Silva joined the Marine Corps on September 12, 1899, in San Francisco and attended Boot Camp at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. He was assigned to the U.S. flagship Newark where Private Daniel Joseph Daly was already a member. They became good friends. The Newark soon headed to the Philippines, to take part in the Spanish–American War, but were then sent to Japan to prepare for a landing at Taku, Tientsen and Peking. They arrived in Peking on May 31 before the Boxers closed the city off from the world. In 1900, Private France Silva was a member of the Legation Guards under the command of Captain Newt Hall, aboard the. The USS Newark was a United States Navyprotected cruiser, the first modern cruiser in the U.S. fleet. On May 20, 1900, the Newark sailed for China to help land allied troops to assist civilians within the legations which came under siege by the Boxers at Peking. Arriving Tientsin on May 22. As Captains John T. Meyers and Newt H. Hall, USMC – under the command of Captain Bowman McCalla, USN – were in the lead position of the allies, the all European Brass Band played, There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight. They had their last really good meal for a couple of months but also immediately posted guard. Captain Meyers had given the command, "Fix, Bayonets!" just before their approach. They double timed the last three-hundred yards and the crowd cheered. Later, when they entered the Forbidden City of Peking, Edwin Conger, the lead U.S. Diplomat said to Meyers, "Thank God you are here. Now we are safe." On June 19, 1900, the 1st Regiment under Major Littleton Waller, USMC, attempted to take the city of Tientsin and failed. Then on June 23, the Regiment, under the command of Major Waller, was able to enter Tientsin in their second attempt and force the Chinese forces to retreat to Peking. Private France Silva, several other Marines and two sailors, Navy Seamen Axel Westermark and Chief Machinist Emil Peterson earned the Medal of Honor in their defense of the civilian compound at Peking. They defended the walled city from June 28 until the fall of the city which occurred on August 17. In accordance to a newspaper article: According to the Journal of Pvt. Oscar J. Upham, USMC, on July 1, "Pvt. Silva of the Newark Guard volunteered to go and assist them and was hit in the arm making a very bad wound." Several others had been seriously wounded and some killed during this skirmish. According to documents in the National Archives and Records Administration the bullet entered Pvt. Silva's left elbow and bounced off his sternum. He was medically discharged on January 6, 1901 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, CA. On December 31, 1901, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, also at Mare Island. The Medal of Honor Society stated recently that the Medal of Honor was mailed to him, but there is no official information about which official presented at Mare Island. Captain Newt Hall, USMC, was Pvt. Silva's commanding officer aboard the Newark. Hall retired as a colonel and many years later wrote an account of the Siege of Peking. Of all the Marines under his charge he noted that Silva's was the "most interesting." Even though Pvt. Silva was badly injured, he and several other Marines attempted to return to the Wall for action. Captain Hall ordered them back to. Silva refused, telling the captain that if he would take Silva's rifle and the captain give him his pistol, he said, "I can take care of myself." Silva remained on duty for at least a day relieving Marines and others on the Wall giving them a "much needed rest." Pvt. Silva's immediate commanding officer was Capt. Newt Hall. Hall was under the command of Capt. John T. Myers. Myer's and his detachment were on the USS Oregon.
