In talking with one of the British sergeants, and commenting upon this utter neglect, he informed me that Captain Halliday had, a few days before, attempted to improvise some barriers by means of dry-goods boxes filled with earth, but had been so laughed at and snubbed by Captains Strouts and Wray, British officers, that he had given up the attempt.
Sir Claude MacDonald, the British minister, who is an ex-major in the army, and should have instructed in this very important duty, was, equally with marine officers, culpably silent.
The American missionaries, however, no sooner arrived than they formed committees on fortification, sanitation, food, etc., and set actively to work; and to them belongs, as every one agrees, the credit of placing the legation in a defensible condition.
To Mr. F. D. Gamewell, of the American Methodist mission, more than to any other one man, is due the success which has attended our defense. His energy was simply extraordinary. From morning until night he was to be seen superintending the filling of sand-bags, the tearing down of houses adjoining our walls that might serve as cover to the enemy, the building of barricades and strengthening of walls from the timbers and brick so obtained, making loopholes at the proper places for firing through and doing, in fact, everything that could have been done by an army engineer of experience; all the time, too, under a galling rifle fire from the outside Chinese army, under the command of the Kansu ruffian, General Tung Fu Hsiang.
All the Chinese coolies, servants, cooks, and retainers of the foreigners, to the number of over 1,000, were enrolled, given a badge sewed to their sleeves, declaring their identity, and hours fixed for their employment on public works for general defense.
Latrines and garbage tanks were arranged, and the place put under proper sanitary regulation, supervised by Drs. Coltman, Lowry, and Inglis.
A hospital was equipped under Doctors Velde and Poole, and a trained nurse corps installed, consisting of several lady physicians and three trained nurses.
The Holland and Belgian legations, being outside of the line of defense adopted by consultation of the military captains, were abandoned, but it was decided by the military to hold the French, German, American, Italian, and Russian legations, until absolutely untenable.
With the exception of the Italian legation, these premises are still in our possession, although the French and German legations are but shattered wrecks, every building being full of holes from shells and round-shot of the Chinese cannon, often fired at only two hundred yards’ distance.