Departing China (Grote Hutcheson)

Grote Hutcheson

Grote Hutcheson (1862-1948) was born in Cincinnati, OH and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1884, first being assigned to the 9th Cavalry, an African American regiment led by white officers. A Captain when the Spanish-American War broke out, Hutcheson served in the Puerto Rico campaign. Joining the 6th Cavalry in 1899, Hutcheson and the regiment were redirected to China on their way to the Philippines. During the Boxer Rebellion, Hutcheson served as the acting Inspector General and Judge Advocate General of the China Relief Expedition. He also served briefly on the staff of British General Sir Alfred Gaselee, the nominal commander of the international force. As Judge Advocate, he was responsible for dealing with misbehavior by American troops during the occupation. In a report to Congress in 1901, he noted that “The most pronounced cause of the number of [courts-martial] held is due to the element in class of men in our ranks which represent a very low and irresponsible order of our home population…”. Remaining as a staff officer to General Chaffee in the Philippines, he would eventually rise to the rank of Major General himself and command a division but did not go overseas. He retired in 1924. It is interesting to note how closely he his buried to his mentor and longtime superior, General Chaffee.

Departing China

Originally the occupation force consisted of two brigades and several thousand men, but by October it was clear that the Boxer threat had subsided and most of the troops were sent back to the Philippines to rejoin the fighting there. The 9th Infantry remained to occupy Peking over the winter. With the signing of the Boxer Protocol ending the war imminent, the 9th Infantry withdrew to the Philippines in May 1901. A token Army force remained to guard the legations until 1905 when the Marine Corps assumed the duty. More US troops arrived in 1911 when the Qing dynasty finally collapsed and remained in China until 1941.

This concludes the “The Story of the Boxer Rebellion at Arlington National Cemetery” tour. We hope you enjoyed the tour. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment on the PocketSights app. You are now on the far side of Arlington National Cemetery. The fastest way to return to the Welcome Center is to walk to the Miles Mausoleum at the end of the road, take a right and cross the cemetery to Porter Avenue. Take a right on Porter Avenue and continue to Eisenhower. At Eisenhower turn right and continue to the Welcome Center. Conversely, if you have a tram ticket, once you reach Porter you can take a left and then a right on Memorial. This will take you to the tram stop at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

To learn more about the Boxer Rebellion, we recommend the following titles:

Peking 1900: The Boxer Rebellion (2001) by Peter Harrington

The Boxer Rebellion and the Great Game in China (2012) by David J. Silbey

The Siege of Peking (1963) by Peter Fleming

To read a detailed account of the China Relief Expedition, we recommend:

America in the China Relief Expedition (1903) by Aaron S. Daggett