Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-05
MONTANA men
AT CAL00CAN
Major Cooks Interesting De-
ScriptiOn OF the
FIGHTING in THE TRENCHES
Brilliant Charges of the Montana VOL
unteers in the Face of a
Heavy Fire.
FIGHTING in THE TRENCHES

Lieut.. Ben T.. CalklnS is in receipt of a
letter from Major Byron H. Cook of the
First Montana volunteers now in the
thick of the fighting in the Philippines
detailing some of the movements of the
Montana boys during their series of en-
gaSements with the natives. The letter
is an interesting one and is in part as
follows:
In the Trenches, near Caloocan, Feb.
%, 1899.
Dear Ben: ! head this in the trenches,
but in truth my tent is about fifty yards
in rear of these upon q little raise, so that
L can see all of the line of my battalion.
The chaplain delivered my mail just
after noon and while l was reading the
letters the niggers started up their fire
and the air was full of all kinds of
bumble-bees for awhile. We are getting
quite used to them by this time, but with
many the impulse to duck is as strong
as ever and they do it of course after the
ball is way past them. There are lots of
chances to dodge balls after one hears
them, but the trouble is you don't know
just which way to dodge. A spent ball
can be heard coming for some distance,
and they sound mean, too. Then again
you can often see a ball strike the ground
two or three hundred yards in front and
when it goes by it is cutting all kinds
of holes in the air.
Pete French was killed day before yes
terday Il guess that was Thursday. We
all feel his loss deeply; he had proven
himself a fearless officer in this advance
and as to his general character you know
all about that.
We received orders to be in readiness
to move out at a moments notice, on
Saturday night, about half past eight Con
the 4th inst.) Three companies, (the last
on outpost duty We're to remain in with
one of the first battalion. 1t happened to
be Miller'S turn to have charge of the in
side companies and Drennen and l each
took three companies to the Preside, as
a reserve for General Macarthur. Firing
had been brisk all along the outpost line
and We were confident that the long
looked for occasion had arrived and at
about 10 o'clock we received orders to
move out. We remained at the Preside
! perhaps three quarters of an hour and
every time there was a hull in the fire we
were afraid it was all off. Then it would
start up again, companies firing vOlleyS
and cannons booming. Col. Funston re-
ported that he was heavily engaged and
General Macarthur sent Col. Wallace with
my battalion to the front. When We got
there it was impossible to use all SO the
~brigadier general ordered two of the
companies back. On account of his great
love for the general, Col. Wallace went
back with them and left me one company
co and we were assigned a position on
the left of Kansas. and got under fire
for the first time a little after midnight.
The next day we covered a strip of tim
Der on the left flank of Kansas while
they ~dvance We We're in a Well pro-
tected position and had a chance to make
it pretty hot for the niggers at a range
of seven hundred yards. We remained
there that day and Sunday night and on
Monday morning was relieved and went
over to the regiment on the right of
Kansas.
There was no regular engagement again
until the 11th. d and G. We're in the
trenches with * and l. for reserve on that
day, and Miller, who had only come out
the day before, was on our left with | and
A on the line, b and f in reserve. G Co
was filling sane bags to put on top of the
enbankment when word was sent along
the line that after the artillery had shell
ed the Insurgents FOR half an hour, we
would advance and try to capture Calico
can. Each man had lo5 rounds and can
teen full of water. Col. Wallace haG
charge of our line and the instructions
were to keep in touch with the Third ar
tillery on the right and Kansas on tbs
= left and we We're to execute a right mai
! turn with the right of the Third for piVo
and the left of Kansas to occupy Calico
can when the thing was over. We haC
gone but a little wa when Col. Wallace
was wounded. The Third would not come
out with my right and we broke ava,
from them. The first few hundred yard!
was gone over in regular extended orde'
I and thus we got the niggerS on the rui
and charged across the open for abou
a mile %dropping them on all sides. ] tel
q you Ben it was exciting; they were en-
trenched along a gully and from appea
ances had been living IN ii, coming up a
night and taking a shot at us. Back o
THE gulch they had the walls OF a cemeter!
banked up with earth and some sho
from there. They would leave the en-
= trenchments when our line approached
Il and break for the rear. Then the fun be
gan, sometimes they would fall two o
three times and run quite a distance blu
in most cases they wouldn't get far be
fore d 10 would pull them down. Tn
country here is mostly high, open, rolling
land, truly beautiful, with narrow strip
of timber crossing it. We finally chased
10 them about a mile beyond Caloocan whel
darkness set in and we fell back to tn
station. My! but it was a tough night
no fires, no blankets, and clothing we
through after the long, hot chase. TIL
Third hung back, and after we left them
to be in it at all, came up with a rusl
on our right, the Kansas crowded in OF
the left and we were ia~ck-knifed, blu
having lots of funa and slight loss. Mos
of our loss was when we were adVancin
in regular order and soon after We start
ed. The line is now about as originall
intended but very thin. We have a from
of twenty miles occupied by a fightin
line with neither supports or reserves.
j, Companies r, C and III did not get i
I on the fight at this place. II is now dc
ing guard duty at the barracks in tow
! and = is at a stone block house next tn
Pennsylvanians. I now have I, d and
on the line. Drennen has l. NJ and {