The United States Army in China, 1900–1938

A study of U.S.–Chinese relations involving the U.S. Army, this work focuses at the personnel level on the Army’s service in China. While studies have been published of the U.S. Marines’ and U.S. Navy’s involvement in China, little attention has been given the Army’s missions in this theater.
Operations in China were a key part of the history and traditions of the 9th, 14th, 15th and 31st Regiments, whose coats of arms still feature dragons as symbols of their service there. Many who served in the 15th in China went on to impressive careers as general officers, prompting one soldier to ask “what other infantry regiment of those days can boast of such an alumni list?” Also covered is the 31st Regiments’ involvement in Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the prelude of the coming of World War II in Asia.

Alfred Emile Cornebise is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. A Korean War veteran, he is the author of 14 books.

Alfred Emile Cornebise
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 296
Bibliographic Info: 26 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9770-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1905-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Part I: The Era of the Boxer Uprising

1. Introduction 10

2. The Boxer Uprising 29

3. Aftermath 38

4. Assessment, Consequences and Conclusions 48

Part II: The 15th U.S. Infantry Regiment’s Service in China, 1900–1938

5. The 15th Infantry Regiment in the Boxer Uprising 60

6. The 15th Returns to China, 1912–1938 67

7. Life in the 15th Infantry Regiment in China 80

8. Going Home and the Regiment’s Legacy 100

Part III: Notable Alumni of the 15th Infantry’s Service in China

9. A Gallery of Generals 116

Part IV: The U.S. Army and the First “Shanghai Incident”: With the 31st Infantry Regiment in China, January–June 1932

10. Introduction 182

11. The 31st United States Infantry Regiment in China 194

12. Dénouement 217

Conclusion 229

Chapter Notes 249

Bibliography 273

Index 283

Finalist, Distinguished Book Award—Army Historical Foundation
“A superbly researched, deftly organized, impressively presented, and enormously informative study. A seminal work of outstanding scholarship…will prove a highly prized and valued addition”—Midwest Book Review; “excellent…solid, scholarly and thought-provoking”—Army.