CHINA. 



105 



one also. But into that one, the outer gate of 

 the palace, the Americans did not enter. Gen. 

 Chaffee gave orders to halt, and some hours later, 

 after consulting with the other generals, he with- 

 drew .his whole force to the camp outside the 

 Tartar city. While the Americans were engaged 

 in heavy fighting during this day, with no ostensi- 

 ble object except to discourage the Chinese in the 

 imperial city from firing into the legation grounds, 

 the Russians rested and the British remained in 

 camp, except parties that were sent in search of 

 valuable spoils. The Japanese were busy prepar- 

 ing a camp outside the Tartar city. The following 

 day and the day after were given up to looting, 

 which was freely done by Russians and French, 

 done by Americans against orders, and systemat- 

 ically done by the British, who stored up the 

 loot to sell it later at auction and distribute the 

 proceeds among the men as prize money. Only 

 the Japanese abstained from looting altogether, 

 and placed guards over buildings that were likely 

 to be plundered; and their example was followed 

 tardily by the other nations, but o'nly after many 

 princely residences had been stripped of old porce- 

 lains, rich embroideries, choice furs, carved jade, 

 and other treasures. A joint administration was 

 organized by England, France, Japan, Russia, and 

 the United States. The Emperor, Empress Dow- 

 ager, princes, ministers, and court fled before the 

 allies entered the city, escorted by 3,000 of Tung- 

 Fuhsiang's troops. They escaped to Taiyuen-Fu, 

 in Shansi, with the intention of proceeding ulti- 

 mately to Shensi to establish a new seat of gov- 

 ernment in the city of Singan-Fu. Before the 

 departure of the Empress four high officials were 

 executed because of their pro-foreign sympathies. 

 On Aug. 17 Russian and French troops, led by 

 the French Gen. Frey and supported by Japanese, 

 marched to the relief of the Catholics in the cathe- 

 dral, who were still persistently attacked by the 

 Chinese troops in the Tartar city. The Chuenchen 

 gate was captured after a brief struggle. The 

 Sihoa gate was stoutly defended, and so were a 

 succession of earthworks that blocked the passage 

 to the north cathedral. The generals decided to 

 clear the Tartar city as well as the Chinese city 

 of the Chinese regulars and the bands of Boxers 

 that still held numerous points, but first to drive 

 all the troops out of the imperial city. The 

 French and Russians held the gates on the west 

 side, which they occupied in relieving the cathe- 

 dral. Americans were stationed at the south gate, 

 British at the southeast gate, and Japanese at the 

 others. All marched in on Aug. 17, meeting with 

 no resistance, and after a parade through the 

 palace, sentries were posted in the palace buildings 

 to prevent looting and destruction. The summer 

 ialace outside was occupied by Japanese troops, 

 .mall flying columns operated in the surrounding 

 ountry to clear it of troops and Boxers. A Japa- 

 ese force marched southward on Aug. 24. Pao- 

 'ang-Fu and other places were occupied. In 

 iroportion as the forces were split up their diffi- 

 ulties increased. Small bodies were attacked by 

 .he enemy courageously and often with success. 

 n he English and Americans made an attempt to 

 'store and keep open the railroad. Later the task 

 as given to the Russians by vote of the command- 

 rs, though against their protest. 



Russian Campaign in Manchuria. When 

 ;he troubles arose in north China the Russians 

 ere pushing the construction of the Manchurian 

 ilroads with the greatest expedition. The rail- 

 ad from Talienwan and Port Arthur had been 

 id northward for 323 miles to Tielin, 40 miles 

 yond Mukden, and the section was rapidly 

 aeing laid from Harbin southward to meet it, 



southeastward from Harbin toward Vladivostok, 

 and northwestward to Join the Siberian trunk line 

 at Nerchensk in the Transbaikal, !<Xi mil*- alto- 

 gether in Manchuria, with a prosit of having 

 the line running from Vladivostok before the -n.l 

 of 1900. The activity of the Russian* excited the 

 people of Manchuria and made them (specially 

 susceptible to the Boxer propaganda, which spread 

 in their province as in Shantung and iVchih, nt 

 without awakening the suspicion oi tin- Russian 

 authorities. When the Boxers began in the latter 

 part of June to tear up the track and burn sta- 

 tions at points widely separated, sotnias of Cos- 

 sacks were rapidly moved from place to place, and 

 these military movements hastened an insurrec- 

 tion. When the Europeans seized the Taku fort* 

 the soldiers of the Chinese garrisons decamped in 

 all directions and joined the bands that were 

 formed everywhere to drive out the Russians. On 

 June 25 the Amur troops were ordered to be put 

 on a war footing, and reserves were called out in 

 Siberia. The Boxers, defying the Governor of 

 Mukden, seized arms and ammunition to attack 

 the Russians at Tielin. In addition to 5,000 Cos- 

 sacks permanently stationed along the line, 6,000 

 regular troops were sent into Manchuria from 

 Port Arthur and from the Amur and Ussuri, and 

 Cossacks were brought from the Transbaikal. 

 The governors of Tsitsihar, .Mukden, and Kirin 

 offered to guard the railroad with Chinese sol- 

 diers, and guaranteed the security of their prov- 

 inces if the Russians did not begin hostile action. 

 They w r ere assured that the troops would be used 

 only against Hungu brigands and Boxer rebels. 

 The French and English missionaries in Mukden 

 who did not get away early were killed. The 

 officials made a show of suppressing rioters, but 

 did nothing. The agitation quickly spread, and 

 several Manchu officials, as well as the Chinese 

 troops, joined the revolutionary movement- Mul- 

 titudes of Chinese coolies working on the Russian 

 railroads left their task to drill with the Boxers, 

 and those who would not were compelled to quit 

 work by the Chinese railroad guards. The Muk- 

 den governor was imprisoned by his assistant, who 

 led a large party of Boxers against Tielin. They 

 attacked the coal mines and the railroad bridge at 

 Leaoyang, and destroyed the Catholic church and 

 sacked European shops in Mukden. The gov- 

 ernors of Kirin and Tsitsihar, who had mobilized 

 Chinese troops at the beginning of the disorders, 

 announced that they could not answer for the 

 conduct of their soldiery. On July 7. having re- 

 ceived an Imperial edict directing Chinese troops 

 to unite with the Boxers, the governors requested 

 all Russian engineers to transfer the line to the 

 Chinese and leave the country under escort. The 

 Russian chief engineer reminded them of their 

 duties toward Russia, and exhorted them not to 

 be afraid of the Boxers, whom the Russians would 

 help them to exterminate if they could not do it 

 alone. On July 9 the chief engineer and his as- 

 sistants, with the Cossack guard of 150 men, fled 

 from Tielin before an immense number of Chinese, 

 Simultaneously bands of Boxers and soldiers at- 

 tacked other places on the line as far north as 

 Harbin. Soon bodies of Chinese were moving 

 against the Russians wherever they were found in 

 Manchuria. They were formally notified by th.> 

 Chinese officials that a state of war ,-Msted. and 

 warned to leave the country and allow Chinese 

 noncombatants in Russian territory to return to 

 their homes. Ample opportunity was given when- 

 ever Chinese military officers gave the notice. . 

 able-bodied men in Manchuria were called to ami! 

 Most of the Russians employed on the railroad* 

 were safely escorted by Cossacks to the Russian 



