Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-30
DARING DEEDS
Around Manila by a Former.
Augusta Boy.
Lieut.. Moore Spends Three Days
! Spying About the City.



has been received by r. T.. Moore Of
this city. from his brother Lieut.. T.. w.
Moore of the Oregon Volunteers in the
Philippines. Some of the most inter-
esting matter the Journal has publish
ed on the trips OF the troops to Manila
and their experiences there has come
from Lieut.. Moore. a native Of Au-
gusta. and who for a number Of years
was the champion rifle shot Of Maine,
and, later. when he moved West. to
Oregon. He is also a well-known artist.
The letter In full follows:
Cavite, Manila Bay. July q. 1888.
Dear Frank:
have written to everyone In the family
but haven't had any letters from anyone
but Blanche, so far. and the last letter
from her was dated June "a. Mail would
come by the way of Hong Kong. II II
didn't come on one of the expeditions, so
all you would have to do would be to send
one in charge of the United States forces
at Manila, and 1t would be forwarded to
me by the quickest way.
There is no doubt that you look for
word from me. but you must think that
we fellows don't care for letters from
home. If you think so. you ought to be
here when a mail boat gets in. and see
how crazy the boys are to get their let
tiers.
We have kept waiting for the next ex-
petition right along before we marched
on Manila, and now all we want is the
balance of the third expedition. which is
getting in now. We understand that the
battleship Monterey will not get here be-
fore the first of the week. Then there
will be music. The city will be bonn
barded and we will do the rest. and
don't think it will take long, either. as
we expect the Spaniards will give in easy.
We haven't had any Gghting at all yet,
and We may not have to fire gun, but
We are all ready.
have had rather more experience here
than most of the boys. and will write you
about 1t.
l was detailed by Gen. Tilden. with
Lieutenant Bryan of our regiment. and a
private that could talk Spanish, to learn
what we could about the outposts and
Notifications about the Spanish lines
around Manila. We were gone three days
and all the time we were within from 100
to 1000 yards of the Spanish lines. and
were under fire a great deal of the time.
We got passports from Aguinaldo. the
chief of the insurgents, that entitled us
IN in nd l,avn,,d all thoir 1tuac
The soldiers on both sides have habit
of keeping up a racket most of the time.
SO we had to watch our chances to get
the drawings that we were after.
The first place we went was into a
monastery. an unoccupied two-story
house that was about 100 yards beyond
the insurgents lines. We found that the
Spanish had had habit of making a
target of the house when they were
in it most of the time.
I went up in the cupola for q good view
of the Spanish Notifications and to make
sketch of them. We found the house
was within 400 yards of the lines (Span-
ish) and could see their soldiers plainly.
1t Is needless to say that made, my
sketch pretty quickly and skinned out"
of there. as the house from top to bottom
was shot full of holes.
The walls were brick. about 6 inches
thick. and in one space of by u feet, I
counted 10S cannon and bullet holes. and
it was like this all over the house.
We wouldn't shoot at such times, as
that would have started the ball In mo-
ton, and We were not there for that pur-
pose, and If We had We might not have
been able to make our report.
The natives would want me to take
shot at most all places we visited. but
did so at only one place. where they were
shooting back and forth for practice.
When we got there 1 took a few shots,
for fear would not have another chance.
DON'T know whether 1 did any damage,
but we noticed that they did not show
themselves after that.
The closest place we were to them was
at Fort No. IA. We crawled through the
brush into. trench. only 100 yards from
the walls, land could have easily shot
all that showed themselves with our re-
volvers. We took photograph Of the
works, and I made a sketch. We had
hard work to keep the insurgents from
firing and had scarcely left before they
were at 1t.
During the day we got well acquainted
with the zip of the bullets. and also found
out how the shells sounded going through
the air.
That night We slept in a native house
within range of the lines and both sides
kept up a heavy firing most of the night.
which is their favorite time to fight. They
don't do much damage, but keep at 1t.
There we're several bullet holes through
the house we slept in, and the way the
battle sounded, 1 expected there would be
lots killed. but, in the morning. only one
man was reported killed by shell falling
through house within a block or two of
where we slept. Don't know Of anything
else. as we had to keep moving. as we
had to go clear around the city. and It |
took US three days to do SO.
The second day out. they were sheliing
! road that we had to pass over. and we
found how it felt to have a shell come |
straight toward you.
fContlnuaA - nara q \ II ~ ~ i