Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-02-21
BRATTLEB0R0 LOCAL NEWS.
VETERAN OF THREE WARS.

Michael Sherry. Who Reached Home
Monday, Was in Battle Of Tientsin
and with Relief Column Which En-.
tered Pekin.
Michael Sherry, who at 90 years of
age is veteran of three wars and who
has probably had a more varied eXpe-
rience and seen more of the world than
any of the Brattleboro boys who have
served in the army in the orient, reach
ed home Monday night He was in
several engagements, but was never
wounded and he feels well today,
although he has lost 10 pounds in
weight. Sherry was one of the young
est members of company ! of the First
Vermont regiment at Chicamauga in
the summer of 1898 He suffered from
fever that year and came home weak
and emaciated but his zeal for army life
was undated and in December of
that year he enlisted in the regular
army at Springfield, Mass. He was as
signed to company, Ninth Infantry.
then at Sacketts Harbor. but the regi-
ment soon left for the Philippines
Sherry had his share of the hardships
of a private soldier campaigning in the
tropics and took part in several minor
engagements
The 9th regiment was in Iuzon
until the outbreak of the Boxer move
ment in China. when it was selected rs
the first American organization to go
to that country. The regiment landed
at Taku harbor July 10, 1900. and went
from there to Tientsin where the
memorable battle was fought by the
allied forces against the Chinese forti-
fled behind the city walls. Col. Lis
cum. the commander of the 9th. a Ver-
monter, fell while leading his troops.
The 9th regiment lost about 100 men,
killed and wounded Sherry saw some
awful sights during the battle and
after the capture of the city. but he
is reticent in talking about them.
A few days after the fall of Tientsin
the regiment started on a 90-mile
march to Pekin engaging in several
skirmishes on the way. to assist the
allied troops in rescuing the foreign le-
cations, including United States Minis
ter Conger and family. Eleven months
were spent in Pekin. largely on police
duty. after which the regiment return
ed to Manila.
The next journey in which Sherrys
company participated was to the island
OF Samar 400 miles away The COM
panY had no other engagements of note
while Sherry was in the service, but
one company was nearly eXterminated
when surprised by the natives and
another company lost several men.
Returning to Manila Sherry received
his discharge. having been in the SER
vice over three years. He sailed for
home Dec. 20 on the transport Kilpat-
rick. During his stay in China and the
Philippines Sherry was i'll only about
a month. He says he has seen enough
army service for the present. He had
an opportunity to accept an oppoint-
ment on the police force and remain in
Manila at a salary of $S5 a month. but
preferred to come home. He says the
island of Luzon is absolutely pacified
and that the principal trouble at pres
ent is in Samar, where the country is
mountainous and gives the natives an
opportunity to carry on guerilla war
fare. An order amounting in substance
to recommendation in Samar went into
effect few days before he left.
Sherry says that Daniel O'Neil.
another Brattleboro boy, who was in
ID company, 9th regiment. in Samar,
when he left, was expecting to be dis
charged about month later and prob
ably will reach Brattleboro in three
or four weeks. He saw Edwin Haskell
at Cabalogan, Samar, a short time be-
fore starting for home. Haskell is a
private in f company, LIST Infantry.
Sherry did not know that Jack Martin
was in the Philippines until he reached
home