The record-union., 1898-10-02
General Anderson, Commander OF
Our Forces During Attack,
Reports TO the War Department as to
Operations of the Army.
Destows Great Praise Upon the
Troops Engaged Fer the Man.
Rer in Which They Attacked
the Enemy, Resulting in the
Taking of the Spanish Strong
hold in the Philippines.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The reports
of General Thomas NJ. Anderson, COM
manding the Second Division OF the
Eighth Army Corps, and General NC
Arthur, commanding the First Brigade
of that division, as to operations about
Manila, were made public at the war
Department to-day:
General Anderson had command OF
the first expedition. The following ex-
tracts are taken from his report:
'.On the 1st day of July 1 had an in
terview with the insurgent chief, Agul-
naldo. and there learned from him that
the Spanish forces had Withdrawn.
driven back by his army, as he claimed,
to the line of defense Immediately
around the city and it's suburbs. He
estimated the Spanish force at about
Ii 600 men. and his own at about the
same He did not seem pleased at the
incoming of our land forces, hoping, as
1 believe that he could take the city
with his own army. with the co-opera-
ton of the American fleet.
Believing that, however, except that
the insurgents may have been in guer-
lila warfare against the Spanish, they
could not carry their lines by assault
or reduce the city by siege, and expect
ing further that a hearty and effective
cooperation could not be executed, !
had at once made a number of recon
noisances to exactly locate the enemy
lines of defense and to ascertain their
strength
General Anderson thus describes the
;ob under
his immediate command, subject TO
orders from General Merritt, whose
Headquarters were on a dispatch boat:
The fleet opened fire at 9:3o a. m.
The first shots fell short, but the range
was soon found, anu then fire became
evidently effective / at once tele-
graphed General Macarthur to open on
blockhouse No. II and begin his at
tack At the same time several of the
guns of the Utah batteries opened fire
on the enemy's works in front or the
Second Brigade, and two guns on the
right of this brigade opened an oblique
fire toward blockhouse No. Il.
riding down to the beach, l saw two
of our lighter draft vessels approach
and open on the Polverin with rapid
fire guns. and observed at the same
time some men VI Tic soCSOllo LII
start up the beach. 1 ordered the Cali
fornia, which was the leading regiment
of the service, to go forward and re-
port to General Greene. Going to the
reserve telegraph, l received message
from Macarthur that his fire on the
blockhouse was effective, but that he
was enfladed from the right. l knew
from this that he wished to push the
In hn
Battery. l then authorized him to at
tack. which he did, and soon after the
Twenty-third Infantry and the Thir-
teenth Minnesota carried the advance
line of the enemy in the most gallant
manner. the one gun of the Utah Bat
terry lending most effective assistance.
In the meantime the Colorado Regi-
rnent had charged and carried the right
of the enemys line, and the Eighteenth
Infantry and the Third Heavy (regular)
Artillery, acting as infantry, had ad-
yanced and passed over the enemy S
works in their front without opposition.
The reserve was ordered forward to
follow the Second Brigade, and bat
terry of Hotchkiss guns was directed
to follow the Eighteenth Infantry
Going to the telegraph station on
found the operator starting forward in
the rear of the First California, and
moved forward until the instrument
was established in the first house in
Malate. The first ticking of the sounder
Informed me that General Macarthur
was heavily engaged at a second line
of defense near Singalong.
1T was evident that the best way to
assist him was to press our success on
the left. / therefore directed General
Greene to connect, if possible, with Cen
eral Macarthur by sending a regiment
TO the right. But the enemy seemed
determined for a time to give US a
street fight, and the Colorado and Cal
ifornia Regiments were the only ones
available. At this juncture the Eigh-
teenth Infantry and the Hotchkiss Bat
terry appeared TO be stopped by a
broken pier of a bridge, but the engl-
neer company brought forward port
able bridge, and in few minutes THESE
organizations pressed through the
Ermiate redoubts.
Soon the men from Nebraska anC
Wyoming came on shouting, for th'
white flag could be seen on the ses
front, yet the firing did not cease ant
the Spanish soldiers at the front dlt
not seem to be notified of the sur
render. In the meantime the reserve
had been ordered forward, except on'
regiment. which was ordered to remain
in the Second Brigade trenches. Th'
Seventh Utah was also ordered to th'
front, one infantry battalion being oil
rected to assist the men OF the pat
teries in hauling the guns by hand.
THE field telegraph wires, extend
ing in a wide circuit to the extrem'
right, for a time gave discouraging re
ports. The front was covered and tn
enemy intrenched, and the timber
heavy on both sides of the road. Only
two regiments, ii is believed, put OF
the firing line. The Fourteenth Infan
try was brought forward, but coult
not fire a shot. Under these circum
stances / telegraphed Macarthur Il
: countermarch and come to Malate b,
way of Greene's intfenchments and
the beach This was at 1:25 p. m, bu
soon after l learned that Macarthur
was too far committed to retire Th'
Guns of the Astor battery had beer
dragged to the front only after the ut