The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-07
Through q Storm Of the Elements
oDd Bullets They
Marched.
Fierce Fighting on the Night Of July 81 tbe
Occasion Of Considerable Individual
Heroisn.
Special Correspondents of The Call.
BY PRIVATE F. A. HEALY.

CAMP DEWEY, Aug. 1.-The hour
was late. 1t needed but fifteen min
utes to commence new day, a new
month was only a quarter, of an hour
distant, and the sentry standing amid
the dripping foliage that skirts our
camp knew all these things, but that a
new epoch in the history of the Philip
pines had already been ushered In he
was not aware. The firing which had
been going on at the trenches ever
since half-past 10 he took to be the
regular nightly serenade to which we
have been treated since we took up our
present position. and that the sound
which came floating across the open
fields which stretch their muddy length
for two miles between the camp and
the trenches had been growing steadily
In volume he merely ascribed to the
fact that Spain was wasting more am
munition than usual in her futile en-
deavor to pot a shy Filipino or a
casual American.
The weather could not have been
worse. The nights here are ordinarily
cool, though the days are hot enough
to make traveller from Africa long for
his native temperature to cool off in
But the night of July 81 was more than
cool. 1t was cold, and to the blood of
the sentry, thinned by a two months
campaign in the tropics, 1t seemed icy.
A heavy, cold rain was falling, or was
rather being driven along the ground
by a gale which almost rose in its
power to the dignity of a hurricane.
The fields were wet in every part and
submerged altogether in most places.
The roads had lost their thOrOughfare
character altogether and had practi-
caIly become large ditches filled waist
deep with soft liquid mud. Yes, the
night could not have been worse. Grad
ually the hours moved around toward
midnight, and the rain and wind slow
Iy subsidized enough to allow the firing
to become more plainly heard. 1t had
continued to increase as the elements
decreased until it reached a pitch fear
full enough to disturb many a sleeping
soldier, and cause him to sit up, rub his
eyes and wonder what was the occa-
sion of all the row. He was soon to
find out. For hardly had he turned
himself again to his pillow when shrill
and clear, on the cool night air, rang
out a bugle calling the entire camp to
arms. AS though spurred on by the
sound, the firing in front answered the
stirring noise with crash upon crash
while the thunder of the cannon re-
doubled the mingling of sounds form
ing an awful symphony that seemed to
shake the very heavens under whose
black canopy the half-wakened SOL
diery were already arming and forming
for battle. A cheer went up from the
Colorado boys, whose camp is just in
our rear. 1t was taken up and an
swered by the lads from San Francisco,
and before it had ceased we We're
formed and marching on the double
quick to the front.
There was no sick man, no tired man,
,r-r1s L. ILL.,
fornia Volunteers after the call to arms
had sounded.
Just as we started the storm, which
had quieted down for a few minutes,
recommended with redoubled violence
The rain came slanting across the lines
in living sheets of water, which was
driven into the backs and whipped the
sides of the faces of the advancing
troops until they fairly tingled with
pain.
The First Battalion went first, the
Second Battalion came second, acting
as support followed by a reserve COM
posed of the Third Battalion. The rest
of the troops comprising the main body
remained drawn under arms in camp.
AS we started forward news of our
mission began to drift along the line
and we knew what we were out for.
The trenches had been attacked by
large force of the enemy. The Pennsyl
the Utah Artillery, stationed in them,
were being hard pressed, and we were
going forward to their assistance.
To make the matter a little more
clear. l will try to explain how we were
situated. Our camp is placed in an
open field, running from north to south,
in an oblong shape, and about 100 yards
from the beach. From the camp to the
Spanish lines the distance is about two
miles and half, while the city of Ma
Mia is still about mile and a half fur
Their north. We have thrown up a line
of intrenchments about two miles from
our camp, which commence on the
beach and run inland in a crescent
shaped formation toward the Passig
River, with their convex side toward
the Spanish lines, which run in a nearly
parallel course about half a mile away
The country between these two lines Of
trenches is thickly covered with brush
and bamboo timber for the most part,
though here and there large bare tracts
or swamp land and corn patches allow
the Spanish earthworks to be seen.
AS we moved out from the line Of
trees, on the north side, of our camp
Nthe noise of battle became more and
more distinct. On we went, founder,
inc knee deep in the mud and water,
hating occasionally for a minute or
two to dress our ranks and perfect our
formation. Each fellow carried a hun
Qred extra ROUNDS OF ammunition in
his haversack slung by a strap over his
right shoulder, and as we stumbled
along in the wet and darkness the
strap would sink into our flesh and
chafe until the skin wore through.
But no one murmured. The boys were
going forward to battle and they were
satisfied.
AS we EMERGED from the confines of
our camp we passed Colonel Smith and
his staff moving forward in the same
direction. Amid the group of officers
saw Sol Sheridan moving hurriedly for