A very full and comprehensive report has been made by the committee, copy of
which I inclose. The diplomatic corps has as yet taken no action
thereon.
While I think the entire area is larger than necessary or advisable, yet I do
not deem it best to quarrel with my colleagues upon that score. But I shall,
unless otherwise instructed, oppose adopting or beginning work on any system
of defense at present. You will observe that the plan as prepared
practically provides for a veritable fortress right in the midst of this
great city, and directly adjoining the Palace walls. The plan, if carried
out, will destroy a large area of private Chinese property, which ought to
be paid for by someone, and the Chinese Government will never compensate the
individuals for it. Many unnecessary and continuing expenses will be
incurred, which somebody will have to meet.
In my judgment, all that is necessary now is to have in view, in locating and
enlarging the legations, the possible necessity of repelling attacks and so
locate them as to make defense as easy as possible, in case the necessity
should ever arise.
The legations in Peking are not the only foreign interests in China which may
be attacked. There are or will be foreign merchants, traders, engineers, and
missionaries at many interior points, and these also deserve protection. It
will be impossible to provide defense or even guards for every community of
foreigners. Simply defending the legations will not make it safer for the
foreigners who are building railroads in the interior or otherwise
developing China. In case of troubles these interests will be the first
attacked, and, profiting by past experience, the ministers will either have
time to get away or provide for the requisite defense.
It seems to me the surest and most reasonable way to protect all foreigners
is to require the most stringent treaty guaranties for the future and insist
upon their being carried out rigidly everywhere. If the Empire is to be
preserved with a government at all worth having diplomatic relations with,
then it must be a government strong enough to protect the representatives of
friendly powers in its capital from mob violence. If it can not do this, or
if it is necessary for the foreign powers to defend their representatives
against attacks of the Chinese Government itself, then it is not worth
holding relations with.
Besides, if it shall ever be necessary to fortify it need not be done now. A
long time must elapse before all the foreign troops are withdrawn from this
province. In the meantime it is to be hoped that the Chinese Government will
have returned here and exhibited such ability to preserve order as will make
defense unnecessary; but even then there will be time enough to begin the
work contemplated in the commission’s report.
I inclose a rough map, showing the proposed location of each legation. After
several consultations with General Chaffee I have concluded that the part
marked U. S. A. will not be large enough for both the legation and guards.
Therefore if Colonel Denby’s property is purchased I would advise occupying
the whole plot U. S. A. with the legation, and locating the guards on plot
marked U. S. B. But if the Colonel Denby property is not purchased, then I
recommend locating the legation on plot U. S. B. and placing the buildings
and barracks for the guards on plot marked U. S. C. In this case we may be
able to induce the Holland legation to move east next to the Russo-Chinese
Bank, and so have our legation and guards together. But it is neither
inconvenient nor undesirable to have them a little way apart.
I am reserving all this property until I can receive the Department’s
instructions. If the plot U. S. C. is taken for our guards it will
necessitate changing the line of defense proposed by the military commanders
so as to include this plot, but that can be done without danger, and the
ministers will doubtless agree to it.
The Germans have already begun work upon the barracks for their guards on the
plot of ground marked “German guards,” which is a very considerable distance
from their legation.
As soon as this matter is taken up by the foreign representatives I will
report further.
[Inclosure No. 1 with dispatch No.
536.]
Report of the military commission on the defense of
the proposed legation quarter at Peking.
The accompanying plan shows the areas which the ministers of the powers
represented in Peking propose to occupy for their respective legations;
and the general line of defense to inclose this area is marked A. D. H.
K. A. The ground marked W. X. Y. Z. is claimed by both France and Japan.
The precise boundary requires to be determined by the ministers.
2. The southern boundary is the Tartar City wall, the occupation of which
is considered by the military commission to be essential to any scheme
of defense, and the portion of the wall occupied must project beyond the
east and west fronts to admit of the necessary flanking fire. These
projections are marked on the plan, and should contain emplacements to
mount guns for flanking purposes and for sweeping the wall beyond the
limits occupied.
3. The line N. O. was proposed for the west British limit and L. M. for
that of the United States but the Russian minister is unwilling to
withdraw his front to M. W., consequently it becomes necessary to
advance the whole west front of the line to A. D., and the open space
necessary for defense will have to be provided by demolitions to the
west of Gaselee road.
4. The German east front J. K. is now occupied by a Russian subject, and
it is the unanimous opinion of the commission that it is necessary for
defensive purposes, and to afford free communication to the front that
this property shall be acquired by Germany, either by sale or
exchange.
