Mopping Up
The next morning, 15 August, Chinese forces—probably Dong Fuxiang’s Gansu Muslim troops--still occupied parts of the wall of the Inner City and the Imperial and Forbidden Cities. Occasional shots were directed toward the foreign troops. Gen. Chaffee, the American commander, ordered his troops to clear the wall and occupy the Imperial City. With assistance from the Russians and French, American artillery blasted its way through a series of walls and gates into the Imperial City, halting the advance at the gates of the Forbidden City. American casualties for the day were seven killed and 29 wounded. One of those killed was Capt. Henry Joseph Reilly, 54 years old and born in Ireland, a renowned artilleryman.
The Dowager Empress, Cixi, the emperor and several members of the court fled Peking in the early morning of August 15, only a few hours before the Americans knocked up against the wall of the Forbidden City. She, dressed as a peasant woman, and the Imperial party slipped out of the city in three wooden carts. Chinese authorities called her flight to Shanxi province a "tour of inspection". Remaining in Peking to deal with the foreigners, and holed up in the Forbidden City, were trusted aides to the Dowager, including Jung Lu (Ronglu), commander of the army and her friend since childhood. The commanding Muslim general in the Chinese army, Gen. Ma Fulu, and four cousins of his were killed in action against the foreign forces. After the battle was over, the Kansu Muslim troops, including Gen. Ma Fuxiang, were among those guarding the Empress Dowager during her flight. The future muslim General Ma Biao, who led Muslim cavalry to fight against the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War, fought in the Boxer Rebellion as a private in the Battle of Peking against the foreigners.
The relief of the siege at the Peitang did not take place until August 16. Japanese troops stumbled across the Cathedral that morning but, without a common language, they and the besieged were both confused. Shortly, however, French troops arrived and marched into the Cathedral to the cheers of the survivors.
On August 17, the representatives of the foreign powers met and recommended that "as the advance of the foreign troops into the Imperial and Forbidden Cities had been obstinately resisted by the Chinese troops," the foreign armies should continue to fight until "the Chinese armed resistance within the City of Peking and the surrounding country was crushed." They also declared "that in the crushing of the armed resistance lies the best and only hope of the restoration of peace.".
On August 28 the foreign armies in Peking—-swelled in numbers by the arrival of soldiers from Germany, Italy and Austria and additional troops from France-—marched through the Forbidden City to demonstrate symbolically their complete control of Peking. Chinese authorities protested their entry. Foreigners and most Chinese were prohibited from setting foot in the Forbidden City. However, the Chinese gave way when the foreign armies promised not to occupy the Forbidden City but threatened to destroy it if their passage was disputed.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Peking (1900)