Battle of Beicang The Battle of Beicang ( Peitsang ) , during the Boxer Rebellion , was fought August 5 , 1900 , between the Eight Nation Alliance and the Chinese army . The Chinese army was forced out of its prepared entrenchments and retreated to Yangcun . The Eight - Nation Alliance army at Beicang consisted of Japanese , Russian , British , American and French troops . The Japanese spearheaded the Alliance victory at Beicang . Background . On August 4 , 1900 , the soldiers of the Allied forces left the city of Tianjin to march towards Beijing in order to relieve the Legations under siege . The force consisted of approximately 20 , 000 troops from the following countries : Japan , 10 , 000 ; Russia , 4 , 000 ; Great Britain , 3 , 000 ; United States , 2 , 000 ; France , 800 ; Germany , 200 ; Austria and Italy , 100 . Reconnaissance indicated that the Chinese forces were entrenched at Beicang , six miles from Tianjin , on both sides of the Hai River . The Americans , British and Japanese advanced on the west side of the river and the Russians and French advanced up the east side . The armies bivouacked the night of August 4 near Xigu Fort . The plan was for the Japanese , supported by the British and Americans , to turn the right flank of the Chinese lines and for the Russians and French to turn the left flank on the opposite side of the Hay River . The Chinese force , estimated at between 8 , 000 - 12 , 000 , was positioned behind several lines of well - constructed earthworks with approximately 26 artillery pieces at key positions . It was , according to accounts , " a formidable position to attack " . Battle . At 3 : 00 a . m . the Japanese launched the attack by capturing a battery on the extreme right of the Chinese lines . They then pushed forward on the flank of the Chinese positions . At dawn an artillery duel began between the Japanese and Chinese that lasted about a half - hour . During the artillery barrage a Japanese regiment crept forward and launched a direct assault on the Chinese positions near the river , advancing in close order through fields of millet and corn with a barrage of fire from the Chinese trenches pouring onto them . The Japanese had requested assistance from British cavalry for the assault but the British failed to arrive , so the Japanese pushed ahead alone . The Japanese suffered heavy casualties but forced the Chinese out of their entrenchments and into a hasty retreat . On the east bank of the Hai River the Russians and French were unable to get around the Chinese flank due to flooded terrain . However , the Japanese victory on the west bank forced the Chinese to retreat , which they did in good order . The Chinese preserved most of their artillery by withdrawing it early in the battle , an action that , according to a United States ' War Department report , " must have predisposed the rest of their army to its prompt retreat " . About 50 Chinese bodies were found on the battlefield . Almost all the Alliance casualties were Japanese , amounting to 60 dead and 240 wounded . A few British and Russian casualties were caused by Chinese artillery fire . The Americans were never engaged , not finding their way to the battlefield until the action was over . American medics treated Japanese casualties . Aftermath . The battle was over by 9 : 00 a . m . Pursuit of the Chinese army was hindered by the Chinese cutting through the river banks to flood the surrounding lowlands . The Alliance army bivouacked at Beicang and its supply train from Tianjin came up during the day . The first battle during the march to Beijing had been a relatively easy victory , albeit costly in casualties for the Japanese . The Chinese now awaited the Alliance in strong defensive positions at Yangcun . The assessment of one participant at the Battle of Beicang was that the " Chinese troops received a blow from which they never recovered . They ever after offered no determined resistance " .