D Company Again: A Boxer Rebellion Marine Grouping

[Dirk]

One of the early limits I set upon myself in pursuit of the China Marines was "I have no desire to get a Marine China Relief Medal, because well, I am not a medal guy". Well that self imposed wall has just been breached, courtesy of one of our veteran Forum members who has passed along this wonderful 2 medal grouping earned by a Marine who fought his way from Tientsin to Peking. What is interesting, is this past week we have seen Eric Queen's excellent USS Iowa Album with images of some of the Legation defenders and the American flag that flew above the Legation and saw Wirt McCleary's group reunited on the Forum. McCleary was in D company, 2nd Battalion. And so it turns out, this Marine also belonged to D Company. Reading about the Siege of the Legations and the Relief Expedition that ended the siege, I tend to break the Marine participants into four groups, the 52 Legation Guards under Myers, the McCalla Relief Marines under Waller, the Col Meade Relief Marines, and finally the Marines under Col Dickens who arrived in Tientsin the day before Peking was relieved. The last two groups had the largest contingent of Marines, but while the Dickens Marines did perform mopping up around Tientsin over the coming two months, the Meade and Waller groups got flung into every action the American Relief force faced from taking the Chinese city of Tientsin to storming the Tartar Wall surrounding Peking and into the Imperial City....and this Marine was part of it all. Now I am the proud custodian of the special group.

[warguy]

Wow Dirk, what a special group. Unlike you, I have set my sights for many years to specifically acquire an early China releif medal to add to my rim numbered Marine campaign medal collection. I must be doing something wrong. Not once in that time have I even had the opportunity. Congratulations on finding a spectacular grouping and thanks for sharing this. Kevin

[Dirk]

Charles Neal's enlistment data is straightforward. Born October 9 1877 in Wilmington Del, from where he would enlist on 18 August 1899. Two Tattoos: a dagger on one fore arm and his initials on the other. Listing his former occupation at enlistment as a barber. He would do his boot time at League Island, Philadelphia before shipping out for Cavite in the Philippines Islands in October of that year. While the Cavite and Olongapo Marines were busy with the Philippine insurrection, the Boxer Rebellion shifted from attacks on Chinese Christians to attacks on all things foreign. Although Captains Myers and Hall and their 50 Marines had managed to join the other 300 Legation guards before the siege began. Wallers small Force of Marines were still landing of the North China coast when the siege began. Waller's Marines were soon checked along with Admiral Seymour's Relief Column by stiff Chinese resistance. Word was sent back to the PI more Marines were needed. A Major at Olongapo replied no more Marines were available because they were still actively committed against the Filipino insurrectionists. When his bed ridden boss, Col Meade heard this, Louis Little would later write, Meade shot up in his bed and ordered the Major arrested and the Marines sent. Meade, despite suffering from severe rheumatism, pulled 300 of his men out of line and quickly sailed to China on the USS Brooklyn. Meanwhile the Allied nations sent to relive the Legations were stuck in Tientsin by stubborn Chinese resistance. In early July after first failing to take the Chinese portion of Tientsin, the Allies finally succeeded in driving them out after, a hard won battle with the Marines in the thick of the fighting. On 7 August, with their rear now secure, the Allies finally began their march for Peking. They would have to cross 85 miles of a vast treeless plain covered with high corn fields and scattered villages. The weather scorchingly hot...little water was found. Choking dust seemed to cover everything. Several men would die from heat stroke along the way. There were two major battles between Tientsin and Peking, where the Chinese attempted to again check the Allied advance. Although the Americans fought at both, it was the second, at Yangstun that they saw the heaviest action. With the battle won they faced only the heat and occasional sniping until they came to the walls of Peking....being mainly being used by General Chafee to guard the pack trains. Upon reaching the walled city Marines were used to cover the US forces movements through the Chinese portion of the city and would later fight on the City walls as the Americans fought their way into the Imperial city. Neal's record will note he was a participant at Yangstun and was a part of the group "taking the Wall." Before the fighting was over, D company under Capt Long would enter the Forbidden City and in the process stop Russian and Japanese forces from attempting to loot. After several weeks of occupation duty the Marines were withdrawn from the city and returned to the Philippines for reassignment. Neal would return to Cavite before going stateside in 1902, making Corporal in 1904 and a month later leaving the Corps. He would marry and spend a good portion of his life in Delaware and New Jersey, before passing away March of 1948. He is buried at the National Cemetery, Beverley, NJ. His record shows he served with credit in the China Relief Expedition to include the Battle of Tientsin, Yangstun and the March to Peking including the taking of the wall.

 

BTW the Remington print below shows the 9th US infantry entering Peking, but it captures the spirit and pride the American Relief Force must have felt when they entered the city and learned it was their flag that first flew from the walls of Peking.

[Dirk]

The grouping itself came to me from a fellow forum member at the 2017 SoS. Both medals have their original ribbons, but the China medal's is frayed. Medal numbers match what is found in Neal's records. Enjoy!

 

Kevin thank you for your kind words! Just read again last night Col Daggetts book on the campaign and it brought home how tough those 85 miles were....the Marines prided themselves on the small amount of men who fell out from the heat and Butler said not one of the Marines wanted to miss out on the march North no mattered how wounded, or thirsty they were.

[bobgee]

Semper Fi!

[warguy]

Great research Dirk, I have to get that book. Wonderful that the campaign medal numbers are in his file!

[ggent001]

Congrats Dirk. Fantastic group and enjoyed your presentation a lot. The march was one of the things that really captured my imagination with regard to this campaign as well. Regards, Geoff

[aerialbridge]

Very nice, Dirk. So, are you a medal guy now? It's nice to see you and Geoff posting, since it's been kind of slow around here.

[Dirk]

Thanks guys! I am afraid I am starting to appreciate the medal guy's world...thankfully cost will prohibit me from entering their ranks full time.....so I will enjoy this little foray into their world, and keep it to serve as a reminder of the difficulty of the challenges our men faced during that long hot summer in 1900

[devildog34]

Absolute top shelf group! Another great addition to your amazing China Marine collection! Semper Fi Dirk

[katieony]

A rare and historic group...congratulations!

 

Mike

[Dirk]

Mike and Kevin thank you! Definitely happy to have one in the collection! Kevin lucky you getting to have such a great source of collecting knowledge in your neighborhood to both learn from and bounce ideas off of! Geoff fantastic grouping you have there as well....glad u got a photo of him too!

[Eric Queen]

That is a beautiful set Dirk. They don't seem to come up on the market too often.

 

JUN - SEP 1900 is by far the most interesting period of China Marine history (to me personally)

 

Any luck locating a photo of Neal?

 

Congrats !!

[Dirk]

Eric thank you! Sadly no....it will be a stroke of luck if I do find one while he was in the Corps. But your right on those Boxer Groups...incredibly fascinating yet incredibly difficult campgain to have been in....just re-read Upman's account last night when he was a Legation Guard....only after Relief did he write he did not think any of the Defenders would survive the siege.

[kanemono]

That is a great pair of medals and they now have a great home. The Marine Boxer medal would be the center of any medal collection so you have the best of the best.

Dick

[devildog34]

Awesome group!!!!

[Dirk]

Dick, Kevin thank you guys! Happy to have this one....just saw another member picked up an identical set to an officer.....so that's the 3rd Boxer set seen in the last three months!