Richard Castle and the USS Santa Barbara
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Except for the true parts, this is fiction. Rating: K, mostly. Time: The turn of the 20th Century.
That done, the crew of the Santa Barbara watched the battle from a safe distance.
"Look!" Cried Franklin." Two British destroyers are headed for the dock at Taku. What are they doing?"
Every man with binoculars studied the two British ships as they steamed into danger.
"The Chinese have four modern German built destroyers docked there. I think the British are trying to capture them." Castle yelled.
Sure enough, the British ships pulled up next to the Chinese ships and armed sailors poured onto the deck of the Chinese ships.
"They're running, by God!" Kate yelled. "The ships are ours."
The cannonade continued until dawn with neither side gaining any advantage.
"It looks like they're getting ready to storm the forts." Kate said to Rick. "How many men can the allied ships muster to attack by land?"
"Less than a thousand, I'd think. God, but I wish we could lend a hand."
The assault on the northwest fort had a bit of luck. Just as the ground assault began, there was an explosion in the powder magazine. In the confusion that followed, the Japanese stormed the fort and took it. The allies then went after the north fort, with the British and Italians storming the fort, thus taking both forts on that side of the river.
The allies turned their guns on the forts on the south side of the river and another powder magazine blew up. The Chinese abandoned the forts and the way to Tianjin was open.
The Seymour Expedition
Tianjin, China
June 22, 1900.
"Captain Castle reporting as ordered, sir." Castle saluted Captain Bowman McCalla, the commander of the US forces that would march on Beijing and relieve the siege of the legations. As he commanded only 112 Americans, Castle thought the American force was somewhat top heavy with officers. On the other hand, Vice Admiral Edward Seymour the commander of the Royal Navy's Chinese Station was leading a force of only some 2000 men.
"Good to see you, Castle. From what I've heard you have more experience in land combat than damned near anyone in this unit. Seymour wants us in Beijing by tomorrow sometime, which we can manage if the trains run. It's only 75 miles from here to Beijing. But I suspect the Chinese won't be so accommodating. If you haven't heard, the Dowager Empress has officially added the Boxers to the Imperial Army."
"How are we fixed for ammunition, rations, water and the rest, sir?"
"We Americans have plenty of ammunition and enough rations and water. The rest of the troops are not so well provided for. Too damned many officers of our friends and allies seem to think all they have to do is yell, "boo" and the Chinese will run."
"That's highly unlikely, sir."
McCalla grunted by way of reply.
"Your wife is a translator? Speaks all the languages of the eight nations?"
"Yes, sir. Do we need her?"
"Very much so. The British think everyone should speak English and wonder why we Americans don't. The French probably speak English, but won't, because they're still mad about Trafalgar and Waterloo. The Germans probably speak English, but won't because they think they should run the world and not the British. The Japanese do speak English, but they're too embarrassed to admit they don't understand something, and they usually don't. The Italians, the Russians and the Austro-Hungarians may speak English, but with their accents, it's hard to tell. Some of it sounds a bit like English, now and again. "
"Anyway, Castle, get your wife up here and then we'll all go to Seymour's headquarters. It's in that railcar over there."
When they arrived, Admiral Seymour explained his plan, such as it was, to the assembled officers, and one lady. Kate translated.
"I have commandeered five trains for our force." Seymour explained. "As it's only 75 miles to Beijing, I don't imagine it should take a day, perhaps two. I don't see the Chinese army being any impediment to us and the bloody Boxers are rubbish. We'll just push them aside."
"Are you sure of that?" Captain McCalla asked.
Seymour smiled at the American.
"We've been fighting bloody natives far longer than you Americans. You may trust that we know what we're about."
As they left the headquarters car, McCalla pulled Castle aside.
"I understand your orders are to first and foremost keep Mrs. Castle safe. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sir. I'd do so no matter what."
"In that case, put her and you and your Marines in the train we have. If I know my people, they'll fight like the devil to keep her safe."
"As I will, sir."
The first twenty- five miles was uneventful. The passed over the bridge over the Hai River with no difficulties even though there were thousands of Chinese soldiers camped by the bridge.
"We're leaving a large, possibly hostile force in our rear?" Castle said to McCalla. "They have plenty of modern weapons and the troops look like they know what they're doing."
McCalla grunted again.
"If I was in charge of this, which I am most certainly not, I'd have waited for reinforcements. I know there's a regular US infantry regiment being sent to us from the Philippines, and the Russians, Japanese, Germans and British all have reinforcements either on the way or nearby. The whole Japanese army is just across East China Sea. The Russians have substantial forces around Vladivostok. But we're here with two thousand men."
Things began to go wrong shortly after crossing the Hai River.
"What is it?" Kate asked. "Why have we stopped?"
"Don't know, ma'am." Answered a young Marine. "Captain McCalla and your husband went ahead to see what the problem is."
"They went without me?" Kate said, somewhat upset. "They'll need an interpreter. I'm going after them."
Kate hopped off the train and headed after Castle. The Marines, unsure of what to do soon decided to follow after her.
