The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-09-03

SAYS PHILIPPINES A FIELD

J. w. +. Miller, who was a sergeant /
in the y. G. H. barracks here when /
the first expedition for the Philippines
came along and who joined a Califor-
MIA company, writes to a friend in the
Advertiser office:
Cavite. p. I've have heard about
annexation and everybody interested
in the Islands is glad Of it. This
leaves Dahlstrom. Lane and myself, all
formerly of the y. q. II. regulars,
quite well.
We are stationed in the fortified
town of Cavite, seven miles by water
from Manila We can stand in our gar
rison doors and see the huIks Of five
of the Spanish ships sunk by Dewey
on May Day. We also look out upon
Dewey's squadron, with the Olympia
and Baltimore on the right of line.
Grouped around them are the first and
second expedition ships. In the dis
lance can be seen the English, German
and Japanese warShips. And grim and
stern all of them look in their war
time fittings. All this, with steam
launches, tugs and cutters and barges
dashing hither and thither across the
waters makes a lively scene. The IN
surgents keep steadily at work day and
night on the Spaniards within the fort
fled city Of Manila. The Spaniards
are cooped up and bottled up. The in
surgents have advanced their picket
lines to within two miles Of the city
limits. We can hear their skirmish
firing nearly all the time. There are
several thousand Spanish prisoners
IN, wi or and
being brought in nearly every hour.
They are sorry looking lot. From
all appearances they are half starved
Judging from what l have seen since
coming here the rank and file OF the
Spanish army is as anxious to surrend-
er as we are to have them for prison
ers, but they are compelled from Mad
rid to make some showing of resist
ance. They have good guns and we
shall lose some members of our mess
before the thing is ended.
OF our own forces ! may say the
health is good. The volunteers are
poorly drilled and equipped, but what
they lack in that direction they make
up in enthusiasm.
have been out on one reconnaissance
along the insurgent lines. The rebels
have little or no discipline, but they
are brave to rashness.
By the way. L. VI. Johnson, who was
sergeant major of the n. G.. H, is
ordnance officer with the rank of col
oneI on the staff of the rebel chief. |
had a long talk with l.. NJ. He hopes
to come out in the end with a good po-
tition and he deserves it, for he has
worked hard, has exposed himself
much, has been under fire whole lot
and is an Al man for the business
They depend upon him very largely
in the artillery branch. While l.. M
and [ were together some Spanish
shells dropped in our neighborhoOd
but L. NJ and his men soon silenceC
the battery.
This country is in a virgin state and
it looks all right for a hustler or fol
an enterprise of almost any kind
Hundreds and hundreds of the fellows
who have come out at soldiers vii
remain if Uncle Sam holds on and viii
make themselves rich in land deals
and business. There are plenty of Op-
portunities in sugar and tobacco anC
hemp. | have had chance to talE
with several kamaainas-mOstly Eng
Iishmen and they say everything vii
be all right for the best kind Of money
making in every direction if the Am
erican flag goes up and stays for any
length of time. The Spaniards have
held everything right at the same
stage for a couple of hundred years
You cannot imagine the backwardness
here in every way. Why, if mar
brought a cargo of cheap watches anC
pistols in he'd carry away a cargo OF
silver You know those Station of tht
Cross Chromos Drum Major King haC
in the widow in his store on HOte
street Any native or Spaniard would
give $50 worth of stuff for one of them
We are hoping that all viii have {
chance for good action in the assault
to be made on the city. All the Y. @
H. fellows have been picked out fOl
the artillery service. If l do say
myself, we are considered good sol
diers as they have in the whole out
fit. We are now getting the full valu,
of the hard infantry and artillery drill
we had under Good, COyne and Zieg
Ter. Remember me to all the boys il
the Barracks and other friends.