Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-10-01
Five Louisville Boys Together
and They Had Gay
Old Time.
Our Soldiers Cheerful Under
the GreateCt Dangers and
Hardships.
ThR SPANIAADS WERE VERY BRAVE

a great deal of news concerning our SOL
diers in Cuba very little is heard as to
those who are at Manila probably be-
cause of the long distance and the time it
takes letters to reach here.
Mr.. T. j. Riordan, formerly of Louis
vile and we'll known in Irish-American
circles, is now in the Philippines, being
member of Company A, Eighteenth in
fantry. From Military Station |, near
Manila, he writes very interesting letter
to Mr. John Dolan, of this city, giving
most graphic description of the situation
at the time of writing. The letter is writ
ten from Military Station |, Philippines,
under date of August %, and contains so
much news not heretofore made public
that we give it in full. The letter is a
follows, being addressed to Mr.. John
Dolan:
DEAR JoHN--I just heard that
boat was going back to the United
States today and would take the
mail back with it, so l thought l
would write you a few lines, hoping to
find you enjoying good health as this
leaves ME at present, thank God. Well,
old man, we had hot time i'll this old
town on the 18th, just ten days ago. We
also had hot time OH the night of the
9th. 1t was little tough, but we got the
upper hand in about an hour and a half;
but it was fighting for awhile-cannon
roaring, shells bursting, rifles cracking
and bullets whistling on all sides. When
they attacked us it was in the dark of
night and about 10 O'Clock, for the Span
iards did not have nerve enough to come
out in daytime and make good, square
fight and be whipped. Our trenches and
the Spaniards' were about 500 yards apart,
so close that we could see them working
on their breastworks; but our officers
would not let us fire on them, and every
time they would see head in our trenches
you would hear the crack of Mauser and
the whirr of bullet as it would 60 by over
our heads. One of orr fellows put his hat
on a pole, stuck it up in the air, and a
storm of bullets passed through it and cut
the pole. He would not take 81 900 for
that hat now. He says it is good relic
and he will keep it. On the night of the
9th when the fight was over it took the
Spaniards all hour and half to carry
away the dead and wounded. The last
report we heard was that the Spaniards
lost from 200 to 400 men that night; but,
tell you, they were game, for they
charged our trenches three times, only to
be driven back by our rifles and cannon.
But still they came back and made an at
tack in two columns or what they
thought was weak spot in our trenches,
and here is where we slaughtered them.
They fell back in confusion. A few more
volleys into them as they went put a stop
to their fighting for seven days. On Fri
day night, August II, just after supper,
we got orders to fill our canteens with
water or coffee, but took the water; we
also got two days grub-hardtack and
bacon, fried. On the morning of the 18th
the bugle called us up at 4:3O. We took
breakfast and got ready, packed up every
thing and left them in our tents, with a
guard over them. We started out for the
front at $3.50, with battle-Aags waving and
the bands playing the Star Spangled Ban
ner, and to suit the whole business and
make it look more like war the rain came
down in torrents for about two hours.
We had TO wade through mud and water
knee deep and sometimes up TO our waists,
but we kept on going, singing and whist
lug. There were FIVE of us Louisville
boys together and we had a gay cid time.
Well, we arrived at the trenches about
10000 strong and were all in our places
by 8 O'Clock. We had an hour to rest
and dry up. About O'Clock got up
and was rubbering over at the Spanish
trenches when the roar of a cannon from
this Spanish forts made me and others
drop to our knees and grasp our guns
quicke- than it will ever be done again. |
The battle was started then for sure. The |
shells and bullets were flying over our
heads for fare you well. One shell was
SO close that it cut the branches off
bamboo tree over our heads, and many a
face turned pale, but it was changed |
in a second to joking and cursing.
You would think the fellows were
wrangling over a game of cards.
II got so after awhile you could
not hear anything but the roar of cannon
and the cracking of rifles and the burst
ing of shells from Dewey's feet as they
would hit the Spanish fort. The rafting
of the rapid-6re guns was something ter
rible. 1t eased up little and the order
to advance was given; there was mighty
cheer and a rush over the trenches, and
when we got in the opening we could see
that the fort and gun that were causing us
so much trouble were captured and the
American flag flying from the top. |
Everybody was wild for awhile. We adj