The National tribune., 1902-04-03
CAPTURE OF YANG TSUN.
Courage and Dash Exhibited by American
Soldiers in the Pekin Expedition.

Several interesting incidents of the tax
ing of Yang Tsun by the allies during tn,
advance on Pekin are related by David
Price, of the fighting 9th U. S. Regulars.
who recently returned from the Philip
pines.
'The Chinese soldier of today is a very
different proposition from what he was so
years or less ago. said Prince. I'm those
bygOne days the Chinese made war by
making faces and throwing stinkpOts at
their enemies. They wore hideOus masks
and grOteSque costumes for the purpose Of
frightening away their adversaries. But
in this advanced age Of Krag-JOrgensen
magazine rifles, Mausers, Colts and Max
inns, with their long-range projectiles, such
absurd and farce-comedy tactics have no
place.
THE nearest approach to such methods
was witnessed while the 18th Z. 5. Reg
ulars were rushing the Chinese center in
front of Yang Tsun. The Cinnamon were
intTenched behind an embankment, and
had been directing a heavy artillery and
Small-arm fire against the 18th, and the
British Indian troops-the Silhs and Pun
jaubis-On our left. The 18th started
forW ard toward the Chinese works in line
Of squads. This was a surprise to both
the British and Cinnamon, as they thought
it was the way the Americans were going
to fight. But as the gallant 18th drew
near the fighting zone they rapidly and
with beautiful precision deployed into a
thin brown line.
'The amazed Chinese soldiers did not
seem to understand the movement, and no
doubt concluded it was a good time to
frighten away the advancing Americans.
So several hundreds of the Celestials
focked to the top of the embankment and
waved their arms frantically at Uncle
Sans fighting men, just as an old woman
would 'shoO' n flock of chickens. At the
same time they uttered a series of Xxi
Wis Just then the American Krags be
gan popping away, and the Chinese war
riOrs rushed pel-mell for cover In the
meantime the Chinese artillery opened a
well-directed fire on our boys, but nothing
could stop those American rushes, ac-
cOmpaned with the characteristic Ameri
can yell.
''The English Royal Artillery and a
Russian battery kept up lively fire on
the Chinese line as the Americans ad-
vanced. The British Indian troops on the
left tried to follow the example of Uncle
Sans men, but they soon began to waver
and show signs of having enough. They
sought shelter behind every mound or in
every depression in the ground, while the
well-dlrected' Chinese artillery fre threw
up clouds of dust in our front. The Amer
lean and English infantrymen We're in a
great field of growing corn, and the
khaki uniforms of the 18th were invis-
ible to the Chinese gunners.
"As the attacking line advanced the
Chinese artillery and small-arm fire grew
hotter and hotter, and many of the Amer
icGns succumbed to the intense heat. Col.
DaCgett. commanding the 18th, concluded
that if the embankment was to be taken
it must be with final rush So he gave
the necessary command, and the khaki
clad Americans sprang forward at that
long, leaping double time for which they
are noted. Onward through the tall corn
they swept, yelling like Apache Indians
and blazing away with their Krag-JOrgen-
sens.
THE British officers tried to make their
Sikhs and Punjaubis follow suit, but they
had small heart for such serious work.
Some of the English officers kept up with
the American line and were in the fore
front when the 18th, with Col. Daggett in
the lead, swept ont of the field of waving
corn, into the open, like a long brown
wave, and then up the embankment. The
impetuous American charge was too much
for the Chinese soldiers. They scattered