Colonel Shiba, the Japanese commandant, with his twenty-five soldiers, was first placed in charge, but later on he was reinforced from time to time by detachments from the Austrians, Italians, British, and French marines, and by the young men of the customs service, known as the Customs volunteers.
The most determined efforts of the siege have been made by the Chinese troops and Boxers to obtain possession of the palace—first, doubtless, because it commanded the entire east wall of the British legation at short range, and secondly, because they desired to exterminate the thousand-odd refugees—men, women, and children—harbored there. Consequently, the loss of life of our defenders and the number of wounded brought from the Su Wang Fu into the hospital has greatly exceeded that of any other one place.
To Colonel Shiba, its heroic defender, is due the greatest credit, inasmuch as he has held the place for weeks, after the other commanders had prophesied it would have to be given up in twenty-four hours.
This he has been enabled to do by building barricade after barricade in the rear of his first line of defense, at often less than fifty yards’ distance, and when one barricade was shelled until absolutely untenable, retreating to the next strong position in his rear.
Colonel Shiba also enlisted all the Japanese civilians in the city, and even trained twenty-five of the native Catholic converts into very steady soldiers, arming them with rifles taken from the bodies of dead soldiers of the enemy.
In addition to the military officers who arrived with the legation guards, there happened to be in Peking at the commencement of the siege two English captains, one to study Chinese, the other representing a concession syndicate—Captains Poole and Percy Smith. Both of the gentlemen have rendered efficient and valuable service, and, since the death of Captain Strouts, have been on regular duty.
A curious fact, interesting alike to English and Americans, is that on the Fourth of July, after Captain Myers had been wounded in the sortie on the city wall the previous night, Captain Percy Smith commanded the American marines in the trench on the wall all day, under hot fire from cannon and rifles, and the marines speak in the highest terms of his bravery and coolness, and his care for their comfort and safety.
Mr. E. von Strauch, formerly first lieutenant in the German army, but now a member of the customs service, has also rendered valuable service in relieving the officer in charge at all the various posts, such as the city wall, held by the Americans; the Su Wang Fu, held by Colonel Shiba; the Hanlin Yuan, held by the British, and other points outside the legation. The men also express the highest regard for him.