Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. He was killed in battle at

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

while commanding the

9th Infantry Regiment 9th Infantry Regiment can refer to: * 9th Infantry Regiment "Bari" * Infantry Regiment "Soria" No. 9 * 9th Infantry Regiment (United States) The 9th Infantry Regiment ("Manchu") is a parent infantry regiment of the United States Army. Unrel ...

Military career

Civil War

Liscum joined the

1st Vermont Infantry The 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, in and around Fortress Monroe, Virginia. History Responding to President Abraham Lincoln's ...

in May 1861 to serve in the Union Army during the

and by June was on the front lines participating in the

Battle of Big Bethel The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel, was one of the earliest, if not the first, land battle of the American Civil War. It took place on the Virginia Peninsula, near Newport News, on June 10, 1861 ...

. In February 1863, he was made a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and was severely wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 fought in Hanover County, Virginia on May 28–30, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland ...

. Following the Civil War, Liscum was stationed in the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

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 Union ...

Spanish–American War

In July 1898, Liscum, then a lieutenant colonel, commanded the

24th Infantry Regiment The 24th Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army, active from 1869 until 1951, and since 1995. Before its original dissolution in 1951, it was primarily made up of African American soldiers. History The 24th Infantry Regiment (on ...

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 Span ...

. On the first day of the battle, he briefly commanded the 24th as well as the 9th and 13th Infantry Regiments following the wounding in quick succession of Colonel

Charles A. Wikoff Charles Augustus Wikoff (March 3, 1837 – July 1, 1898) was a Union Army officer serving from American Civil War until he became the most senior ranking United States Army officer killed in the Spanish–American War. 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, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

during the

; he was first placed in charge of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

in the Eighth Army Corps and later made commander of the

9th U.S. Infantry The 9th Infantry Regiment ("Manchu") is a parent infantry regiment of the United States Army. Unrelated units designated the 9th Infantry Regiment were organized in the United States Army in 1798 during the Quasi-War, in 1812 during the war o ...

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 Dagukou Forts (大沽口炮台), 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 ...

, arriving on July 9, 1900, only four days before the assault on Tianjin was to begin. As Liscum and Robert Leamy Meade 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 during the Boxer Rebellion, with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, which were being besieged by the popular Boxer ...

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 the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

General Arthur Dorward. 9th Infantry Regiment DUI

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 colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person 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 ...

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, a former

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York's 27th congressional district New York’s 27th congressional district 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, Niag ...

, 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 military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

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 (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

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 peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

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 United States Army, 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 first president o ...

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 ...

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 territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. 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 Deaths by firearm in China