El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-09
MERRITT FIGHTING
Attacked And We're Re
pulsed.

NEW YORK, Aug. IA special t(
the Evening Post, dated Manila Bay
J Aug. 4, via Hong Kong, Aug. 9, says
The first American land battle in
the Philippines has been fought and
won. Thirteen are dead and forty
wounded on our side, and four hundred
Spanish dead, with over one hundred
wounded is the enemy's loss. We have
not advanced our position but neither
have the Spaniards gained any ground.
Sunday is seemingly fateful in the
annals of this war. 1t was Sunday
when the first American blood was
spilled in the trenches before Manila.
Sunday, July 81, was feast day, and
the insurgents who formed the left flank
of the advance line before the city had
retired to celebrate it, and thus left
our right exposed. The right was
composed OF the Tenth Pennsylvania,
First California. and First Colorado,
with the Utah and Third regular bat
teries.
| Toward night the weather became
very thick and soon a typhoon whirled
down on Manila. 1t ragged fiercest
just before midnight, aud at that hour
1900 Spanish regulars, under cover of
darkness and the noise of the storm, lie #
the city and made sortie. One of the
advance pickets, Private W. E. Brown
Of company D, Tenth Pennsylvania,
made the discovery of the enemy's ad-
vance as the brilliant flashes Of light
ming revealed them.
Brown Immediately gave the alarm,
which was quickly taken up by other
pickets. Brown was the first man kill
ed. The Spanish soon realized that
they had been discovered and advanc-
ed more rapidly. The pickets were
driven back in quick order On the main
trenches, which were occupied that
night by the Pennsylvanisns and the
Utah artillery.
The brave Ouskers n ever fiiuched as
the entire line of the Spanish flung
itself with full force on the trenches.
The Mausers fairly belched forth
solid sheet of flame. so steady
and heavy was the fire, but the
Quakers stock like rocks and never
finched for q moment under the most
withering fire. The Spaniards could
not get any further than the top of the
trenches
Tee First California, and q battalion
of the Sd artillery equipped as infantry
came up for reinforcing at double
quick. fixing their bsyonets as they
ran. The exhausted Pennsylvanisns op-
enc their ranks and the Califor mans
and regulars swept through and charg-
ed the enemy, going up al most to hand
to-hand fighting distance. Terrific
firing followed on both sides. The
Americans fred by plstoons and kept
up steady volley firing.
The Utah battery got stuck in the
mud and slime, but the men under Capt.
Young manned the axles and pulled
the guns through though sunk half
the time right up to their axles. Two
guns were got into position on flat land :,
and they poured an enfilading fire into
the enemy.
The valiant charge of Californians
and regulars of the Third artillery
drove the enemy gradually back, and
charges by rushes continue until the
enemy retired into the city. The re
treat was very disorderly. but our
troops were unable to follow because
their ammunition was exhausted.
A most fearful storm ragged the
whole time. Vivid lightning lit up
the field of battle for many minutes.
like weird daylight. The crashing of
thunder added vivid intensity to the
sullen roar Of the guns. After four
hours of fighting the men, tired out
and wet through, slept in the trenches
which were half full of water.
The Spaniards were allo wed to take
away their dead and wounded. Our
dead were buried in convent ward at
Maracaban. The British admiral gave
the figures of the Spanish loss.
On Monday Gen. Greene, who com
manded the fighting brigade, issued
this address: Camp Dewey.-The
brigadier general commanding desires
to thank the troops engaged last night
for the signal gallantry and skill dis
played by them in repelling such a Wig
orous attack by the largely superior