The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-07
A HO0SIER AT MANILA
SAM c. sEIBERT-S INTERESTING LET
TER ON THE BATTLE.
Several Brushes with the Insurgents
After the City Was Captured
Kicked by a Horse.

spain ana call made for soldiers Sam
G. Seibert. nineteen years old, the son of
Royal Seihert, of the fire department of this
city, enlisted to serve in the regular army.
Herman Warner, a friend of young Seibert
who was at that time employed by the
Sentinel when he heard of his friend s.
action, also became fired with desire to
enlist and asked to be excused from work in
the Office for half an hour. Going directly
TO the recruiting office he also enlisted and.
with Seibert. was assigned to duty with
Battery G. Third Artillery. This battery
was one of the first sent to the front, going
to the support of Admiral Dewey in the
Philippines. Young Seibert, who went to the
front with his battery, has written the fol-
lowing letter to his mother from Manila,
dated Aug. "a:
THE fourth expedition Just arrived and
your three letters at hand-was overjoyed
at news from you and you can't tell how
homesick they made me. / tell you twelve
thousand miles is a long way from nome
and especially in a country where white peo-
pie are very few and far between
=, Wen Manila is ours, we have crossed
the Rub1con, and the stars and stripes float
over the old Spanish fort. Your son went
through hard but short battle and is not
through with hghting yet. The insurgents
refuse to throw down their arms, and as
they are menace to peace and safety, we
must make them, which is not snap.
Well, to begin at the beginning. When we
arrived here We found Deweys gallant fleet
in possession of the bay and surrounding
country; but Manila strongly fortified city
yet yet IN the hands Of the Spanish. The first
ana second expedition camped at Camp
Dewey, about three miles from the wall Of
Manila, but the Americans have dug in
the first Spanish trench. The insurgents
also had trenches even closer than ours.
About, twenty thousand Spanish soldiers
were holding the city and altogether the
situation was tOuchy
I'VE landed from the Ohio at Cavite. an
old fort across from Manila-a picturesque
OLD place built in 1770-Where we were drilled
every day for week. On Monday. July 8.
we marched, down to the dock and were
by launches from the war vessels. and
landed in the insurgent town of Santa Rosa,
from whence Batteries G and L. the Eight
zenith Infantry, the Fourteenth Infantry
regulars, and Companies F and G, of
Wyoming Volunteers. marched over knee
deep in mud roads in dreching rain, six
pitched our tents and went supperless to
bed and awoke to find ourselves floating in
mud and water. Camp life began with moth
ing to relieve the monotony of drilling and
working on our pieces but occasional skirm-
ishes on the outposts by some of our troops
in the intrenchments.
AS THE BATTLE BEGAN.
Saturday morning came. we were awak-
ened by the bugle call at a. m, and were
given two days rations, namely, two cans
hardtacks to every three men, and $50 extra
rounds of ammunition. At a. m. the en-
tire camp was in light marching and fight
ing order. Batteries G and I. marched about
two miles to our main trench in a drench-
ing rain, and there we lay up to our hips in
mud, rifles loaded and expecting any min
ute to see Spanish faces peering at US
through the bamboOs. About 10:30 a terrific
boom brought us to our feet, and then
whir like a locomotive told us big shell
had been thrown by a big gun, but from
which side we We're guessing, when BOOM,
BOOM boom about ten more smaller re-
ports, then the whirr of an American Cat
ling gun and the whole line. clear down
the intrenchment, gave a tremendous cheer,
for we knew that the long-looked-for bonn
ing his big shells into the Spanish forts.
Our cheering was Of short duration, how
ever, for, with a loud, awful screech,
Spanish shell came laundering over our
boo trees we were stationed in. Then came
the awful roar of guns, big and little, the
screaming of shells and the steady crack of
our rifle volleys. seasoned occasionally by
shell coming our way and the whiz of bull
let's close by our heads every time we would
look over the 1ntrenchment. AT last the mr.
ing lulled and we, with beating hearts and
a Sickening sensation too accented to be
mere fear, heard the command away up. the
line of crouching troops, Load chambers
'and magazines, lock pieces, as skirmishers.
forward, march, And over the trenches we
went in long; even lines. crawling; STOPPING
through the thick tropical forest of bam-
boos and trailing vines, the incessant whirr
of bullets about our heads and the steady
exchange of volleys in our front. At last
we came to the open, and this Is the scene
that met our anxious gaze: A wide, marshy
rice field, at it's furthest end, in our front,
a long high Spanish trench protected by
bamboo lattice walls: at our left, towards
the ocean beach, big fort and on it a
new American flag flying, also a battalion
n States fr0OnS advancing
ing on the trenches. On our right was an
other troop, also pouring another rain of
steel bullets into the trenches and all adj
vancing.
I'VE marched the best we could through
swamp up to our knees, firing, every two
or three minutes and then, when within
twenty-five yards of the trench, with wild
yell, all charged upon the bank of stones
and earth. The Dons gave way under our
steady firing, and losing their heads, ran
in every direction toward the woods back
of the trenches. Over the earthWorks we
went, and over big bamboo bridge lad
into the suburbs of Manila we marched
four abreast, firing into and down every
street at fleeing Spaniards. For two hours
we marched steadily on with not a Don in
sight, and at a sharp angle we beheld the
wall of old Manila. and on the big fort
overlooking the ocean flOated the White nag
of surrender. One shout rose from the null
titude, and we were brought TO q matt I'M
der the big gums of Manila. the first to ar
rive at the city of the tropics. Then came
a rest and we flung ourselves in the street,
regardless of mud or stones, only thinking
of rest, rest, rest. What followed was a
sight rare in a mans lifetime-the surren-
der and dsarming of a big army. For two
solid hours the troops of SPAN, ragged ana
hungry. marched between mile or United
States boys in blue and into their captured
city prisoners of war.
FIRED ON BY REBELS.
"Our battery was then sent about mile
and half out to guard bridge and keep
the native insurgents from coming into the
suburbs and plundering the houses, whose
occupants had fled into Manila to escape
the battle. We were fired on by rebels and
Spanish troops coming in, unaware of the
surrender, but as their aim was poor no
one was hit, and we were not allowed to
return their fire-all unnecessary shedding
of blood to be avoided. All day up till
D. m. we marched here and there in the
outskirts, and at $50 we marched across the
big bridge into the city of Manila, through
the streets of gaping, wondering people ana
into the heart of the downtown portion.
There we halted at a bridge ana guards
were stationed all around, with orders TO
stop all armed parties and search all per-
sons and vehicles for arms and ammun-
ton. l did guard all night The next day
we marched to the extreme west or the
city TO guard two streets coming IN from
the rebel camp and two bridges, and nave
three days. l stood guard on a lonely post,
sleeping only eight hours out of the seven
ty-two. 1t was raining all the time, and all
we had to eat was hard tack washed down
with bad water.
''Oh, it's a snap to be a soldier in a hot
country during the rainy season, l don't
think. Last Friday a Spanish army OF b.OOO
soldiers, cannon, As horses and army