The 4-inch naval gun--Captain Bayly Provost-Marshal--The West
Arsenal--British refugees uncared for--Operations against the
West Arsenal--A British naval 4-inch gun mounted--Guns on the
Mud-wall--The enemy’s artillery--Marvellous shooting--Lyddite
shells--Another determinate attack on the Station--The exact
range--The wounded of the Pekin brigade--Lieutenant Blonsky--Admiral
Seymour returns to Taku.
It was not till July 7 that preparations could be made for mounting a
4-inch naval gun, and a party was sent out to the East Arsenal to get
timber, while the 12-pounder was used to shell the city. In return
the Chinese Krupp guns made excellent practice upon the Tientsin
Settlement, and knocked houses about very successfully. The shells were
mostly directed upon the various barracks, an undeniable evidence that
the Chinese had spies in the Settlement who kept them well informed of
what the foreigners were doing.
Captain S. Bayly, R.N., of the _Aurora_, was elected Provost Marshal,
with Lieutenant Leonard, of the United States Marines, as Deputy. A
strict injunction was posted that all suspicious characters should be
made prisoners.
Midshipman Esdale died from his wounds.
On July 8 the Chinese shelled the 12-pounder guns heavily, in the hope
of silencing them, and also endeavoured to blow up the gasworks.
[Sidenote: THE WEST ARSENAL]
The mounting of the 4-inch guns was proceeding fast, and the gunners
manning our 12-pounders tried their best to disable the enemy’s Krupp
guns placed on either side of the Hai-kwang-Sze Arsenal, usually
called by our men the West Arsenal, and also known as the Joss-House
Arsenal. It was in this building that, in 1873, the Treaty of Tientsin
was concluded and signed by Lord Elgin. The capture of the Arsenal
was deemed necessary, as the Chinese had four guns here, which they
constantly trained on the Settlement; moreover, once in the hands of
the Allied forces, the causeway would be practically free from shelling
in the rear, and an attack on the native city could then be undertaken
with greater safety.
[Illustration: THE JOSS HOUSE OR WEST ARSENAL]
The other and larger arsenal, three miles east of the city, and the
same distance north-east of the Military College, had previously been
captured by the Russians, with British marines from the _Terrible_ and
other ships.
While the women and children of other nationalities received every
protection and care from their own compatriots, the British were
shockingly abandoned to their fate in Tongku, and left at the mercy of
enterprising speculators. The persons mostly to blame for this neglect
were those in authority in Tientsin, who never notified the Tong-ku
officials that they had been despatched down the river. This would have
involved very little extra trouble, and the poor things would have been
spared much suffering and anxiety.
At twenty minutes to three +A.M.+ on Monday, July 9, 1000 Japanese,
400 Russians, and 1000 British soldiers, including native troops, took
part in the operations against the Hai-kwan-Sze Arsenal. The Japanese
formed the attacking line, with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on their
right. The remainder of the troops engaged were supports and reserve.
The advance was made along the Taku road as far as Tum-Tui, where the
force wheeled to the right and formed for attack against the Racecourse
and the remains of the houses of Detring and Dickinson, in which large
numbers of Boxers were concentrated. The Japanese cavalry dashed into
these, charging to and fro several times and doing great execution.
They left hundreds of the enemy dead on the field, and captured three
standards, while the infantry seized four guns. The entire Allied force
then moved on the Arsenal, which had been evacuated by the enemy, and
was found deserted. The casualties of the Allies were few--ten dead and
sixty-five wounded.
The operations were over by half-past 12 +P.M.+, and the troops
returned to barracks. During the whole forenoon of that day the
Settlement was heavily shelled by the Chinese, but the capture of the
arsenal was undoubtedly the first step towards the capitulation of
Tientsin city.
On the 10th a British naval 4-inch gun from H.M.S. _Phœnix_ was mounted
near the mud wall in the British Extra Concession by Lieutenant
Drummond, of H.M.S. _Terrible_, and Engineer Cockey of the _Centurion_.
