The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-27
IN THE VAN AT MANILA
HARRY ESSMAN. AN INDIANAPOLIS
BOY, WRITES OF THE BATTLE.
His Battery's Experience-Spanish AL
ways Attacked at Night-One Pa
thetic Little Incident.

Louis Essman and his family last night
received several letters from Harry w. Ess-
man, who is with Battery II, Third u S. Ar
tillery. at Manila. For some reason the mail
was delayed in transit and letters written
on different dates all came in yesterday.
Harry Essman describes the battles through
which his battery passed in simple but
dramatic words. While several Americans
were lost he writes that none of the In
dianapolis boys was hurt and that they are
all well and in good spirits, although anxious
to receive their discharges as soon as peace
is declared. The first letter is dated Camp
Dewey. Aug. 5, and is addressed to Mrs.
Essman: In it he says:
Dear Mother-Well, / am alive and that
is ALL After what our battery went through
last Sunday night 1t as a wonder any of
us are alive. 1t was July 81, Sunday, at
1870 p. M, that our battery was on picket
watch guard. about one mile from our
breastworks. / had just come in off guard
and was lying down on the ground to rest
when when the Spanlards made charge on our
started for the scene. On the way the
Spaniards had Calling gun turned on us.
Coming down the street two of our boys
were killed and four wounded When we
got to the breastworks the boys who were
there first had shot all their shot and had
bayonets ready to charge. The Spaniards
were trying to climb over our works. but
our battery chopped them down like cutting
grass. The Spanish lost about 300 killed
and LOO wounded and missing. l
haven't time to write much. for we are
working hard to get things fixed for another
attack: 1t is an awful thing to get killed
away from home and friends. / hate it, but
l will stick it out till the end, either dead
or alive. Q yes, have pet monkey
him. His name is Dewey. We bought him
from a native for 81. Will try to bring him
back if / come
The next letter is from Manila and was
written Aug. 2. In it he gives fuller details
of the battles, as follows:
Dear Father and Mother-Received your
letters for the first time this afternoon and
l cannot explain how happy l was to
ceive word from home for the first time in
two months. We now in barracks. and
have very fine quarters, good beds, and l
guess we are not sorry to get good beds and
plenty to eat. Before we got to Manila we
had to sleep on the ground, and ants
crawled all over us, and before we took
Manila our battery stayed in the breast
works for two days and two nights in water
to our knees. and raining harder than
ever saw it rain at home. and getting only
one-half rations to eat, coffee and bareback.
L guess our battle Is over. 1t was
a hard one. cannot explain how hard the
battle was, but anyone who came out alive
can thank God After we got over the
Spanish breastworks the band played
Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight and
every man had his eyes and ears open. We
did not go far until volley of bullets came
from the Spaniards. Our battery was in the
front all the way, and we sent volley back,
and another and another until the Spaniards
retreated to the walled city. 1t was not
long after Dewey sent ten or fifteen shells
into the city until white nag came up,
the walls and the Spanish throwed their
arms on the ground.
very good. We get fresh meats and veg
etables now and they go good. We can go
TO town now on passes and see the place.
1t is on the same order as Honolulu. only
larger. Th6V have
bull fights and large restaurants. Every
thing is going now-factories are starting
up and running day and night.
We expect to get paid on the LIST or 10th
of September. We understand all United
States soldiers in foreign lands get double
pay, $26 q. month. hope so, for | VOL ask
for my discharge as soon as peace is de-
clared The fourth expedition came
in to-day. 1t came too late to get reputa-
ton for itself. 1t comes in time 10 reileVe
us from guard for week or two. | nave
written you about ten letters in ALL | guess
by the time this reaches you you ttO Will NAVE
through every battle fought in Manila. We
We're in front twice, with no one but the
Spanish in sight , and bullets pi hyng t a
Spaniards could not hit me. The Spanards
are very poor gunners. At daytime they
would sight their guns and at night nre
They would not start fight in the daytlme,
always at night. In the first battle July 81,
lit was the hardest one-we lost two men
of our battery. l was stationed at the side
it would go off you would think the whole
earth had fallen. The fight lasted so long
that ammunition was running short fof the
large guns, but our boys had about n1ty or
sixty rounds apiece. We stopped nrlng Ior
five or ten minutes The Spanish came out
of their breastworkS and were going 70
make charge when Dewey put MS search
lights on them. We got good aim and sent
volley after volley into them. We could see
the men fall about fifty or sixty yards from
us. 1t was a sight to see the men throw
their arms up and fall back. l shot all the
bullets | had in my belt. about one hundred.
After the Spanish had gone back to their
breastworks the firing quit. 1t was then
a. m The fight started at 10 on sunday
night, and lasted until $3.50 Monday morn
ing
Sat daybreak flag was raised on both
dead and wounded. We had two boys out
of the Pennsylvania Regiment, who fell over
the breastworks, but the Spaniards had
hundreds of dead and wounded. could see
all this plainly, for / had my head above
the breastworks. The Spanish had about
1900 or 5000 men, while we had only LOO or
1.400, but we all fought hard and II seemed
as if in every boys ear was running Re
member the Maine, and every shot that
was fired Meant death TO some one. II the
Spanish had come to charge with us we
would have lost, for they had fve TO one,
but 1t was the good commanding OF our
officers and the good aim of the boys that
won the fight and also the bad gunnery of
the Spanish large guns. On the way back
TO camp the next morning two of our boys
picked up shells from the Spanish which
old net go off. If they had our loss would
have been larger 1t was bad enough as
it was. We lost eighteen dead: 1t is re-
stopped firing and daybreak came there was