The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-01

There, but That Was to BE Ex-
pected at That Season of the
Year.
Maj. Samuel D. Sturgis, Of the vol
unteer service, arrived in st. Paul yes
terday morning direct from Manila, at
which point he has been assistant adj
jutant general of the Eighth army
corps under Gen. Merritt Maj. Sturgis
has been ordered to act as assistant
adJutant general in the department of
Dakota, and temporarily will remain
in ST. Paul
He left Manila with Gen. Merritt
Aug. 80, and at Hong Kong his COM
mander- chief took the steamer for
Paris. Maj. Sturgis accompanied Gen.
Babcock, who carried reports from
Gen. Merritt to the war department,
detailing the operations from the time
Gen. Merritt arrived at Manila up to
the time he left, including the battle
and the capftulation of the city.
With Gen. Babcock, he arrived in
San Francisco Sept %, twenty three
days after leaving Manila. Gen. Bah
cock went to Washington with the re-
ports from Gen. Merritt, and Maj.
Sturgis, as ordered, reported to the
headquarters Of the department Of Da-
kota in this city yesterday ON his ar
rival
He is in the best of health, and says
that Manila is not an unhealthy place
10 live IN. Asked as to the possibility
OF the early return of the volunteer
troops at Manila and particularly as
to the Thirteenth regiment. he said:
The return home of the troops now
at Manila depends upon the DISPOSE
ton of the Philippines. If the govern
nlent gives up the islands, why of
will
the troops and especially the volun-
teers will remain there some time.
There are not enough OF the regulars
available to occupy the place, and the
only way the regular army can be in
creased is to have congress take some
action. This will probably be done
early in the coming session, and the
quicker action Of this kind is taken,
II 1t is at all, the sooner will the vol
unteers have chance to return home"
The force of troops now in Manila
IS about $4,000, and there has been very
little sickness. There is no fever, and
healthy man who takes care of him
self need not fall sick. The reports at
the number Of men who show up at
sick call Is quite misleading and does
not represent the men SICK as 1t In
cludes all degrees Of ailment and tenn
pOrary illness
The volunteer troops, including the
V,
under the most trying circumstances,
1t ralned, and it rained, and then it
rained some more. The roads were
almost impossible, and yet the Volun-
teer troops camped in the trenches
with water UP to the waist, and did
their duty without a complaint or muir
muir. The men endured constant hard
ship and proved themselves. for soldiers
who were not exactly used to that
sort OF thing, Of high class
was not on the firing line during
the battle, as my duties called me else
where, but the conduct of the men was
nne and soldierly throughout and was
hlghly spoken Of by Gen. Merritt and
the officers
The insurgents helped somewhat IN
the battle and before did their best
work by preventing the taking Of pro-
visions and stores into the city About
20,OOO Of them have arms, and as the
number who are willing to fight the
Spanish exceeded the supply of arms
those who were acting as a besieging
force around the city changed off daily
One man would serve one day and
the next would retire and give way To
another
THE battle was fought Aug 10, and
we did not hear of the peace procla-
nation until Aug. Is, three days later.
When Gen. Merritt entered the city,
IAiC opdillSI lIOCpS, fnuCn TO our sur
prise, We're found to be we'll equipped
with arms and ammunition. The 5000
Mauser rifles surrendered were in good
condition and all TIE accoutrements and
military supplies were arranged and
kept in fine order.
They were we'll clothed in cotton
uniforms, all had good shoes and ap-
peared not to have been starved, al
though there was a scarcity Of food
I'm 10 nj tX Nov raP
money and as whole they had an eff
fectiVe force.
What seemed to puzzle the Spall-
iards as we'll as the insurgents was
that the United States troops did not
loot the city as soon as they entered
The Spaniards were particularly inter-
ested in their personal safety and per-
sonal property and they talked mucn
of their honor, but in my opinion they
knew nothing about honor and were
concerned most about their private and
personal privileges.
'The insurgents are all right consid-
ering that they know nothing except
what they have learned from the Span
iards. They have the idea that all
other nations are like the Spaniards,
who have abused and taxed them to
death, and kept them oppressed for
years. Naturally they have become
suspicious and it is hard to convince
them that our people will not do just
as the Spaniards have done.
1--WE did not have much to do with
them except to keep them out of the
city. They are not allowed to enter the
city with arms but would like awful
well to have looted the place after we
entered. Several of the leaders called
on Gen. Merritt and had a conference,
but we did not see Aguinaldo during
the time we were there. He preferred
to keep in the background, evidently
fearing treachery.
THE leaders appeared to be bright
and we'll MANN cred and intelligent. Gen.
Merritt explained to them that he had
not come to interfere with them in
any way, and after the situation had
been understood by them they went
away apparently satisfied. They are OF
little account as allies in a military
sense. and are not fitted for self-gov-
eminent They have a frightful aver.
sion and hatred for the Spanish clergy,
as we'll as to the Spaniards.
Manila has a population Of about
300, 000 but there are no manufacturing
plants, and when we entered the city
1t was very filthy. OF course the climate
Is not what you would call a Mime
sofa one and the rains are something
frightful but the rainy season, l under
stand, does not last long. 1t being
tropical country hot weather is to be
expected, but 1t Is not as bad as the
men expected"