5. It is understood that the Chinese Government can not be expected to
agree to the occupation by the allies of the Chien Men, or main central
gate leading to the Imperial Palace, but if this gate is not occupied
the ruined buildings over the outer and inner entrances which completely
command the wall, should, from a military point of view, be razed to the
general level of the wall, and reconstruction should not be permitted.
The buildings are now practically destroyed by fire. The ramps which
afford access to the gate should be removed.
6. It is considered desirable that the Hata Men should be included in the
defenses, but the Russian representative is of the opinion that this is
unnecessary. If not included the buildings over the gates should be
leveled, as in the last paragraph, and a new gate constructed in the
Tartar City wall near the center of the south face of the legation
quarter; this gate should be preferably the water gate of the canal in
the German quarter. The height of the opening would require to be raised
so as to admit of a roadway over the canal without interfering with the
drainage. The opening should be arched so as not to interfere with free
communication along the top of the wall. The eastern ramp leading to the
wall above the Hata Men should be dismantled, but if the gate is not
occupied both ramps should be removed.
7. Cross trenches through the top of the Tartar City wall, 5 to 7 meters
wide, and about 3 meters deep, should be made outside each end of the
portion occupied in the wall. These trenches should be aligned and
graded so that they can be swept by fire from other points in the
defenses, P. Q., R. S.
8. It is essential that there should be a clear zone or glacis round the
defenses on the west, north, and east sides, and the commission
considers that the minimum width of this space should be 150 yards
(about 140 meters), but where possible it is desirable that this width
should be increased. The Russian representative considers that it would
be best on the west side to clear the whole space up to the wall of the
Imperial City, and this was unanimously agreed to. It was also agreed
that the Ketteler-strasse should form the limit on the east side. No
building to be allowed against the outer side of the Tartar City wall or
on the open space to the south of the wall.
The Chinese houses outside and near the Hata Men should be demolished,
and there should be a distance of 100 meters clear of buildings to the
west of the western limit occupied on the wall.
It should be very clearly laid down that all buildings on these glacis or
open spaces are to be removed, and no new buildings should on any
account be permitted; nor should materials, except for military
purposes, be stacked or placed on these glacis.
9. The whole area which it is recommended should be obtained from the
Chinese Government is marked a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
h, and the boundary should be indicated on the ground by
masonry pillars.
The question of preventing access to the glacis or defenses having been
raised, it was considered by the majority that iron railings were
expensive and undesirable, and that the most suitable kind of a fence
was one of barbed wire, which could be erected by each legation where
considered necessary, the concurrence of the adjacent legations being
obtained.
10. The commission considers that the outer south wall of the Imperial
palace,
[Page 85]
immediately north of
Stewart road, must be demolished to give a sufficient open space at the
northwest corner of the defenses.
Lieutenant-Colonel Shiba (Japan) suggested that as the Imperial City wall
was used during the recent siege of the legations as an artillery
position, it might be stipulated as a punitive measure that this wall
should be reduced to one-half its present height. This would doubtless
be a military advantage, and would admit of a reduction in the height of
the legation defenses facing the wall.
11. It is accepted that the defenses can not take the form of a modern
fortress, and should consist of defensible walls, protected or
strengthened with earthwork, gun emplacements being provided at
intervals. In addition to the flank defense from the Tartar City wall,
each legation will have to arrange for the flank defense of its own area
in consultation with the adjacent legations, and machine or quick-firing
guns will be required for flanking fire.
12. The minimum height of the walls forming the defensive line should be
about 3½ meters, earth protection in front of the walls being considered
advantageous. It is desirable that the ditch should have a minimum width
of 5 meters and a depth of not less than 2 meters, provided that this
admits of proper drainage so that water may not stagnate in the ditch.
If the necessity of providing for drainage does not permit of excavation
to a depth of 2 meters the height of the wall can be increased and a
glacis made so that the necessary depth may be obtained artifically. An
obstacle in the bottom of the ditch is desirable. Raised roads outside
the defenses should either be cut down or the outer sides be sloped off
in the form of a glacis.
13. A covered way with earthern parapet carried on arches should be
constructed across the canal near T to connect the British and Japanese
legations. Further details of construction to be left to the nations
concerned.
14. It is proposed that the front between the canal and F should be
constructed and defended by Japan, whose soldiers played so important a
part during the recent attack on the legations, and who would otherwise
hold no portion of the front line. This front forms the northern
boundary of the proposed international public garden, and it is further
proposed that Japan should build and hold the left flank defenses of
this garden facing the canal. For this arrangement to be efficient Japan
must be afforded communication from the rear to all parts of these
fronts.
