The recent release of Old Glory's 25mm range of Boxer Rebellion figures has naturally led to a resurgence of interest in this early 20th Century exercise in colonial imperialism. Indeed, events leading up to the climactic siege of the foreign legation quarter in Peking strongly indicate that the major colonial powers of the time were planning on dividing China into various spheres of influence, which helped propogate the fierce xenophobia which continues to exist in that country to this day. Russia, Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, and the United States all sent sizeable troop contingents to China to enforce colonial mandate and relieve the embattled legations. It was the drawing together of these colonial powers which makes the Boxer Rebellion so attractive to wargamers. Although there exists a considerable amount of information on the various armed forces existing at the time of the Boxer Rebellion, very little can be found in a single source. However, there are four books available dedicated to the Boxer Rebellion which can be useful to wargamers wanting to increase their knowledge of this fascinating period. Most veteran colonial wargamers are familiar with Osprey's Boxer Rebellion by the late Lynn Bodin. It provides an excellent overview of the conflict, and even provides such details as a map of the legation quarter for those wishing to layout their own "55 Days at Peking" game. The color plates provide painting details for most of the combatants involved, and it appears that the designers of the Old Glory range took most of their inspiration from this book. I am not sure of the source for the color plate of the Chinese Tigerman with the black and yellow overvest though, but Old Glory helpfully provides this figure in its bag of Tigermen. The photograph in the book entitled "Boxer Standard Bearer" is in actuality a tigerman; check out the ears and eyes sewn to his hood, as well as the face painted on his shield. Not to worry though. Old Glory provides this fine fellow in its bag of Tigermen as well. If your budget only allows one book on the Boxer Rebellion, this should be it. Another very helpful Osprey book is Queen Victoria's Enemies (4): Asia, Australasia, and the Americas by Ian Knight. This book contains a color plate of Boxers and Chinese regulars which also includes the tigerman from the photograph described above. For those wanting to gain a deeper understanding of this era, there are three books which should still be available through most booksellers. The first, and best of the lot, is The Fists of Righteous Harmony, A History of the Boxer Uprising in China in the Year 1900 by Henry Keown-Boyd. This book was written in a format which should make it attractive to wargamers, with the author spicing the very readable text with numberous gems of useful information. Consider the following quotation used to describe the gingal gun: "The gingal, or two-man gun, was still widely used, as indeed it was during the siege of the legations. This huge weapon, of one-inch caliber and nine-feet in length, must have been unique in the discomfort which it caused to those who fired it until the appearance of the Boyes anti-tank rifle some forty years later! Some, though, were simply dummies as the barrels had not been bored out." In addition to the rich text, which covers the relief of the Piet'ang Cathedral (another interesting scenario for wargamers) as well as the legations themselves, the book contains many black and white photographs, a number of which I had never seen before. Of special interest to scenery makers are the photographs which clearly show the architecture of the legation quarter. I used to work with a Chinese student from Peking who found out about my interest in the Boxer Rebellion and helpfully mentioned that buildings in the Forbidden City at the turn of the century were typically painted red, with tile roofs of a yellow ochre color. She also stated that golden yellow as the color of the Imperial Court, and commoners were prohibited under pain of death from wearng it. But I digress. This book is highly recommended to all wargamers of the Boxer Rebellion and those who have an interest in the colonial period in general. It is an English import, and was published in 1991 by Leo Cooper Books. I obtained my copy from Barnes and Noble for about $30. A book with focus on the specific events surrounding the plight of the foreign legations is The Siege of Peking by Peter Fleming. As the name implies, it tackles only the events taking place in Peking, including the legation quarter and the secondary siege of the Piet'ang Cathedral. As such, it provides much specific detail not found in the other books, which wargamers will find extremely useful. For example, a Boxer seen outside the German legation is described as having "his hair tied up in red cloth, red ribbons round his wrists and ankles, and a flaming red girdle tightening his loose white tunic." One of the more interesting chapters in the book describes the characteristics of the Boxer attacks on the foreign legations. the author states that the "Chinese had no stomach for frontal attacks, to which despite their numbers they had never resorted during the siege." Apparently, they became much more adept at this tactic in the years leading up to the Korean War! In addition, the Chinese marksmanship was roundly held in contempt by the Westerners, being described as "so much sound and fury, scarcely more lethal than the blare of their war trumpets." This book was first published in 1959 - and reprinted in 1990 - and it is clear that this is the primary source of the information found in the Osprey Book. Several of the exhibits found in Fleming's book are reproduced in Bodin's, including the map of the legation quarter and chart detailing the makeup of the various legation guard contingents. Unlike the previous books, The Siege of Peking is not illustrated, but if enjoyed the text of the Osprey book, you will certainly enjoy this one as well; I found it to be very readable. The author can be very descriptive, and his account of the conditions within the claustrophobic legation quarter during the siege is masterful. Once again, Barnes and Noble provided the book. My copy costs about $25 a couple of years ago. Highly recommended. The final book is only for Boxer Rebellion diehards who insist on reading everything put before them on the subject. The Boxer Rebellion, A Political and Diplomatic Review by Paul Clements is part of the Columbia University Studies in the Social Sciences series and deals with the events preceding and subsequent to the Peking Siege. Much of this correspondence between various Chinese ministers and the Western Ambassadors can be found in this rather scholarly book, which provides insight into the complex and at times ironic nature of the negotiations between China and the West. For example, how Imperial Chinese troops could fire artillery shells into the legations one day, deliver carts loaded with fruit and ice the next, only to resume shelling on the third. Although very useful in providing background information to the conflict, wargamers accustomed to more dynamic writing will probably find it a very dry read. There are no illustrations, but plenty of appendices dealing with treaties and official correspondence. Because it is more of a textbook than a mass-market history book, it is expensive. I think I paid around $40 for my copy about 8 years ago. Only recommended if you really need a Boxer Rebellion fix, or need something to help put you to sleep after a marathon session of painting all those Imperial Chinese. Back to Dispatch Feb 2000 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com