Sorry - perhaps slightly outside HK, and maybe I should already know this, but where were the American troops stationed in southern China during the Boxer Rebellion? I have an instance of a man leaving that army and then joining the government service in Hong Kong in 1901 (a British citizen) so presumably not that far away? Or did they spend all their time on troop-ships? Any ideas? thanks
The little I've read about…
The little I've read about the Boxer rebellion only mentions American troops in northern China - as far as I know their involvement was centred on Beijing. There were American troops sent from the Philippines as part of the multi-national force formed to break the siege of Peking. I believe they landed in the area of Tianjin, so they were south of Beijing but still in Northern China.
Here's a good summary of the American involvement: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1999/winter/boxer-rebell…
Could you give more of the background on what you've read about the American troops being in Southern China? Also any notes of the dates they were there, and the date your man joined the HK government, as they'll help match up with the reports of American movements.
Not fighting the Boxers
My man was in the Philippines with the US army until March 1901, so not involved in the fight against the Boxers ... but 'went to China with the Americans'. All I have comes from a quote from a letter he wrote to friends, telling of what he had done a few years earlier. I know that he is in the HKPolice by early summer 1901 - not before, but I don't have a better joining date than that.
Name of Individual
If the name of the chap can be provided, contributors may be able to look up the Blue Book etc for the joining date.