The Springdale news., 1898-09-16
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PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, July 31' lo9o.-EDITOR STAFFORD We'll this IS one of those hot days that l heard we would have when we got here. This IS the rainy season and it rains awhile then turns on some hot sunshine and then the next minute 1t clouds up and rains some more. At the present moment l am sitting in our little dog tent and showing my feet around 10 keep them from getting out in the rain. Our little dog tents are only three feet high and five feet, eight inches long, and are open at one end so a fellow when he wakes up in the morning is apt to find a foot or two out in the ram. We had a pleasant trip coming over. We left San Francisco, Cal, June 15, ar irving at Honolulu, H. I, on the 23rd. There we were treat
 ed in the best of style by the people of that city. Both days we were treated to a fine dinner spread in the park in which the ExQueen's palace is situated. They had built tables and seats enough to feed our 4,OOO men at one time and when we had eaten a good hearty dinner such as hungry soldier can do justice to, they passed around good cigars. While we were smoking our cigars and drinking free soda water, the band was playing our national airs, and render
 ing good music of all kinds and We boys began to think it was nice thing to be a soldier. After a stay of two days we left Honolulu and July 4th reached Weeks Island, an un
 inha bited island. We cele- brated the fourth of July in regular fashion, having appro- priate music, speeches and a swell dinner which was enjoyed more than any other part of the program. On July 14th we sighted the Philippine Islands, Arriving in Manila Bay on the 10th. Two days later We landed four miles from Manila.
 It was a grand sight when we pulled into Manila Bay and saw our war vessels all around and to see the hulIs and masts of the wrecked Spanish vessels sticking up out of the water where they had been sunk by Dewey's fleet. Cavite. the fort and town that Dewey de
 molished. is on one side of the Bay and Manila Is on the other. It is about eight miles across the Bay and 28 miles around by land. The first expedition which reached here ahead of us were put in the ruined fort at Cavlte and when we landed we were put 24 miles from them and within 4 miles of the city of Manila. Our regiment was the first to land and as the other regiments of our expedl- tion did not land until two day s later we came near having a battle all by ourselves. About eight o'clock in the evening of our second day on shore as we were rolled up Tn our tents there was a call to arms and in just a few minutes our regl- ment was in line and on the march toward Manila and Io the aid of our out post which was a mlle and a half ahead Ol us doing picket duty. As we went on the double quick time we could hear the roar of can
 non and muskets but when we got within a half mile of the fighting we halted and for two hours we listened to the battle between the Spanish and In surgents. The Spanish ln
 trenchments were only three hundred yards from the insur- gent trenches and our out post was hundred yards back of the insurgents. As lhe Span
 ish failed to drive the lnsur- gents back on to us we were not allowed to get into the mix
 up. The bullets whistled all around our post, but the boys had to take it and could not re
 turn a shot. Yesterday the insurgents moved out of then trenches to the right and we have a battalion from each regiment occupying them and this morning several rounds were fired by our boys just te let them know it was us there instead of the natives. We are in hopes every hour tha' the boys on out post and oc cupying those trenches will ge into trouble so the rest of us can get {. chance to go uE ahead and get a Spaniard ol two. We are expecting some