Upon the mud wall itself three 12-pounders from the _Terrible_ were now
placed in position, pointing towards the Racecourse, whence another
attack was feared, while five 6-pounders from different ships were
brought to bear on the native city, principally on the South Gate. A
4.7 gun was brought close to the 4-inch gun, but was never required,
and was not even placed on its mount. The other 4-inch British gun was
placed on the road to the Arsenal, and next to it a 12-pounder playing
on those two forts, north-east of the city, which had caused most
trouble to the Settlements and Railway Station.
[Sidenote: FOREIGN GUNS]
[Illustration: THE 4-INCH NAVAL GUN FROM H.M.S. “PHŒNIX”]
The enemy turned their guns on our 4-inch gun by the Arsenal and on
the Russian guns, and shelled them with extraordinary precision. The
enemy, under the command of General Nieh, was reported to be over
20,000 strong. Great credit was given to their gunners for their
marvellous shooting. The men of the _Terrible_ said that the shelling
of Ladysmith, from which they had come, was mere child’s play compared
with the hot and well-directed fire of the Chinese artillerymen.
From half-past three to half-past seven +A.M.+ on the 11th, the Chinese
shelling was terrific. The 4-inch guns of the _Algerine_, mounted on
the mud wall, were pouring lyddite shells into Tientsin city, while
the Chinese were trying hard to silence the British guns with their
excellent Krupps.
[Illustration: A 6-POUNDER QUICK-FIRING GUN ON THE MUD WALL]
As was expected, the Chinese made another determined attack upon the
Station. A British company was sent out as a reinforcement. There was
fierce fighting at 4 +A.M.+, the Chinese actually charging the Allies
with their bayonets fixed, and even succeeding in breaking through
between the French and the British lines. They captured a number of
trucks, which they used as cover, and from which they kept up a smart
fire, principally on the Hong Kong regiment of Pathans. The Hong Kongs
eventually succeeded in driving them from their position, but the
Chinese showed astounding pluck and tenacity, as well as a considerable
amount of strategy on the part of their officers.
The casualties of the Allies were heavy--about 100, mostly wounded. A
few were killed.
[Sidenote: LYDDITE SHELLS]
The Hotchkiss and 12-pounder guns of the Allies were hard at work on
the enemy till nearly seven o’clock.
One hundred and eighty American marines arrived, and a second 4.7 gun
was brought up and landed by the steam-tug _Fawan_.
[Illustration: THE WOUNDED OF THE “PEKIN BRIGADE” TOWED DOWN RIVER BY
THE “HERON”]
In the afternoon, from 1.30 to 3.30, the Chinese having found the exact
range of the 4-inch gun by the Arsenal, shelled it heavily, while the
two British 4-inch replied in a vigorous and destructive manner with
their lyddite shells. One of these proved disastrous to the high pagoda
used as a watch tower near the city fort. The building flared up and
collapsed.
July 12 was an unbearably hot day. There was no fighting and no
shelling till late in the afternoon, except some stray missile to
remind people that war was going on.
The remainder of the “Pekin Brigade,” with four wounded, were sent
down to Taku in a lighter towed by the tug _Heron_.
I saw one brave marine, whose arm had just been amputated at the
shoulder, smoking his pipe and laughing over his misfortune. Another,
shot through the foot, thought he was lucky, since he might have fared
worse. A curious incident was related to me. A bullet having gone
through a soldier’s hat, he absent-mindedly carried his headgear under
his arm till the end of the battle, to save it from further perforation.
It was on the 12th that Lieutenant Blonsky, who, as we have seen,
behaved so bravely in the search for the Belgian and Italian railway
engineers, was dangerously wounded in several places by a shell, when
he had only just come out of the hospital cured of the many spear
thrusts and sword cuts received in his encounter with the Boxers.
Vice-Admiral Seymour and a number of men from the _Centurion_,
_Orlando_, and _Aurora_, returned to Taku.