group. It was the Boxers' belief that they were bullet proof, and they made these peculi ar motions to turn the bullets aside." The expeditionary forces fired on the Boxers, killing all of them. When the train reached Lofa, the tracks and switch were torn up and the water works demolished. Vice Admiral Seymour decided to repair the tracks and the switch. Water was scarce and the summer weather was hot and dry. The men were limited to one canteen per day. They also needed to water the train engines. Though the nearest well was just thirty yards away from the track, it rook six hours to fi ll the tanks via bucket brigade. At Lofa, the two trains carrying the relief expedition were joined by two other trains from Tientsin, making a total force of 2, 100 m en to push forward. The expedition faced the same problems at Lang Fang as they had at Lofa; a working party of Americans, British, and C hinese laborers was organized to repair the tracks. With word from Peking that the legations we re in dire straits, it was decided to repair the tracks as far as Anting, fifteen miles away, and then proceed north to the capital on foot. Along the way, villages that harbored Boxers were burned, and carts and horses were commandeered. Vice Admiral Seymo ur ordered the relief expedition to pull back to Yang-ts un, as the tracks had been torn up going north and south, cutting supply lines and communications. Thus, the rescue mission was aborted only sixteen days after it had begun, leaving those trapped in Peking to wait until August to be freed. 'The expeditionary forces were now slated to return to Tientsin by river. On their way back, the international force was attacked by the Boxers and the Imperial Army. During the last encounter, Taussig was wounded in the hip, with the bullet penetrating his thigh. He was put on a stretcher and moved to a junk on the river where a British doctor set his broken leg and administered morphine. The retreat was not without danger, as the Boxe rs kept up their attacks on the
SEA HISTORY 125, WINTER 2008-09
Company ofBoxers, Tientsin, China
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retreating forces. Taussig's junk was hit by bullets and another junk, carrying wounded men, sank after being fired upon . An attempt to retreat in the middle of the night was unsuccessful as the Chinese were on alert and fired on the column. When daylight came, the column ap proached a series of fortified buildings and again the C hinese attacked. The Royal Marines under Major Johnstone routed the attackers and captured the H siku Arsenal, which was stacked with weapons and ammunition. Vice Admiral Seymour decided to occupy the arsenal, and the wo unded were placed in a large room with field and siege guns and stacks of ammunition. Enough rice was stored to last two weeks. A detachment set out for Tientsin to get help but had to turn back because they were surrounded by the C hinese. The occupants of the arsenal fired rockets in the direction ofTiemsin to alert them to their plight, but there was no answer; on the second try, they received a response. A rescue party of US Marines and sailors reached the arsenal the next day, and the expedition m arched overland to Tientsin, leaving the arsenal in flam es. Taussig had not eaten anything for four days and his leg was bleeding, but nothing was done to relieve him along the way. Once they arrived in Tientsin, th ey found it deserted, except for a few civilians and fore ign troops. Cadet Taussig was operated on and pieces of bone, bullet, and gravel were
removed from his leg. His stay in Tientsin was dangerous, as Chinese snipers repeatedly fired on the American Mission Hospital and the American Consulate, so he and the other wounded were transported to Taku, where a naval hospital was set up, then to the hospital ship Solace, and fin ally to the hospital at Yokohama, Japan , where his mother, who had accompanied his father on his assignment to the Asiatic Station, awaited him. Another operation fo llowed and he was slowly nursed back to health . "The Japanese people were very attentive to us in the hospital. Representatives of th e Emperor and Empress, the Governor ofKanagawa, the Mayor ofYokohama, and a number of other dignitari es called to see us." By the end of December 1900, Taussig was well enough to resume his naval duties in USS Nashville. Several months later he joined USS Culgoa, a refrigerator ship that carried frozen meat from Australia to M anila. So ended his adventures in the Far East. Taussig's wars were not over yet; in 191 7, he was commanding officer of USS Wadsworth (DD 60) and later USS Little (DD 79) stationed off Queensrown (now Cobh), Ireland, and Brest, Fra nce, on convoy and patrol duty during World War I. Promoted to rear admiral in 1932, he retired on I September 1941 , before the start of World War II . It was his service in the Boxe r Rebellion, however, th at continued to influence his career; on 22 October he was promoted to vice admiral on the retired list in recognition of his service in China. Two years later, he received the Purple Heart for wounds suffered during the Boxe r Rebellion.
Vice Admiral Taussig's diaries are part of the Joseph K Taussig Papers, Naval War College Naval Historical Collection, at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, of which Dr. Evelyn Cherpak is archivist and head. 45