15. The Japanese troops would, as far as possible, form a general reserve
for the eastern part of the legation quarter. When necessary, and if
possible, Russia would assist in the general defense of the western
portion.
16. The legation guards tentatively proposed by the military
representatives of the powers for each national quarter are as follows:
| Nation. |
Men. |
Guns. |
Howitzers. |
Machine
guns. |
| Austro-Hungary |
250 |
a2 to 4 |
|
6 to 8 |
| France |
250 |
b 2 |
|
2 |
| Germany |
300 |
c 3 to 4 |
2 |
6 |
| Great Britain |
d200 to 250 |
e 4 |
f 2 |
4 to 6 |
| Italy |
150 to 200 |
a 2 |
|
2 |
| Japan |
300 to 400 |
g 4 to 6 |
|
h Some |
| Russia |
350 |
a 2 |
|
4 |
| United States |
100 |
h 2 |
|
h 2 to 3 |
- a
- Field guns.
- b
- Two medium siege guns.
- c
- Quick-firing field guns.
- d
- This number may have to be increased in proportion to the guards
of the other powers.
- e
- Two quick-firing naval 12-pound guns and two 1-inch Vickers-Maxim
guns.
- f
- Six Howitzers.
- g
- Two field guns.
- h
- Not fixed.
17. The Spanish, Belgian, and Dutch legations have at present no military
guards, but it would appear fair, from a military point of view, that
these countries should provide suitable guards. In the case of Holland,
the commission is of opinion that unless a suitable guard is provided by
that country the outer line of defense on the west front should be taken
by the United States, in which case it would seem desirable that the
Dutch legation should be located elsewhere.
18. The terminal station of the Paotingfu line is to be built outside the
Tartar City wall, west of the Chien Men, and it is considered desirable
that the space outside the wall between the Chien Men and Hata Men
should be reserved for the terminus of the Peking-Tientsin line, on
which railway communication with the coast depends. This would bring the
station yard under the immediate defense of the legation quarter,
[Page 86]
and would also, by the
construction of a short connecting line, allow for the rolling stock of
the Southern Bail way being run into this station for protection, if
necessary.
As railway communication is a matter of great military importance, it
appears necessary that a stipulation should be made with the Chinese
Government that the terminal points of the railway lines are always to
remain within the Chinese City.
19. Aerial telephonic communication should be established between the
various legations, and underground telephonic lines are also
desirable.
20. Not less than three months’ supplies should be maintained for the
troops in Peking. There should also be a sufficient reserve of arms and
ammunition.
21. It was proposed that the detailed arrangements for disposition of the
troops defending the legation area should be drawn up by a commission of
the officers in command of the legation guards under the senior officer
as president, and that the senior military officer on duty in Peking
should be in command of the whole during an attack. The Russian
representative, however, stated that he will arrange for the defense of
his own legation, and will work amicably with the other officers, but
will not take orders from the senior officer of another nation; nor will
he, if the senior, accept the command of the whole. The representative
of the United States considers that this matter of command must be left
for subsequent consideration.
The Russian representative considered that there should be a council of
war composed of the senior officer from each of the eight legations
providing the military guards. This proposal was generally concurred in.
The French representative considers that it should be defined that the
decision on general defense questions should rest entirely with the
president, who will be the officer in chief command in time of war.
It was suggested that each nation in turn should appoint a senior
officer, of not lower rank than lieutenant-colonel, for a certain
period, as commandant in time of war. The period might be from one to
three years, and this suggestion is offered for consideration by the
ministers.
22. It is necessary to begin the defenses as soon as possible, so as to
get the work well advanced before the return of the Chinese Government,
and completed before the rainy season.
Signed at Peking,
February 9,
1901.
Austro-Hungary:
Wogack,
Captain,
Headquarters Staff.
France:
Vidal,
Major,
Military Attaché to the French
Legation.
Germany:
v. Gebsatell,
Major,
Headquarters Staff in East Asia.
Great
Britain:
W. T.
Shone,
Colonel, Colonel on Staff
Royal Engineers,
President.
Italy:
Henry de Chaurand,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Headquarters
Staff.
Japan:
G. Shiba,
Lieutenant-Colonel,
Military Attaché to the Japanese
Legation..
Russia:
Niewiadomsky,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Russian Defensive
Garrison.
United States:
H. H. Ferguson,
First Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers, U. S.
A.
