The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-03
SOLDERING IN TIME OF PEACE
NOT RELISHED BY A BATTERY
B SERGEANT.
Saw Actual Service at the Capture of
Manila, But Finds Garrison Life
Rather Irksome, He Says.

The following interesting letter has
been received by o. F. Coolidge Of
Manti from his son, Sergeant H. E.
Coolidge, now with battery B at Ma
Mia: ,
Manila, Aug. II, 1898.
Dear Parents-Of course, you are
very anxious to know what has become
of your wandering boy. L wish L had
some means of communicating with
you at once, and tell you have passed
| through all the hardShipS OF a cam
paign in the Philippines and through
| the rain of Spanish bullets, and am
now safe and sound in Manila. We,
battery B, are quartered in the admin
istration building. We just came in
and took possession. We laid in the
trenches for two weeks, in the fouleSt
kind of water and mud, and always
open to the fire of the guns from the
walls of Manila; but at last the time
came when everything was in readiness
to open up on Manila l was sent with
nv section to the right flank, to blow
up a blockhouse, one OF the Spanish
strongholds and open the way for the
infantry. We planted our gun at the
entrenchment so that we could just
make out the blockhouse through the
trees Imagine, if you can, how that
night passed; how strange it seemed
to be lying there waiting for the morn
ing to come, when the bombardment
would commence, and sometimes Won
dering how many of US would see the
close of another day. At last morning
came We cooked breakfast and were
about to eat it, when the Spanish
opened fire on us. Although the bul-
let's were flying pretty thick, and a
shell went through the house While we
were eating we did not lose our appe-
tite, but ate the most of our "a hours
rations and then took our places at
the gun. Our batteries opened first on
the left. Then Dewey began dropping
a few shells into the town, or, rather
their breastworks. At last the order
came for my gun to open fire. We did
not do thing to that blockhouse!
There was a white spot with the num-
Der Ii on it. We hit that the first shot,
and followed it with about u more.
When we got through there was not
much blockhouse and no SpaniardS left.
Then the infantry went in, but they
had to fight every foot of the way;
were ambushed and shot down at every
turn, but they never stopped. The
infantry advanced all along the line,
and the Utah batteries played havoc
with the breaStworkS. The Colorado
boys were the first to scale the walls.
The color-bearer and one man climbed
the wall tore down the Spanish flag
and raised the grand old stars and
stripes. Just as the flag went up, the
private fell, shot through the neck, but
the color sergeant came through safely.
You should have heard that good
American cheer that went up when
the boys saw that flag run up. We
had no horses, so we were left behind,
but we soon followed into Manila, pull
ing our guns by hand. 1 had II men
and we pulled our gun through mud a
foot deep in places, around the road,
at least five miles, into Manila.
! will not attempt to tell you about
the horrible sights 1 saw among the
dead and wounded. but I looked at
sights that day that under ordinary
circumstances would have turned me
sick.
Utah has made a great record. We
are cheered wherever we go; but IT,
strangest part of it is that we have
never lost man.
Until today we have had almost moth
ing to eat since we came into Manila
We have taken the part of both can
noneers and horses-have pulled our
guns and all equipments by hand. ex-
cept for the help. once or twice, of one
of the water buffaloes, and they were
worse than none.
Do not worry about me. 1 think /
will stand the rest of the trip, now /
have passed through the worst of it,
All the Manti boys are well except
Lacey, and he is weak and respondent
Everything is unsettled as. yet. We |
may have trouble with the natives. The