The Portland daily press., 1901-01-01


filed with dead bodies. and part OF the
town had been burnt ana on all sides
were scenes OF desolatlon and death. ON
the night OF tho 18th the 9TH infantry
remained in the foreign settlement. At
3 o clock in the morning OF tbs 18th OF
July the expedition started TO capture
the walled town which, as / have Eaid,
was we'll defended and well nigh impreg-
nabls. This DAY Jaw the worst battle OF
the whole Chinese campaign. The
Americans. the 9th infantry and the
marines were with the Japs and British
and were TO take the southeast gate.
Will not endeavor to give you an ac-
count of this movement for 1t is we'll
known how this expedition was repulsed.
The 9th were ON the right Of the Japs
and were ordered by Gen. Dorwood to
advance to the support OF the Japs, VINO
were trying to force this gate. The
plan was for the Jap engineers TO rush
the gate and blow IL open and for the
allies to then rush into the town, but
the plan didn't work this time. There Is
some dispute ns TO whether Gen. Dor
wood ordered Col. Luscum OF the 9Th to
make .his attack, but 1 know officers OF
my regiment who heard Gen. Dorwood's
chief OF stan give the order.
well, the 9th started ont to obey 1t,
but didn go great way. The country
over which we had to advance was ont
up by fait marshes and as swept by the
| lire from the Chinese guns on the walls
Of the town and from the mud villages
just beneath the walls. where many rifis-
men were located. IL was about daylight
when the 9th made this rush with Col.
Luscum and the Held officers leading.
They got past several obstacles, but
then they came to very deep marsh and
stream they were stopped by 1t and could
| neither advance nor retreat. 1hs fire
here was terrific and the 9TH lost great
many men. 1t was necessary TO lie
down fiat on your face to kssp from be-
Ing shot, so accurately were the Chinese
firing from these mud huts beneath kthe
wall. Col. Luscum was killed becaufe
he would not lie down. The color SER
geant was shot and down went the col
o,s. Col Lus,um Took them and was
shot while holding them up, though his
officers and men pleaded with him to lie
down to protect himself from the terri
BILE fire.
1.-The DOMINANT then devolved on Maj.
or Lee, an able officer, but hs could do
nothing for us. We could neither I'D
vance on. retreat Some of the men tried
1t by making rushes TO the rear, bu, as
soon as they started this entire squad
would be seen to throw up their hands
and pitch forward on their faces A
great many men were kille1 in this war.
The heat was terrific and this command
| had no water and no chance Of getting
any. They had no food either, and were
forced TO lie there under fire ali day
| long. When night same the BritiEh
general sent a battalion Of British blus
Jackets TO aid us in effecting our retreat
ana wa fell hack, taking our wounded
with us. In this fight the 9th lost a
fourth OF its numbers, one battalion alone
losing three-fouIths OF its entirs
strength. In the advance whole platoons
would 90 down before the terrible ira
OF the Chinese never to riss again. 1t
was pretty BAD day for us taking 1t all
round. Daring this time all of ms kept
pretty close to thu ground. returning
the Chinese fire when we could. We did
some good here though for there were
scma regiments OF Chinese cavalry
manouvering about on our right trying
TO attack us and the Japs, but these we
held on.
"At dark we retreatei, as have said,
| Aha haEa
the finest army in the world. The men
they had In China were the bsst to bs
seen there. They are thoroughly drilled,
disciplined. terrific fighters and as brave
as lions. Their equipment is also this
best / saw while In China.
"rhe Japs were to force this southeast
gate. Again and again their engineers
tried to do this. but were shot down by
| whole companies. 1t was simply impos-
sibIe for them to stand against this hor-
ribls fire. At last the Japs grew desper-
ate. A company OF engineers, with ex-
plosives for the purpose, male rush
towards the gate. One by one they
dropped before the murderous fire until
only one man with two cans OF gun
cotton was left. He got in under ths
walls and put his cans of gun cotton
against the gate and lighted the fuse.
The rinemen managed to shoot oil
this fuse as fast as the Jap could light
1t. To go back across this open stretch
between tine walls and his own trooDs
would have been well nigh impossib 10.
SO with the courage OF Spartan the
Jap lighted a match, thrust it in she cans
of gun cotton and blew open the gate. at
the same time blowing himself to atoms.
Then the allied troops rushed into the
walled city.
"But at O'Clock that morning OF the
14th. the Imperial troops left the walled
town by the northwest gate, though the
Boxers remained. All day on the 18th
the allies were fighting with these
fanatics. They would take position at
the end of q street in the houses and had
to be killed before the allied troops could
clear the street. The wounded Boxers