Security· Interwar China Expeditions
Tungchow American Mission Marine Guard
In the early 1920s, China was torn apart by fighting between rival warlord armies.
When the forces of two powerful generals clashed near Peking, the violence threatened foreign citizens living in the area, including American missionaries stationed in the nearby town of Tungchow. The American Minister in China grew worried that these missionaries could be caught in the fighting or targeted by soldiers and bandits taking advantage of the chaos. To protect them, the American Minister ordered a detachment of Marines from the Legation Guard in Peking to travel to Tungchow. These Marines were drawn from the force that normally guarded the American diplomatic compound in the capital. They stood watch over the missionaries and their property, giving them a layer of security until the danger from the warlord fighting passed.
Record no. 550