The Boxer Rebellion (Men at Arms Series, No. 95)

Rating:
Summary: A great primer to the Boxer Rebellion!
Review: For those contemplating staging a new wargame, look no further than this book for the Boxer Rebellion. Although somewhat dated by comparison with the other Osprey MAA books, the text is readable and the illustrations by C Warner are evocative of the period. Recommended

Rating:
Summary: This One Stands the Test of Time
Review: So many of the earlier volumes in this series are either superficially done by authors barely familiar with research or just too sketchy, that is, the subject is too vast for the space available.
This one is just about right. It is the story of the first international expeditionary force in the twentieth century, combining forces which sooner or later would fight each other. The major forces were the U.S., and the British, Japanese, French, and German empires, all first commanded by a British admiral.
The Chinese peasant traditionalist organizations, whose names translated as Boxers, revolted against the Imperial Government and laid siege to the Legation Quarter at Peking near the seat of the government. For political reasons, the Imperial Army was first kept on the sidelines, for the Imperial Dowager Empress disapproved of the foreign concessions that had been imposed on China over the last century. (19th).But when the Allies tried to advance along the railway to Peking to rescue the foreigners there the Imperial Army blocked their way.
The advance was no picnic stroll. Hordes of Boxer and Imperial forces attacked the advancing Allies who in the searing heat and stifling dust of the Asian continental climate were hindered by the necessity of marching along the railroad from Tientsin and repairing it as they went.
All in all, a good overview of the incidents which at the time, inspired multitudes of reports, books, and popular histories.
Later the siege was commemorated in the movie "55 Days at Peking" starring Charlton Heston and the US Marine Corps Legation Guard. Though the British Envoy, a former general officer was really in charge of the defense.