The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-05
Gollontry Of CuliforDiuDs in Their
First Battle in the Phil
ippiDes.
How the Night Attack by Spuniords oD the
Trenches Before Camp Dewey Was
Repused.

| were silent. There were, in fact, no
insurgent soldiers in the trenches that
night, although General Noreal was
supposed to- cover the American right
at Pasay. This bears out some OF the
stories l have heard recently, stories OF
the disaffection of Aguinaldo, and pos
sibly 1t explains the conduct OF the To-
gallos, who have apparently lost all
their enthusiastic admiration for their
American friends. L have heard that
Aguinaldo has come to distrust the in
tent of the Americans. The whole
world knows Aguinaldo for a purchaS-
able knave, for sale to the highest bid
der-and not at all ready TO stay
bought
The most trying position held by any
men in the American army all through
that dark night was that of Major
Shines battalion on the second line OF
trenches Exposed to the fire of the
whole Spanish force, right in the dan
ger zone where the bullets from the
Spanish thanking party met the shells
from the Malate battery on cur left and
the balls from the Spanish right and
center. his men, up TO their waists In
water collected in the abandoned in
Surgent trenches, lying down under
heavy punishment, compelled to see
their comrades shot as thew lay, yet un-
able to fire q shot in return lest they
shoot their comrades in the advanced
trenches by reason of the darkness, the
cool under the strain as battalion Of
Scotch Presbyterians. They laughed
and chatted, but there was about them
a grim earnestness which would have
BODIED Ill for Spain if the boys had been
given their chance.
On the extreme left, close to the
beach, where the sheen Of the water
oh mt
Otto Huber, commanding Company
in the absence of Captain Richter, fired
three volleys over the heads Of the reg
ulars lying down in the first trench
and checked the Spanish advance at
that point. Then, when Huber ceased
firing, the regulars leaped to their feet
and the Spanish line at that point fell
back, broken all to pieces.
The sad side of war was shown
to me, later in the day, when the First
California buried poor Maurice Justh
and the Pennsylvanians buried their
six dead and one of the regulars killed
in one large grave. The little mound
covering all that is mortal Of First
Sergeant Justh stands a little to The
right of the others, in the convent yard
at Maricaban, under a spreading
acacia. and upon the mound each day
some comrade places q small bunch of
flowers. Perhaps it was hysteria, pos
sibly the night Of exposure in the
trenches and in the mud had produced
a physical reaction, yet know that the
tears came to my eyes as the clods fell
upon the coffin, and that many were
gathered about that lonely grave in a
distant land, strong men, who wept
freely. Justh was buried with all
military honors, the officers and COM
rades gathered about the grave and as
the chaplain Of the Pennsylvania regi-
ment closed the simple service the
boys of his company began singing,
clear and high, Nearer, My God, to
Thee"
1t was the one death coming home to
the Californians in the first battle be-
fore Manila. although many were close
to death. One narrow escape was that
of Lieutenant Tobin, who, going down
the Gale Real toward the front. had a
shell burst almost directly above his
head. Incidents like this could be
multiplied Indefinitely. 1t is only nee
essary for each man who took part to
tell his story of the battle of the Con-
vent de Soledad.
The Americans lost in battle nine
dead and forty-six wounded.