Kate found a dozen or more officers looking ahead at several miles of wrecked track.
"They could have done worse." McCalla said. "Back in the Civil War Sherman's troops learned how to really wreck a railroad. Pile the sleepers up and set them on fire, then take the tracks and hold them until they're red hot in the middle and then bend them around a tree. All the Boxers did was take the rails up. We can put them back where they belong. But it'll take time."
It did take time. And while the troops worked at rebuilding the railroad to Beijing, the Boxers were busy tearing up the lines both ahead of and behind the allies.
Three days had passed since they had first run into the wrecked rails. Kate was trying to sleep in the hot railroad car when she heard yelling.
"What is it?"
"Some of them German fellas coming like sumpin's after 'em, ma'am."
Kate went to a window and called out to the Germans, asking what had happened.
"He says there are Boxers coming. We need to spread the word."
In less time than it takes to tell, a skirmish line was spread out in the direction the Boxers were coming from. Soon they were in sight.
"Bloody hell." Said an English sailor. "Look at them dumb fuckers." Then he noticed that the khaki clad form next to him had on a skirt. "Oh, I apologize, ma'am for my language. I didn't see you there."
Kate smiled.
"They are dumb, aren't they? I see very few firearms, just mostly spears and swords."
"I do see a few gingals out there, Mrs. Castle." Said an American sailor.
"Gingals? What are they?"
"Big muskets manned by two men, ma'am. Fires bullets an inch, maybe an inch and a half across. Not real accurate, but if they hits you…." He left the rest unsaid.
"Perhaps you should get under cover, ma'am." Someone suggested.
Kate patted her rifle.
"I have a rifle and I believe that every rifle will be needed before this expedition is over."
At that moment the Boxers charged, a red clad wave, screaming and occasionally firing shots. The skirmish didn't last long. The Boxers, with their human wave attacks, were cut down in droves and soon fled.
The trains moved slowly ahead, repairing track as they went. The rearguard reported that the Chinese were destroying the tracks behind them as well as in front. People began to worry.
Near the town of Langfang, the trains stopped again. There were more Chinese ahead.
"Not just ahead, but on our flanks." Castle said to McCalla.
"And those aren't Boxers, armed with swords and spears. Those are Chinese troops, armed with modern weapons. And there are a lot of them."
Luckily for the allies, the Chinese were mostly cavalry from the steppes of Chinese Central Asia. Their generals hadn't learned that charging determined infantry with riders on horseback had become a bad idea since the invention of the machine gun and the repeating rifle.
As the Chinese horsemen charged, the allied infantry met them with rapid fire rifle volleys and machine gun fire.
Castle made sure he stayed as close to Kate as he could. In fact, the whole of the American contingent seemed more worried about Kate that they did about their Chinese enemies.
"I cannot shoot with half of the Marine Corps and US Navy between me and the enemy." Kate complained loudly.
"Then perhaps you should take shelter behind those nice steel rail car wheels?' Castle suggested.
"Who'd take care of you then?" Kate shot back.
The Chinese eventually retreated, but Seymour's troops were now short of food, water, and ammunition, as well as being burdened with a growing number of wounded and sick.
Seymour managed to turn his trains around and head back to the coast.
"Oh, hell." Castle said.
"What now?" Kate asked. The men in the car with them, became more alert.
"The Chinese have destroyed the bridge over the Hai River. We don't have the ability to rebuild it. We'll have to leave the trains and march the rest of the way to Tianjin."
That afternoon the leaders of the expedition, plus one American translator, met in Seymour's rail car headquarters.
"We cannot get the trains across the river with no bridge. We'll have to go on foot. I've decided that we'll follow the course of the river and not the railroad tracks. There is a chance that ships from Tianjin can send small boats to our aid."
Captain McCalla interrupted.
"Excuse me, sir, but the railroad to Tianjin is about eighteen miles to Tianjin, but if we follow the river, it's more like thirty. Plus, along the railroad tracks is open country where we'll be able to see the Chinese well before they're in position to attack. The river is crowded with Chinese villages and I'll bet every damned one of them has Boxers in it."
"Be that as it may, Captain McCalla, we will go via the river. However, as you Americans have the most ammunition, I should like you to lead the column."
McCalla smiled.
"We'll be happy to, Admiral. What with Philippines and all, we have lots of experience dealing with irregulars." He said sarcastically.
Once the meeting broke up, McCalla called his officers together and explained the plan. He then turned to Kate.
"Mrs. Castle, we've found a small Mongolian steppe pony for you to ride. I fear that the march will be very difficult for you."
Kate smiled slightly.
"Thank you, but I fear that the Chinese, seeing someone mounted, will mistake me for an officer and I'll draw more fire. I believe walking would be safer for me."
"I think my wife is right, sir." Castle said. "If I have to, I carry her to Tianjin."
"Very well then, we'll use the pony to carry as much in the way of supplies as we can. If necessary, we'll use it to carry our wounded. Now, get back to our rail cars and make sure we have every round of ammunition, every weapon and every ounce of food and water we can carry. If there's anything we can't take, destroy it."
TBC