The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-14
ENVY THE THIRTEENTH.
Other Troops Are Jealous of Mime
sofa Volunteers mt kIaniIn

OtAOA AEVOph are GCaAOuS OF MINNIE
sofa Volunteers at Manila.
Mrs. D. c. Taggart of 1873 Seventh street
north. Minneapolis, has received the following
letter from V. E. Taggart of Company F.
Thirteenth regiment at Manila:
l have not written for some time owing
to the fact that We are unable to catch ship
going to the states oftener than once in three
or four weeks. We were paid short time
ago, but there is but little chance to save
worth $2.07 in Spanish silver.
When the Thirteenth regiment got to Ma
MIA they stayed on the boat for a week and
then landed in little town about six or
seven miles from old Manila. There we
camped IN peanut field in a very hard rain
which continued as long as we remained in
camp. week after arriving moved up
Into the trenches. We left camp on the night
or Aug. IL, at a. m. About a half a mile in
front OF US were the Spanish trenches The
american trenches were thrown up in
short time with shovels, while the Spaniards
had long time to dig theirs. The Spanish
used rush sacks filed with dirt making vary
can army OF 10 0G0 could stand off any army
OF 10000 At O'clock the firing began and
ana the Spanish retreated with the AmerI>
cans close behind them. The Spaniards kept
up a continual fire from their first breast
works back to the tntrenchments where thev
made a stand. Company came down the
road to the bend. and nearly to the second
bend. when they. were ordered to lay down
anu tnSu oTuereu Dack across the road into
bean patch, where the company again laid
down, as there was bank OF dirt in frcnt
or them. Shortly afterwards we got the or
der to advance, and we started down the
road. Just around the second bend we saw
three insurgents carrying an insurgent can
tain. His jaw had been broken by shot
from Mauser rife, and his tongue was near
ly shot off. The whole front OF his uniform
was literally soaked in blood. A little be-
yond this Archie Patterson, the buRler of
Company /. was shot in the breast and killed
Just about the Dlapa Private Nf
our company, shot In the leg. He is
still In the hospital. About half mile down
there was row OF six cocoanut trees that
were full OF bullet holes from top TO bottom
One OF them was nearly shot In two near
the ground, The Spanlards at second row
OF entrenchments made another stand. IL
was the fire from there that did the most
damage. The road on which the Americans
came down was only about % feet wide, so
they did not have much show The only
wonder is that there were not more Ameri-
cans killed than there were. The Spaniards
made third retreat from the intrenchments
TO the church, where the hardest fight Of the
day fought. The Spaniards held the
church and breastworks beyond for a time
but were finally routed by our troops, and
we took possession of the church The Thir-
teenth was ordered TO build a Dreastwork of
the furniture in the church. The work was
superintendent by Col. Reeve, who sat on his
horse in the middle of the road down which
the Spaniards were firing. The Aston bat
terry then made a charge the breastwOrks
OF the Spaniards, but were driven back They
TO support them, but the officers of the
Twenty-third said that they had been ordered
to the rear. and that was where they were
going. Capt Bjornstad. of Company Fl, st.
Paul, and some others of the Thirteenth
started up the road with the Aston battery.
The Aston battery went into the charge with
army revolvers while the Minnesota boys had
their guns and bayonets. Capt. Bjornstad had
a revolver in each hand. AS he reached the
breastworks he shot once, and he went
over the works he was shot second time
However. the brelstworks were captured and
for some time after the Astor battery gave
the Thirteenth Minnesota the credit for sup
porting them. but now they say they called
on US and refused to help them and they
had TO go it alone. The reason for this
change of sentiment is that the Thirteenth is
becoming so popular that they are getting a
great deal Of the credit. At the church. Capt.
Seebach OF Company G. was shot. Here was
really the last battle, as the Americans
chased the Spanish Into the walled city.
where they surrendered.
Let 10 600 Americans get within the walls
of that city, with Dewey in the bay, and II
Dewey did not fire a shot the Americans
could stand of 100000 men Of any army OF
the world. as 1t is impossible to enter the
city from any direction except BY the gates,
and they are very easily drawn up.