Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Emerson Hamilton Liscum (July 16, 1841 – July 13, 1900) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, and the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. He was killed in battle at

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

while commanding the 9th Infantry Regiment.

Military career

Civil War

Liscum joined the 1st Vermont Infantry in May 1861 to serve in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

and by June was on the front lines participating in the

Battle of Big Bethel The Battle of Big Bethel was one of the earliest land battles of the American Civil War. It took place on the Virginia Peninsula, near Newport News, on June 10, 1861. Virginia's decision to secede from the Union had been ratified by popular vot ...

. In February 1863, he was made a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and was severely wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

in July of that year. On August 1, 1864, Liscum was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

due at least in part to his gallantry at the

Battle of Bethesda Church The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek , also called the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown, was a battle fought in Hanover County, Virginia on May 28–30, 1864, as part of Union Army, Union Lieutenant Gene ...

. Following the Civil War, Liscum was stationed in the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North Amer ...

and in the South during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

Spanish–American War

In July 1898, Liscum, then a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, commanded the 24th Infantry Regiment at the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill, also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Spanish fo ...

. On the first day of the battle, he briefly commanded the 24th as well as the

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

and 13th Infantry Regiments following the wounding in quick succession of Colonel Charles A. Wikoff and Lieutenant Colonel William Worth. However, Liscum was severely wounded less than ten minutes after Colonel Wikoff and forced to relinquish his command.

Philippine–American War

Following nine months of recovery from his wounds, Liscum was stationed in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during the

; he was first placed in charge of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

in the Eighth Army Corps and later made commander of the 9th U.S. Infantry.

Boxer Rebellion

As the need for foreign troops in

became apparent during the

, Liscum and his 1,350 men were dispatched to the

Taku Forts The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban center. History The f ...

, arriving on July 9, 1900, only four days before the assault on Tianjin was to begin. As Liscum and

Robert Leamy Meade Robert Leamy Meade (December 25, 1842 – February 11, 1910) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War, Spanish–American War and Boxer Rebellion. He was the nephew of Major General George G. Meade. Early ...

were among the last to arrive at the

Eight-Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, then besieged by the popular Boxer militia, who were determined to remove fo ...

fort, they were unable to participate in the planning of the attack and were instead subject to the will of British

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

General

Arthur Dorward Arthur Fairgrieve Dorward (3 March 1925 – 4 August 2015) was a Scottish international rugby union player who played fifteen matches between 1950 – 1957. Rugby Union career Amateur career Dorward was born in 1925 in Galashiels. He ...

Early in the morning of July 13, Liscum was to lead the 9th Infantry on the left side of an allied attack on the walled city. However, due to poor planning and miscommunication, Liscum led his men to the right across open ground in plain view of Chinese snipers equipped with modern rifles. Seeing the regiment's

standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

fall, Liscum rushed to retrieve the flags; a bullet then hit him in the abdomen. He became one of the 150 American soldiers who were killed by Chinese sharpshooters defending the city. After being shot but before collapsing, he is alleged to have shouted "Keep up the fire, men."

Legacy and personal life

Liscum married May Diven, the daughter of

Alexander S. Diven Alexander Samuel Diven (February 10, 1809 – June 11, 1896) was an American politician from New York and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Biography Born in Catharine, New York, Diven attended the common schools and t ...

, a former

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New York's 27th congressional district The 27th congressional district of New York was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in western New York. It included all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties and parts of Erie, Monroe, Ni ...

, on September 4, 1867. Liscum was a member of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

and the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

with his wife Mary Diven (1846–1933). His last words, "Keep up the fire, men," or "Keep up the fire," have become the motto of the 9th Infantry Regiment. The Regiment's nickname, "

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

s," was also inspired by its time in China. Possibly the most important piece of 20th century silver metalwork, the Liscum Bowl, was created in 1902 in honor of Liscum and his regiment. A road in

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

is named after Liscum. A portrait of Liscum was dedicated at the

Vermont State House The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...

in 1902 by Governor William W. Stickney. Fort Liscum in Valdez, in the

Territory of Alaska The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

, was named in his honor.

References

External links

*
Emerson H. Liscum
at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website
Creativemetalworks.com

Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liscum, Emerson H 1841 births 1900 deaths American military personnel killed in action American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion American military personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Huntington, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers United States Army colonels

Military career

Civil War

Spanish–American War

Philippine–American War

Boxer Rebellion

Legacy and personal life

See also

References

External links