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This month's Forgotten Battle is...
The Siege of the International Legations
Intro
The Siege of the International Legations occurred June 20 to August 14, 1900, in the Chinese city of Peking. It was a 55-day siege fought between radical Chinese extremists against soldiers from eight foreign nations holding a single compound. This long siege would be the main focus of one of the shortest yet most impactful conflicts at the end of the 19th century.
Part I
By the late nineteenth century, multiple conflicts had erupted involving the nation of China against foreign nations who wished to exploit their resources. These conflicts had mostly resulted in defeats for the Chinese who were forced to sign unequal treaties with countries like Great Britain, France, Germany, and even Japan (which held a long history of animosity towards them). These treaties caused the Chinese Monarchy to lose control of crucial cities, ports, and islands in and around China (these included Hong Kong and Formosa). In the 1890s, Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War and took control of the Korean Peninsula. This also caused a massive increase in the Chinese people converting to Christianity.
The presence of soldiers from so many foreign nations parading around the cities and ports of China caused deep resentment among thousands of its people. Many of them formed a nationalist movement called, I Ho Ch'uan, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. This extremist group believed in expelling all foreigners and Western influence from Chinese soil. Their slogan was, "Uphold the Qing! Kill the Foreigner!". Due to their preferred method of fighting with hand-to-hand, the Westerners nicknamed them, the "Boxer Movement".
In the country-side of China, they began to attack and kill foreign missionaries. They also brought their wrath down on Chinese Christians (whom they viewed as collaborators), and massacred thousands across the nation. When Western diplomats located within the city of Peking appealed to the Chinese Empress Cixi for help, their pleas fell on deaf ears (as she was sympathetic to the Boxers). It became clear that it was only a matter of time before the Boxers attacked them in Peking.
Part II
Representatives from eight foreign nations gathered in a two mile long area within Peking called the Legation Quarter and pondered their options. Fearing a coordinated attack by the Boxers, they decided to fortify the area with soldiers (and a handful of marines).
In command of the Legation Quarter was Sir Claude MacDonald. With 409 (among them, was Herbert Hoover) soldiers from eight different countries manning the walls of the Legation, approximately 500 foreign civilians (of 19 different nationalities) and 2,800 Chinese Christians took refuge in the mansions and churches. With the entire perimeter being 2,167 yards, defending it with so few soldiers would be very difficult. It wasn't long before they spotted the Boxers gathering for a mass attack.
Sensing an opportunity to be rid of foreign influence in China, Empress Cixi issued an ultimatum for those in the Legation Quarter on June 18. It stated that all foreign diplomats and their citizens were to leave Peking within twenty-four hours. She promised them that they would be given safe passage to the Chinese city of Tientsin. If they did not, a state of war would be declared, and the Imperial Army would attack the Legations Quarter with the Boxers. For their part, the Boxers are believed to have numbered in the tens of thousands. When the ultimatum was refused, the Imperial Army joined them and prepared to launch an attack. The fighting began on June 20, 1900.
Part III
The Boxers launched multiple frontal attacks on the compound. The defenders responded by firing on them with rifles and pistols. As they attacked in human waves, the Boxers suffered heavy casualties while attacking the walls. They focused the bulk of their forces on a section called, the Tartar Wall. This wall was 45 feet tall and 40 feet wide. It was defended by American marines and German soldiers. If the Boxers captured the Tartar Wall, they would have unimpeded access to the Legation Quarter (where the civilians were sheltering).
For the next month, the Boxers launched numerous attacks on the garrisoned soldiers of the Legation Quarter. The defenders on the Tartar Wall found themselves under constant assault and began to run low on their ammunition. Even as the bodies of the Boxers continued to pile up at the bottom of the wall, they still kept attacking (especially at night). When these attacks failed, they resorted to far more drastic measures and began setting fires to buildings in an attempt to burn the defenders out. On June 30, the Germans were forced off the Tartar Wall, leaving only the Americans to hold it. They held out until 2 AM on July 1 when they ran out of ammunition.
On July 3, the Allies launched a counter-attack and successfully recaptured the Tartar Wall. For the next month, the Boxers continued to attack the Legation Quarter. On July 17, both sides called for a short truce to gather their dead. The attacks on the Legation Quarter resumed two weeks later. By now, the Chinese Imperial Army began attacking with artillery. The fighting finally ceased on August 14, when an Allied relief force of soldiers from the Eight-Nation-Alliance finally broke through to Peking and relieved the defenders of the Legation Quarter.
Epilogue
The entire siege had lasted a total of 55 days. The defenders of the International Legations had suffered a total of 55 killed and 135 wounded. In addition, 13 western civilians had also been killed and 24 wounded. The casualties of the Boxers and the Chinese Imperial Army are unknown, but believed to by over 2,500.
The day after the Western Armies entered Peking, Empress Cixi fled the city. She would remain in exile until 1902, when she was permitted to return. Although the Boxer Rebellion itself would continue for another year, the failed Siege of the International Legations had shattered the Boxer movement and many of its members would desert and return home in the coming months. When the rebellion finally ended on September 7, 1901, the armies of the Eight-Nation-Alliance occupied several provinces of China for the next few years.
Today, the Siege of the International Legations (along with the Boxer Rebellion as a whole) has since passed into history. It is remembered as a brave stand against overwhelming odds by the most unlikely allies in history. All of them were motivated by protecting their interests in China and fighting a common enemy. Ironically, all eight of these nations would go to war with each other in the two most devastating conflicts in human history. Never again would there ever be such an alliance.
