
Set against the chaotic backdrop of early twentieth‑century China, this vivid account follows the multinational forces that intervened during the Boxer uprising. Written by a senior officer of the Indian Army, it blends personal observations with the collective impressions of British, American, German, French, Russian, Japanese and other troops. The narrative begins with the journey from the coastal ports to the besieged legations in Tientsin and Pekin, offering a ground‑level view of the tense streets and the clash of cultures.
The book details the organization, tactics, and morale of each contingent, noting both the bravado and the shortcomings that emerged in battle. Illustrated with period photographs, it also captures everyday moments—crowded markets, temple visits, and the lingering aftermath of siege warfare. Readers gain a nuanced portrait of an era when foreign armies and Chinese society collided, revealing the complexities of cooperation and conflict during the crisis.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (442K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Brian Wilcox, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2015-12-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
1869–1947
An Irish-born writer and soldier, he turned years spent in India and China into brisk, firsthand adventure and travel books. His work blends colonial-era observation with the pace of popular storytelling, giving modern readers a vivid window into a very different world.
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