104 



CHINA. 



terrific fire at short range. The Russians retreated 

 under cover of an embankment, having lost 26 

 killed and 100 wounded, and in the morning the 

 Chinese reoccupied the gate in strong force. The 

 Japanese, whose task it was to assault the great 

 C'hihua gate, developed their attack as speedily 

 as possible when they received word that the Rus- 

 sians had entered the city during the night, al- 

 though only a part of their artillery and infantry 

 was on the ground. The Americans were notified 

 by the Japanese of the premature and presumably 

 successful assault of the Russians. Gen. Chaffee 

 had all his men at the front, while the British 

 had yet to march from Tungchau. A troop of 

 American cavalry went out early in the morning 

 to reconnoiter the road, and when within three 

 miles of the city they came in touch with a 

 superior force of the enemy. The troop dis- 

 mounted and took position on a bank, and while 

 they were returning the fire another lively fire 

 was started in their rear, upon which they quickly 

 retreated. This cross fire, it turned out, came 

 from the Russians, who suffered more from the 

 Chinese fire than the Americans, and answered it, 

 thinking it was meant for them and unaware 

 of a force of the allies on the intermediate ground. 

 The missionary who acted as guide for the scout- 

 ing party did not stop till he reached camp and 

 told Gen. Chaffee that the reconnoitering force was 

 cut off. Upon hearing this the commander or- 

 dered a general advance, and while it was still 

 early morning the Americans were marching 

 rapidly toward Pekin. On the way Gen. Chaffee 

 learned of the Russian night assault, and when 

 he approached the city he found the Russians in 

 hot action against the gate they said they had 

 taken, the point where it was planned that the 

 American force should enter also. The Americans 

 were ordered at once into action. Col. Daggett 

 led a scaling party by a sunken road up to the 

 wall, crossing a moat that was raked by musketry 

 fire directed against the Russians. The two com- 

 panies of infantry climbed the wall with difficulty 

 and planted the American flag, but not until the 

 Russians had forced the gate and hoisted their 

 flag over it. More American infantry entered by 

 the gate, where the Russians were resting, being 

 thoroughly exhausted. The Americans halted 

 also, and their battery shelled the walls where 

 Chinese still showed themselves. The British, who 

 developed their attack on the southernmost gate 

 while the other forces were well engaged and had 

 the American battery to assist them, had not 

 much difficulty in entering not long after the 

 Russians. The Japanese had drawn the main force 

 of the Chinese away to defend the Chihua and 

 Tungchih gates of the Tartar city, against both 

 of which they directed a heavy artillery attack. 

 The main battle was fought by the Japanese in 

 front of the Chihua gate, which was defended by 

 strong bodies on the battlemented wall on each 

 side and on the huge tower over the gate, which 

 contained thousands of loopholes commanding the 

 street leading to the gate. Although Gen. Yama- 

 guchi and Gen. Fukushima began to make their 

 dispositions early, ii \\as several hours before the 

 last of their 54 guns were brought up and all were 

 planted in an arc of a circle on the brow of a hill 

 a mile from the gate. The bombardment was 

 nearly constant for three hours, every attempt 

 of the infantry to advance being met by the 

 Chinese, who returned instantly to their loopholes 

 and poured in as hot a fire as ever. The Japanese 

 lost 200 men in attempting to storm the wall. 

 They were still shelling the gate when the British 

 Indian troops made their way into the sluice gate 

 and marched into the British legation close by, 



with which Gen. Chaffee also established commu- 

 nication without bringing up his troops. 



The Japanese, keeping up their attack doggedly, 

 could not get to the gate till night. When they 

 did blow it open and enter they soon cleared the 

 walls and tower. A Japanese detachment had 

 already marched in by the Tungpien gate and 

 gone up to the Japanese legation. Before night 

 the different forces were encamped in the neigh- 

 borhood of the legations. 



The Chinese who retired from the outer walls 

 went into the imperial city, from the walls and 

 towers of which a fierce fire had been kept up all 

 day upon the legations, and much firing was still 

 going on. To stop it, the Indian troops manned 

 the barricades about the British legation and a 

 party of American marines cleared the Chen gate 

 of the Tartar city, which the Russians, coming up 

 with a battery, blew in. The Japanese generals 

 had a plan of which the other commanders were 

 not fully cognizant or were not in accord with. 

 As soon as they entered the Chinese city they sent 

 a battalion of infantry to each of the main gates 

 of the imperial city to guard them, in order to 

 protect the Purple City and prevent any violation 

 of the palace. Their object was to establish com- 

 munication with some one within who could be 

 accepted as representing the Chinese Government, 

 so as to open a way to begin negotiations for the 

 settlement. These guards, however, met with vio- 

 lent opposition, and instead of being able to deliver 

 their communications, became involved in very 

 sharp fighting, from which they suffered severely. 

 The word that they endeavored to send through 

 the gates of the Forbidden City was that they 

 were there for the protection of the city and the 

 Chinese within it. Gen. Chaffee's plan, which was 

 the one recommended by some of the ministers 

 and most of the missionaries and foreign residents, 

 was to capture the Forbidden City and march in 

 triumph into the palace, and thus humiliate the 

 arrogant pride of the Chinese. Continued rifle 

 firing from the lofty gates on the legations made 

 their capture seem a necessary military measure. 

 The advance was to be made through the Chen 

 gate early on Aug. 15. The Russians were asked 

 if they wished to join, but declined. American 

 guns were first posted on the Chen gate command- 

 ing the walls of the Tartar city, on which tents 

 and banners were seen in great numbers. When 

 the American infantry advanced, no response 

 having been made to the shell fire, the Russians 

 sent an insignificant force so as to be represented, 

 but Gen. Chaffee declined to recognize it. Beyond 

 the Chen-Mun five massive walls bar the approach 

 to the palace, penetrated by archways that are 

 closed by heavy gates. The first archway, screened 

 by a false gate and surmounted by towers, wa* 

 vigorously defended, and when Capt. Reilly turned 

 his guns on it he was killed by a musket ball. 

 Guns were brought down, and the gate was finally 

 opened by shooting off the locks and bars. Be- 

 tween that and the next gate the troops were 

 exposed to a withering musketry fire, and had to 

 go back and wait till the Chinese were shelled 

 out of their position, a French battery taking part 

 in the shelling. This was the gate giving en- 

 trance to the Purple City, an enormous defensive 

 structure on which the Chinese troops made their 

 main stand. From the top of this gate the infan- 

 try exchanged shots with the Chinese on the next 

 one until they ceased firing. Then that one, too, 

 was opened by blowing in the locks; but as the 

 column was marching through the archway an 

 enfilading fire from the gate beyond compelled the 

 men to fall back and remain under cover until 

 shell fire directed through the arch cleared that. 



