A meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants in Tientsin--More
alarming news from the Capital--French and Russian advice--The usual
formalities--Four trains proceed to the Relief of Pekin--Imperial
troops at Yangtsun--The first troubles of the Expedition--Railway
line damaged--Approaching enemy--The first engagement with
Boxers--Great bravery of the fanatics--Reinforcements for the
Allies--At Lanfang--Railway torn up.
On the evening of June 9 a meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants
was held in the French Consulate at Tientsin, to consider the urgent
request of the Ministers in Pekin for the despatch to that city of a
second contingent of guards.
The British, Italian, Japanese, Austrian, and American leaders agreed
to send all men available as quickly as possible for the purpose of
restoring the railway to the capital, and of releasing the Legations as
soon as the line was in working order.
[Illustration: A RUSSIAN OFFICER]
More alarming news continued to come from Pekin, and the country
between Pekin and Tientsin was reported infested by Boxers. It was
suggested by the Russians and French at this conference that it would
be inadvisable and useless under the circumstances to despatch a
force of less than 1500 men, as the railway had been torn up in many
places. Troops were coming from Port Arthur, and their arrival might
be awaited. Nevertheless, if it were decided to despatch detachments,
both Russia and France, although recognising the inutility of such an
expedition, would gladly take part.
Sir Claude MacDonald’s telegram of the 9th: “Situation extremely grave;
unless arrangements are made for immediate advance to Pekin it will be
too late,” spoke too plainly to allow of any delay, but the haste to
rescue their fellow creatures from danger brought disastrous results to
a brave and noble group of men.
The usual formalities were not done away with even in such a pressing
emergency, and it was stipulated at the Consuls’ meeting that the
Viceroy should be requested to furnish train accommodation for the
detachments to leave on the morning of the 10th. In fact, three trains
started on that date to convey the relief column to Pekin, and they
were composed as follows:
No. 1 train.--Eight carriages, three uncovered trucks, one waggon
with rails and sleepers.
No. 2 train.--Eleven carriages, eleven uncovered trucks, and one
waggon with rails and sleepers. Three carriages were loaded with
stores.
No. 3 train.--Three carriages, eight uncovered trucks, and five
waggons loaded with sleepers.
A fourth and similar train to No. 3 was despatched the following day,
the 11th. The uncovered trucks were directly behind the engine. They
were armoured, and had Hotchkiss machine guns mounted on them.
[Sidenote: CHINESE TROOPS]
The trains left Tientsin at 9.30 +A.M.+ on June 10. The Allied forces
carried on them were: 915 British, 450 Germans, 300 Russians, 158
French, 100 Americans, 52 Japanese, 40 Italians, 25 Austrians. One
hundred coolies were also taken to repair the line where necessary.
The force was under the supreme command of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward
Seymour, who proceeded in the first train with the British contingent.
The Japanese, with Captain Mori, were in train No. 2.
[Illustration: THE YANGTSUN RAILWAY BRIDGE]
The station of Yangtsun, 30 miles from Tientsin, was reached at 1
+P.M.+ the same day, and so far the railway line was in good condition,
nor were any traces of the Boxers or of their destructive work
noticeable. At Yangtsun, near the station, Chinese Imperial troops,
under General Nieh, were encamped, and had mounted four guns commanding
the station platform and railway line. The iron bridge was intact.
No hostile demonstration took place on the part of the Chinese, and
after stopping for water the trains proceeded. There were Chinese
soldiers posted all along the railway line.
Some three and a half miles beyond the Yangtsun bridge the troubles of
the expedition began. The trains came to a dead stop, for the railway
had been badly damaged, the rails torn up, the sleepers burnt, and the
bridges partly destroyed. A halt was consequently called in order to
repair the line, and the night was spent at that place.
Early the next morning the work was commenced, and before noon, with
the materials conveyed in the trucks, the line was patched up enough
for the trains to continue slowly towards the next station of Lappa.
[Illustration:
_SKETCH MAP
+OF+ COUNTRY
TRAVERSED
+BY+ SEYMOUR EXPEDITION_
_Drawn by
A. H. Savage Landor._
]
Late in the afternoon, at about six, the train stopped and the alarm
was given that the enemy was approaching. Major Johnstone and six
marines, followed by Midshipman Davies and ten marines, were marching
some distance ahead of the train along the line to examine its
condition, when a body of Boxers was noticed leaving the village, in
order, apparently, to cut them off from the trains. Retreating in due
haste towards the main body of the force, the small party kept up an
exciting running fight with the enemy. When only a few hundred yards
from the train the bluejackets poured a hot fire from the railway
embankment into the Boxers, and drove them towards the main British
force. The enemy was then exposed to a severe cross fire from the
Maxims and rifles of the _Centurion’s_ men. The marines had alighted
from the trucks to repel the attack of this horde of fanatics, who ran
close under the guns, waving their swords, pitchforks and clubs. As
they actually came within a range of two or three hundred yards, their
red turbans and sashes could plainly be seen, showing that they were
Boxers, and not regular troops. They carried no firearms to speak of,
except old-fashioned matchlocks. Some of the enemy were mounted, but
the majority were on foot, young boys, apparently in a state of
hysterical frenzy, running wildly in front of the mad crowd. Their
number in all was estimated at close upon 1500. They showed astounding
bravery, dashing upon the British and exposing themselves with bare
chests to the bullets of foreign rifles.
[Sidenote: A MAD CROWD]
For an hour the fusillade was kept up--on one side only--with Maxims
and rifles while these fanatics dashed to the attack time after time
with their primitive weapons. They were repulsed, and were believed
to have suffered heavily. According to Sir E. Seymour, thirty-five
were killed, but whether, during the night, they removed their dead
and wounded, or for some other reason, only very few bodies of men and
horses were found the following day on the battlefield. There were no
casualties on the side of the Allies.
The trains, with the Allies, reinforced by two hundred more Russians
and fifty-eight French (arrived on the 11th) and now, altogether 2000
strong, resumed their slow journey the following morning towards
Lanfang, taking every precaution against a sudden attack.
Lanfang was reached at noon without further mishap, but north of this
place the rails had been torn up, badly twisted or destroyed. In places
the rails had been carried away bodily for several hundred yards of
line, and thrown into the river, so that they could not be found.
Reparation of the line was commenced at once, and with alacrity, but
unfortunately a sufficient quantity of rails and sleepers were not at
hand, and it became evident that several days must pass before the
trains could go any further. Three hundred more Russians proceeded to
the assistance of the expedition (June 12), bringing the total number
of men under Sir Edward Seymour to 2300.