Combat· Boxer Rebellion
Battle of Yangtsun
As the allied army marched from Tientsin toward Peking to relieve the besieged legations, Chinese Imperial forces tried to block the way at Yangtsun, a town on the road about fifty miles from the capital.
American troops, including infantry, artillery, and Marine elements, led the attack on the enemy's position. The fighting was made worse by brutal summer heat that exhausted the marching troops. American artillery proved decisive in breaking the Chinese line. Once the enemy was driven off, the last serious resistance between the allied column and Peking was cleared away, opening the road for the final advance on the capital. Yangtsun was one of only a couple of sharp engagements during the long, hard march north, a push in which the Marines endured the heat and hardship remarkably well, leaving very few men behind.
Podcast episodes on Boxer Rebellion
Record no. 535