Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-28
DETAILS OF FIGHT At c.L.mBA
Americans Had Two Hours Ensare-
ment to Capture Town.

to IMPURE Town.
Following are additional details Of tho
capture OF the Filipino town of Caianba
by force under Gen. r. II. Hall ON VEL
hesoayi Calamba is an important trading
town on the south shore Of Laguna de Raw.
The trenches commanding the harbor were
under water, but the swampiness of the
land made the work harder
me troops boarded cascoes Tuesday
| night. The force comprised 4oD of the
| Washington Volunteers. 450 OF the DIST In
fantry, 80 of the 4th Cavalry and two
| guns of the LIST Artillery. These and the
gunboats Napidan and Costo assembled uI,-
posite Calamba Wednesday afternoon
crowds of people in carts and on foot we're
| seen rushing TO the hills. Natives escaping
from Calamba in canoes said a hundred in
| surgents held the town.
A force under Capt McGrath Of the cISt
infantry and Capt. Eltonherd landed east
| OF the town, but found river Intervening.
capt McGrath and Lieut.. Batson swan inc
| river under a fire from twenty Mausar
| rifles. Having crossed the stream, the OH
| GERS procured casco TO ferry the troops
| over. The insurgents retreated through the
| town. shooting from houses and bushes 90
| they fed to the hills.
Three members of the Washington regl-
ment waded from cascoes through swamps
| often shoulder deep. while a group OF FIJI
| pinos concealed In haystacks were shooting
| at them. until the Napidan focused her
| six-pounders and gatling guns on The
stacks for few minutes Most Of the work
was done before the Washington Nolun-
teers could reach the town.
The Fflipinos left three dead. OF tho
casualties on the American side. two OF the
killed and three OF the wounded were MEM
bers of the 4th Cavalry. and two killed
and eight wounded belonged to the 2lst In
fantry
There was much shooting of amlgoes,
who emerged from the bushes with white
flags. After the fight dozen men holding
up their hands and shouting "Castillanos"
met the American cavalry. Even Spanish
soldiers embraced the Americans hyster-
ically. There were fifty Spanish prisoners
at Calamba, of whom some were civil OFF,
Gals and some were soldiers. They had
been given the choice of joining the Fill
Pine army or becoming servants to Fill
pinos, and chose the army, intending to
surrender at the first opportunity. Most
of the civilians reached the American lines
during the fighting, but the insurgents took
others away with them in their retreat
Gen. Hall captured twelve Fiipinos with
guns.
Maj. Gen. Henry W. Lawton. Prof Dean
c. Worcester Of the American Philippines
commission, Mrs. Bawton and Gen. Law
tons son accompanied the expedition on
board launch and sat coolly in unpro-
tected boat close to the shore during the
fighting. the bullets splashing about them.
Gen. Hall brought back to Manila the
Spaniards whom the expedition had re-
leased from captivity of more than year.
Lieut.. Larsen. commanding the Napidan,
found a long-missing Spanish gunboat,
which had been covered with bushes and
fishnets so not to resemble a vessel
The Filipinos having met reinforcements
and thinking that the Americans had
evacuated the town, descended from the
hills, intending to reoccupy Calamba-
Gen. Hall easily drove them back. Gen.
Hall will leave a garrison at Calamba
which is about thirty miles southeast Of
Manila. 1t is much farther south than tho
United States troops nave yet penetrated
on land. 1t is in the province of Laguna
1t has a population of II .416. and is twenty
seven miles from Santa Cruz, on the east
ern shore of the bay. Its capture Is not
considered of any strategical Importance.
except a part of the plan to harass and
worry the insurgents.