1923 - Adjutant General "Two-Gun" Cohen, Canton, early 1923.jpg

Mon, 03/02/2020 - 11:49

Michael Alderton notes: Following his arrival at the Canton toe-hold, Doctor Sun Yat-sen established his Southern Headquarters on a fortified island lying in the Pearl River just across a narrow stretch of water from the busy Canton waterfront, and it was from here that Adjutant General Morris A. Cohen would assume his new military duties. At times, he would be required to travel with Dr Sun on board troop trains bound for the front lines, where they would join battles being simultaneously waged on three fronts. When he remained in Canton, he could expect to become involved in efforts to repel invaders who, on occasions, might come right up to the old city walls of Canton; and besides this, he knew that he would have to be constantly prepared for the very real threat posed by unreliable mercenary troops who were billeted within the confines of the city itself, and who were therefore at easy striking distance of Doctor Sun’s headquarters and residence. As things turned out, it would be on this southern battle-ground that Doctor Sun would spend the last two years of his adventurous and selfless life, and throughout this turbulent period Adjutant General Cohen would almost constantly be by the Doctor’s side, and on hand to personally preserve his leader’s life on more than one occasion.

Date picture taken
1 Apr 1923 (day is approximate)

Comments

Michael Alderton (essarem) notes: The above is an early 1923 image of Adjutant General “Two-Gun” Cohen, with twin revolver holsters clearly visible bulging under his jacket pockets, taken in the garden of Dr Sun Yat-sen’s headquarters and residence on Honam Island, just across the river from the Canton waterfront.

See also: 1923 - Visiting-card for Morris A. 'Two-Gun' Cohen, A.D.C. to Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen..jpg | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Canton, April 1923. (General Cohen in his own words): Dr Sun's headquarters had been established on Honam Island, in the house formerly belonging to the manager of the Cement Works. Dr Sun lived on the top story, the secretaries and personal staff on the second. The ground floor had been laid out as offices. Another building close by became barracks for guards. Everything was very plain and utilitarian, but that was how he liked things to be. We'd scarcely started to settle in when the visitors began to queue up. Canton was full of troops, a lot of them unreliable, so Dr Sun’s headquarters had to be guarded against a coup de main that might be delivered by a whole battalion. I got Dr Sun to agree to the formation of a proper permanent household guard. As soon as we opened recruitment, thousands of names rolled in, and it was easy to pick around six hundred good ones. They were put through a stiff training with plenty of time on the range, so that they really could handle their rifles. We were darned glad of them later on. (Extracts from: Commander Charles H. Drage, Two-Gun Cohen, Jonathan Cape, London 1954)