The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-29
CORPORAL IN A UTAH BATTERY
a. L. ROBINSON HAS WRITTEN
A LETTER HOME.
Tells His Sister, Miss Lillian Rob-
inson of Mt. Pleasant, About Con-
ditions In the Philippines.
Especial to The Herald.)

Mt Pleasant, Sept. 2S.-Miss Lillian
Robinson. a student of the Wasatch
academy. has received a letter from
her brother, a corporal under CAPTAIN
Grant, in battery B of Utah. in Manila.
Some extracts of interest are herewith
appended:
The time that has passed since We
landed on Spanish soil has been full of
varied experiences 1t is a month
never to be forgotten. and will always
be a time to look back upon with a
feeling somewhat,akin to pride and the
assurance Of work we'll done. 1 know
nothing Of the reports that have been
given out to the newspapers as to the
work of Utah's light batteries, but our
praise is on the lips of all here. No
matter among what troops person
goes, they are praising the Utah boys.
The Utah boys were in everything that
took place, and yet there was no loss
of life.
Captain Young told me last night
that one of the generals, in speaking of
the Utah boys, said that their veteran
like conduct was something remark
able The general said that his men,
a great many of them, were frustrated
anu ldILleQ uuUeT TIE Spanish CetliilOA-
aiding, while the boys of Utah lay
around apparently unconcerned.
We lay in the trenches before Ma
Mia from July 80 till Aug. Ii, when the
city was taken, and 1 tell you it was
a irving affair There never
was a day passed there without getting
soaking wet. and the only thing to
sleep on was the wet ground or hard
board Besides getting wet and having
RI S1o n6 To OIL r1
duty and work like dagoes, filling
sacks with sand and Diling them onto
the embankment to strengthen 1T. The
entertainments really amounted to for
tificationS by the time we got through
with them, but not much was left OF
them. or at least of the sacks, four or
five days after we left them. The ma
tives Immediately went to work empty
ing the sacks and it didn't take long
to carry them all off.
Of course. you will have heard all
about the campaign before Manila long
before this reaches you, and L don't
know as 1t will be much good or be of
much interest to write any details Of
it, but when l get back 1 will have
lots to tell.
The night before the city was taken,
Aug. Il. 1 thought as listened to taps"
that all the Utah boys would not hear
that when next blown, but as good for
tune would have it, we all pulled
through without a scratch On the
morning Of the 18th we were all I'D
bright and early, and before o'clock
had arrived we were all on our way
to the intrenchments. After our ar
rival there some time was spent in To-
eating the objects at which we were to
fire. The locations of the Spanish
guns were all pointed out by CAPTAIN
Young to the gunnerS, and then there
was a period of several hours anxious
waiting before the bombardment be-
gan.
The first shot was fired by the fleet
at 9:35 am, and soon both Utah's bat
teries were engaged in the work of de-
struction- The Spanish fire amounted
to nothing really, and after about
three-cuarsers OF an hours cannonad-
ing the infantry began advancing, and
about IL am. the emblem of liberty was
raised over the Spanish fort, and about
in the evening she floated over the
walled part of the city. The Spanish
fort is pretty we'll cut up by shells
from the fleet and from the guns. Four
Spanish soldiers were left in the
trenches when they retreated, three of
whom were killed and one fatally
wounded. The three killed were the
victims OF the shells from our guns
and they were frightful specimens of
humanity.
II have been out in the city but once
1t is a strong contrast to our Amer
lean cities. There isn't that hustle and
activity so apparent in American cities.
The place where the Spaniards stacked
their arms presents a very unusual
scene. The arms cover an acre or two
and there are hundreds of tons of am
munition. y. L. ROBINSON.