The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1898-11-19
ABBEVILLE, LOUISIANA SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 1898
LETTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES.
Continued from Nov. 81

Spanish sent in a flag Of truce SO that
they could pick UP their dead, il was
not until then that felt a pang of
pity for those that were killed and
some found wounded. It was sur
! prise to me that no more of our men
We're killed than what we're. Well
the next day we heard Dewey was
going to lombard the city and all
were anxious to see the fun begin for
there could be but one outcome, and
I that was victory for us, though we
had no idea how dearly it would be
bought. But that day passed and
another, and still nothing happened
and finally Friday came, and then all
was excitement for the word went
along the line that tomorrow would
be the eyentful day. For every man
in camp was given two days rations
and two hundred rounds of amuni-
tions. That night there was not
much sleep for some, for there were
some that were too scared to sleep.
As for myself had made up my
mind not to worry, and If the worst
came i knew it could not be helped.
But as everything has an end so did
the morning dawn, though dismal
morning it was, yet everything was
life and hustle around the camp and
soon assembly sounded to fall in and
every man sang out here as his name
was called and thought how many
lips might be silenced before the day
closed. But / offered up silent
prayer that the Lord would spare our
ranks from any deaths, for we all
knew one another so well that it would
be sad day for US should anything
like that happen. Well soon the
command came, forward march, and
off we started, we had not gone far
though before it began to rain, but
that did not stop our march. We
passed through mud and slush over
our knees, but still we kept on to the
front. In getting to the entrench-
ments we had to pass through the
cane brakes, and on our way through
one of the cane reeds had been bent
over in the road and one Of the boys
just in front of me caught it on his
gun and then let it fly back and it
caught me just over the eye and cut
quite cash, and my but the blood
flowed and the captain wanted to
know If / had been shot, for You
could hear q bullet go through the
cane brake every now and again.
But further than that nothing hap
pened and soon We reached the
5renches. There was just ten double
litches to get over before we could
each the Spanish breastworhs, and ]
hese bitches was about five or six
eet deep and all Of six feet wide and
here was bank thrown up between
hem about ten feet wide and three d
II four feet high and this bank was a
,lanted thick with cane reeds and
hey we're as big as your arm and it ]
tas impossible for one to make his v
ray through without the aid Of an il
x. And so the captain sent me out {
18th d detachment of sixteen aen to
ut road over those bitches, we
ad got almost to the last ditch when
Dewey began the bombardment, we ;
'ere just close enough to get q good !, Z
lew of the Spanish lines. Well it Y
ras a sight, there was just two ships 4
ook part in shelling the forts and i
heir breast works. But goa would i
ave thought the way they were : :
arowing shots that the whole fleet i
as engaged. And the shots went i
Ii