still suffering from
their wounds, third is slowly recov-
ering from paralysis by sunstroke re-
ceived on the terrible 18th day of July
1900, and the fourth will carry several
scars to the grave, received at his post
| trymen through the long, despairing
days in the compound at Peking.
Silas Christenberry is not yet thirty
years old, but he has been seven years
in the service of his country. He is
now returning to his home a hopeless
cripple, with the shattered fragments
OF copper-sheathed bullet still in his
right leg and the wound yet unhealed.'
He was with the Inflated Ninth regi-
nent at the charge of Tientsin. The
gallant Ninth was pushing forward, the
soldiers of the allied forces following
ochllio- oHCt otiid WCic
thick and fast, and the battle smoke
obscured the view and made all eonfu
sion. Chrfstenberry was with the
skirmish line, the soldiers being picked
off by the Chinese behind the wall only
a hundred yards away, when the order
to swing around was given, retreat be-
ing impossible. AS they swung to the
front the young man received terrific
blow on the legs and fell to the ground,
rolling himself into a ditch for protec-
tion. A copper-sheathed bullet struck
| him in the right leg, tore it's way
! through flesh and bone and penetrated
his left leg. The bone was shattered
and the flesh torn to shreds. Fourteen
hours he lay in the ditch. his body in
| the stagnant water and his head in the
| lap of a wounded comrade, who had
fallen beside him. Several times they
both tainted through the heat of the
day, the shells flying over them and the
sound of the battle din in their ears.
After dark the dead and wounded were
carried off the field and taken into a
bank, which had been made into a hos
pital. Christenberry was taken away
at IL o'clock and his wound roughly
dressed.
His friend and comrade, Edward Cor
man, was color sergeant of the fore
most regiment. bearing the national
| flag and the regimental colors. The
gallant Colonel Liscum who was killed
on the field, was at the head of the
| charge and German was beside him.
/ In the rush and confusion the two pri-
Yates who formed the body guard of
| the color sergeant had become separat-
! ed and German rushed on blindly with
the flag. Colonel Liscum turned and
Isaw the colors unprotected.
| He told German to go back and get
the privates and the regimental colors.
AS he turned to obey he was struck
to the ground, his knee shattered by a
| bullet Colonel Liscum bent over him
and asked if he was badly hurt.
i Il can't move: I'm paralyZed, re-
/ piled German, and the Colonel took the
colors from him, rushing forward to the
front. He had gone but few feet
when he was shot through the stomach
and almost instantly killed. Two men
who attempted to carry him back as
he was dying were struck by bullets,
one through the head and the other
! through the heart and both We're
killed Another one who came to the
assistance of German was shot down.
This all took place before the eyes of
: the helpless color sergeant, who had
Host the power to move.
/, He knew no more for some time and
, when he regained consciousness he
| found himself feebly able to crawl along
the ground This he did. slowly and
: with great suffering, until he reached
the shelter of a shallow trench. and
: here he lay for eighteen hours, wher
he was carried away to the hospital ir
4 the bank. There on a neighborins
bunk he found his friend Christenberry
from that day on neither one Of then
| have left their beds and they have
! been continually together in the hos
lpitals and hospital steamers. The,
. were taken on a tug boat down tht
. river to where the Solace was anchor
ed off Taku and We're put on board tht
hospital ship with hundreds Of othe
e wounded soldiers, to be transported Il
: San Francisco. but their wounds wer
f SO serious that they were put off a
t Yokohama and taken to the hospital il
f THAT city, where they remained togeth
Ter for five months and until pronounc
ed well enough to take the journe.
; lacross the ocean on the present trip o
t the Solace.
They are both still confined to thei