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The Land of the Boxers; or, China under the Allies cover

The Land of the Boxers; or, China under the Allies

Chapter 2: PREFACE
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About This Book

The author recounts military operations and travel during the international intervention in northern China, tracing movements from coastal anchorages through Tientsin to the approach and occupation of the capital. Chapters combine campaign narrative, eyewitness descriptions of foreign concessions, Chinese city quarters, and the siege of diplomatic legations, with portraits of the various national contingents—German, French, Russian, Japanese, American, Italian, Dutch, and Indian—assessing their organisation, conduct, and interactions. Complementary material describes Beijing’s imperial sites, the layout of the city, logistical challenges, soldier life in garrison and in action, and anecdotes gathered from officers present.

PREFACE

WRITTEN many thousand miles from the ever‐troubled land of China, with no opportunity for reference, this book doubtless contains many errors, for which the reader’s indulgence is asked. The criticisms of the various armies are not the result of my own unaided impressions, but a résumé of the opinions of the many officers of the different contingents with whom I conversed on the subject.

My thanks are due to Sir Richard Harrison, k.c.b., Inspector‐General of Fortifications, who served with the Allied Army which captured Pekin in 1860, for his courtesy in permitting me to use some of the excellent photographs taken by the Photo Section, Royal Engineers.

THE AUTHOR

London, 1903