The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-16

not at one time or another had his
fancy. captured and his ambition arous-
ed by tales of war and martial heroiSm.
l don't suppose there ever existed in
America or any other country man
or woman for whom the tale of battle
did not hold a shuddering fascination.
l know, for my own part, nothing IN
literature held for me 1ne-half the in
terest contained between the caltskln
covers of a history, and often, when
had finished reading the account or
some battle like Waterloo, AusterlltZ'
Gettysburg or Shiloh, or had come 10
the conclusion of a tale recountlng the
downfall of a Metz or a Sedan, would
close the volume and let my magma
ton try to picture for my entertain
ment an actual scene of battle, Whlle
would try to conceive what my own
sensations would be before going into
action and while under fire.
Since the commencement of our op-
erations against Manila l, in company
with the rest of the regiment, have
been in two engagements, which,
though small, were exceedingly sharp,
have been shot at a score of times and
have taken part in a campaign which
has resulted in the capture of a fortl-
fed city containing over two hundred
thousand inhabitants, and defended
before our own guns got in their deadly
work, by over fourteen thousand SOL
diers, most of whom We're veterans. L
have tried to analyze my own feelings.
which 1 find on inquiry were about the
same as the feelings of every other man
in the regiment, and If it will interest
you at all 1 will try, while giving you
short account of the assault on Manila,
TO tell in d crude way OF the sensations
which are felt by man in the ranks
when he is first under fire. First, l
would like to say that the greater part
of that which has been written about
battle. ETC., is so much bosh. l have
read many accounts purportlng TO give
a faithful account of a soldiers life,
both in the camp and on the field, and
unless the men of thirty or forty years
ago were of q different cray r. the
men Of to-day they are about as mis-
leading as a vivid and romantic mag
ination can make them.
A soldiers life in camp is one long,
monotonous routine of hard and dis
agreea ole work, filled with sickness and
discomfort and clouded with a Sordid-
ness tn ough which there seldom
breaks even the faintest Slimmer OF
anything glorious. AS for the romance,
wei, that comes in when the veteran
returns home and lies to mis- sweetheart
about the great things he I'D at the
front In camp everything is as pracu-
cal as discipline and mathematical
distribution OF scanty rations can make
it. FL. L return to the fail Of Manila
and the second regular engagement
participate, IL by the CaliE 1rltia Vo!dn-
teerS.
The assault took place on Saturday,
August Is. On the previous Thursday
we went out to take our tWenty-four-
hour turn in guarding the trenches.
Everything pointed toward big fight
in the near future, and from the work
we were ordered TO perform most of
the boys came to the conclusion tnat
the bombardment would open on the
following (Friday) morning. We passed
the whole night waiting amid the rain
in state of sOpping expectation for
the coming of the dawn. The dawn
came at last but that was all that did
come, save a few scattering Spanish
bullets, and at the regular hour our
relief arrived and we, turning our backs
on the trenches, marched to camp and
rest.
On Friday afternoon orders for the
cooking of extra rations, distribution
Of ammunition, etc, commenced to ar
rive, and finally, about shutdown, the
news that we were to make the assault
on the morrow became a confirmed GER
tainty l expected to witness a great
deal Of enthusiasm, cheering and all
the sort of thing one reads about and
is conjured up before ones mind by
poetry and song Of The Night Before
the Battle, Mother" variety. There
was nothing Of the kind. A little
cheering did take place, but only a lit
tie. The boys received the news just
about as they would have received any
general order. First with a little buzz
zing discussion in a general conclave
and then, breaking up into groups OF
three or four, they walked to their tents
talking about the prospects of the scrap
and separating shortly to clean their
arms and get their accouterments In
proper condition. Their whole de-
meanor was a businesslike one, and as
devoid of anything in the romantic line
| as it could possibly be.
The morning came all too soon for a
fellow who wanted good, long sleep
and wanted it badly But quickly as
the dawn appeared the cooks were ur
! before it, and when we turned out al
reveilIe a steaming hot breakfast OF
bacon and coffee awaited us. Men
fight best as they make love best-or
a full stomach, and for once we got al
We wanted to eat Dishes were has
tily washed, blanket bags and belts
strapped on and the boys, rifle in hand
| stood ready and expectant, awaiting
the order to fall in. But 1t did not
! come A burst of music issued from
| the camp IN our rear and soon the heaC
| of a column emerged from the city Of
! tents and, with band playing gayly
| in it's front, marched past US and dis
appeared in the woods toward the fir
! ing line. We cheered these fellows tt
the echo as they passed US ana the
boys, turning away, stood ready fol
the long expected assembly to sound
as we supposed that we would be the
next to 60 But we were doomed Il
| disappointment Body after body o.
troops came out of the white ant hill
in our rear and were lost in the brush
in our front, and still we remained i'm
patiently idling about our company
street. Then one could perceive nov
much in earnest the fellows were anC
get some idea of the feverish turmoil
in the hot young blood running unde
| their bronZed skins. AS each success
sive troop filed past our company stree
the men in its ranks would jeer at on
boys and tell them to be sure and keel
the camp kettles boiling, as they woult
want nice hot supper when they hat
finished whipping the Spaniards.
The poor fellows from San Francisco