China Relief Expedition

With the advent of the Manchurian Ching dynasty (1644-1912) which overthrew the Han Chinese Ming dynasty, thousands of patriotic secret societies were formed to preserve traditional Chinese culture, including the martial art of "Kung Fu", or "Chinese boxing." During the "Boxer Rebellion" thousands of red-clothed, wild and uneducated "Boxers" rebelled against the European powers. In Peking, foreign legations from several nations were besieged by members of the secret anti-foreign society known as the Righteous, Harmonious Fists--the Boxers. British Admiral E.H. Seymour headed an unprecedented coalition of eight major military powers -- Britain, Germany, Russia, France, America, Japan, Italy, and Austria -- to rescue the foreign legations. The US contingent commanded by MG Adna R. Chaffee was composed of two infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment, a Marine battalion, and a field artillery battery. The multinational force eventually forced the Boxers out of Peking.