Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-12-01
GOLDSBORO In MANILA.
''Jim'' Collins, an Old Argus Typo, Writes
of Army Life In the Philippines.

duIipOQSS, jim 'COlllQS, son Ol
Mr.. and Mrs. W. III. Collins, ane
Ashby Slocumb. son of Capt. an6
Mrs, It. w. Slocumb. Jim" saw
service on the ARGUS, aud is &
typo of the first degree of skill,
1t takes forty days to make the
trip from Manila to New York,
and from a letter from Jim to his
parents. we r permitted tc
make the following extracts,
which we know will be read with
interest:
Manila. Oct. II. 1898.
My last letter was written aboard
ship, but was probably brought
TO Cavite before it was mailed,
We expected to meet a Pacific
mail steamer, but it did not put
in an appearance.
We anchored in Manila Bay on
Sunday mnrniog, July 81, of
Cavite, and that night Witnessed
from the deck of the ship
the hottest fighting of the
war, sc far as the Philippine Is>
lands afforded a Ger of action.
We could see the flashes of the
guns and then came the roar of
cannon aud riff !. We could locate
the positions of the American
and Spanish forces by the differ
ence in the fire, the Americans
firing by Yolieys, while the fire
of the Spaniards was scattering
we cali it firing a. will"
We Landed at Cavite next morn.
ing. passing the wrecks Of sev>
eraI of the Spanish vessels
Admiral D9wey's ships had sent
10 The bottom, aud they were fit
for nothing, so far ds looks went.
except junk. It is pretty well
conceded that it was a repetition
of, if not a grander performance,
than was that of Farragut in
Mobile Bay He certainly did his
work we'll.
We spent just a week at Cavite,
aud on Monday, August s, about
1 p. m.. We got the order to stall
in ''heavy marching order"
We had been frettipg atthe delay
in sending US to the front, and
there vas a yell let out by the
boys of the two batteries com
prlsing our battalion. &c and l.
that startled the natives, We
were quickly eff for Scamp
Dewey" on the transfer boats.
Dewey was about four
miles south of Manila, aud we
reached there just at night,
pitched our dog tents, aud af~
ter being given a cup of coffee
by one of the other batteries of
the Sd artillery. we turned in and
went to sleep, but about 1870 we
were all awakened by finding
ourselves floating around in our
tents. Il was raining in torrents,
('tmucha aqua" as the Fillipinos
express it) and we were wet as
rats" We then put in
four days of hard drill, expecting
to be sent to the trenches every
day, when on Friday afternoon,
August 18th, We were ordered
to draw two days lations of hard
tack and canned horse (?) and at
s'retreat' we we're Informed by
the Captain that we were to go
to the trenches next morning.
were on the march at 6
o'clock on the morning of the
13 b, but not a man among US
had any idea that we would make
the attack that day. We reached
the American intrenchments af>
ter a march of about two miles
through a perfect food of rain,
and not a stitch of dry clothing
on US, About $50 o'clock the sun
came out and we began to dry out
little or the head and shoulders,
though we stood knee>deep in
mud ard water. An hour later we
were informed that if the white
flag did not appear above the
Manila forts by II o'clock, we
would receive the order to ads
vance. Then followed an hour or
so of feyerish impatience, when
all at once boon, boom: boom,
and several shells wills
tied above our heads and into the
Spanish trenches. The ball was
open, One of Dewey's gun-boats,
followed by the Utah Light Bat
terry of artillery, had started tho
music. We had taken off our hav-
ersacks and canteens, but quick~
ly threw them on and awaited the
word to move. Then Forward,