Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-03-24
FROM MANILA.
w. ]. Pettee Writes the Following In
teresting Letter to His Brother
and Mother.

and Mother.
MANILA, p. l., Jan. IA, 1888.
The past few days have been SO full OF
excitement and waiting for possible hos
tilities on the part Of the natives that I
have not found time to write to any one.
You will probably have heard long be-
fore this reaches you that the situation
here is very threatening. We have been
called out under arms several times, and
one day last week we fell in and marched
at double quick to our trenches near
Fort Malate.
"a" Company Is now considered one Of
the best companies in the regiment. We
have been confined to quarters and sleep
ing with our clothes on for three nights
now and are also furnishing very heavy
guards.
I mail today a map Of Manila and a
lot Of Manila papers in which you will
find the proclamations issued from both
American and Insurgent headquarters.
The attitude Of the natives is very Doubt
full, but if they ever do attack our lines
it viii be a sorry day for them.
The monitor Monadnock is now at
anchor off Fort Malate and has her
big guns trained on the insurgent head
quarters and camps. Her powerful
searchlights scan their lines every night
and thus their favorite time for fighting
is made as light as day. Yo~can never
imagine what a wonderfully powerful at
fair a modern searchlight is till you have
the good fortune to see one.
The warships anchored away over at
Cavite, a distance of nine miles, can OBJ.
serve everything that transpires here
just as we'll at night as by day. I have
frequently been on the beach back oi
our quarters and been "hit" in the face
by a beam of searchlight, and it is as
binding as a lightning flash.
Any foreigner who sees the American
army and navy forces here now cannot
help but be impressed with the wealth
and power Of our great nation, and the
perfection of the organization is wonder
full.
Our company was on outpost last
night and returned this morning. Mos
of the boys are now asleep, being tree
out with the long night watch near tn.
rebel lines. Lieut.. Newcomer just tolt
me that thirty-six of the boys are sount
asleep and no noise will be allowed il
the quarters to awaken them. Some peo
pie may think that a soldiers life is
lazy one, but only the strongest men cal
stand it. Major Frame of the End bat
talon Just rode by mounted on a native
"caballio" (pony'). He is field officer o.
the day and is in command of all the
outpost guard and police.
Crowds of Americans arrive by every
steamer SO this town will o on be a gooc
place to live in. Manila is a beautiful
city and the view from San Sebastir
cathedral is magnificent. The health o.
the soldiers is rapidly improving and thu
hospitals are being deserted. All thu
Bismarck boys are in fine health.
January "a. ! am on guard to
Ooy dnu d6 tuo uhl1 1cdV0S W
morrow I have obtained permits
sion to leave the guard house long
enough to write this letter.
The warm season is coming on nov
and every day the weather grows hotter
It seems hard to realize how cold it j
now in North Dakota. Most of the boy
are pretty we'll acclimated, and I thinl
that not much sickness will result from
| thu rpn0o nhso avyn nv, sxyonkh0n l,,k :
will be very hard if we have to do an,
active service.
All our clothes are the good old gov
eminent regulation now, and the shodd.
goods issued in San Francisco ar
paign hat of grey, belt and brown can
gings. You might think the flame
it is fine soft flannel and not at all bur
densome. The most welcome thing t,
me has been the shoes, which are shape'
in a sensible way and come in ditferen
widths to fit all kinds of feet. We hav
been issued underwear the same as tina
adopted by the English army for tropi
cal climates. 1t is cotton stuff, smootI
like what you call alpaca, and is made t
fit loose like Chinese clothes
l wish you could see our boys as the
appear here doing garrison duty. YoI
can imagine me as l look today with tn
aforesaid uniform and my belt and 81
shooter on to show I am on guard. TIL
old brass bugle with the white cord an
tassels completes the equipment of til
guy who regulates barracks life by tn
numerous garrison calls.
John Peterson has gone out to visi
the Monadnock today.
Lieutenant Geary told me- today tina
he didn't think we would be mustere'
out in much less than a year. Tha
does not seem to be very encouraging
but he forms his opinions from infor
nation gained from higher sources thai
I have any access to, so I can't very vel
I dispute.
We have been released from quarter
again now, and I hope everything will b
settled without any trouble with tn
natives. Their threatening attitude ha
} caused us a good deal of hard guar