Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-03-31
NO. as.

rascals pegged away at u.s. Although we fired
volley after volley into it Git was mostly under
ground and rock on top, with port-holes to
shoot from), our Springfelds could not tear it
down. The regiment seemed 10 forget about
us up there, so we had to send after grub,
which we did not get until about 5 p. M, Sun
day, being over twenty four hours without any
thing to eat. Sergeant Barber went after the
grub, with three men. He was fired on several
times. No; was wrong when l said the regi-
ment forgot u.s. 1t was simply too busy to care
for us-that was all. Sunday, Feb. 5th. is the
day that the goth Kas., U. S. V. made
IT'S famous charge across the railroad bridge
and routed the natives completely. Everybody
says it was magnificent sight, and the gener-
ais say that no regulars ever did better. AS for
the natives, they were just parayzed as it
were; they had never seen anything like it
| guess.
The Twentieth Kansas has shown them
several things they never saw before The
whole army fights with the precision of regu-
lars. The generals are right with their men,
too. MAJOR General McArthur's headquarters
are about rs yards from where l am writing
this letter, and | am about IS yards back of our
(E company's) entertainments
Sunday, our regiment only lost one man.
Several were wounded, but not severely. AS
our regiment had advanced about two miles, we
received orders to abandon the block house and
join our company, which we did Tuesday after
noon, Feb 9TH. We were Just too late for
Tuesdays fight, in which our regiment drove
the natives out of the woods and up the hill
toward Caloocan We reached the firing line
just as they began to fall back, to our entrench
ments for the night.
In this fight, Lieutenant Afford, of COM
pany, wss. killed, and. Sergeant Shields, of 1,
wounded SO that he died next day. The num-
Der wounded was Slight.
Wednesday and Thursday, we tried to rest
up some, but did not do very good job OF it,
as the outpost kept up all almost continuous
firing at night, and in the daytime we kept
strengthening our entrenchment more or less.
The rattle of Mauser and Remington bullets is
not very conducive TO restful slumber or pleas
ant dreams. Thursday night, they got alto
gether too close for amusement During my
watch, several bullets passed within few feet
of my head, and several of the other boys had
similar experiences; SO we were in fighting
mood Friday, when the order came to advance.
Friday, about o'clock p. n., the artillery
and navy opened fire on the insurgent intrench-
ments, and kept it up for about half an hour,
and then we got the order to advance l was
i'll the second platoon of our company, and
chief of the fourth. Quincy Tefft was down
town, on business, and Sergeant Barber acted
as first sergeant. Sergeants Lewis and John
son, being color sergeants, were carryingi the
flag on the left of NJ company. Sergeant Craig
was with the first platoon, and Dots was left
in charge OF the ammunition and supplies.
The second platoon, under Lieutenant Ball, was
held i'll reserve, and kept about 40 yards in the
rear of the firing line for while Directly,
we received orders to reinforce company, and
then the work begun for us. I would much
rather be OH the firing lire than in the reserve
You are i'll just as much danger as reserves, and
you can't shoot back. How those bullets did
whistle! guess we came pretty near getting
into the hottest of the fight. There is where
Barber was wounded. did not know it though
until the battle was through. Sergeant Teft
heard the batteries open fire and rushed out of
town and joined cur platoon just as it was going
into action. Several of our boys were in town
when the fight began, bit they were all sin the
fight somewhere" You can't keep an "E''
Co.. man back when there is "scrap' on
hand. Well, we routed the natives, as usual,
and took Caoocan, and would have taken Nal
abon if it had not been too near night That
is all that saved it. 1t is said that General
Macarthur sent in report of the battle to Mai.
Gen. Otis, and it read something like this:
"2oth Kansas mile ahead (that is, of where
they intended to go) will stop them if can;
don't think CAM He did, though, and we
have not started on since. We have been here
one day more than a week, but it's pretty
nice place to camp. We have not been troub-
led much here, but there has been some pretty
hard fighting on the right wing. The natives
have show, though, at ALL All the Gar
nett boys" arein good health 6 Our comnanv
is doing finely. Must close.
CORPORAL JESSE H. HAMPSHIRE
p S, Coloocan is about nine miles south of