Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-17

WheatOn's Brigade in Making the At |
tack.
Brigadier General Lloyd Wheaton's brig
ade attacked and captured the city of
Pasig, east of Manila, Monday. The enc
my were forced to retreat after an hours
fight. The loss of the Filipinos was 30
killed and 16 prisoners; of the United
States forces six were wounded.
Gen. Wheaton's divisional brigade, con
sistng of the Goth United States infantry,
the 22d infantry, eight companies of the
Washington volunteers, seven companies
of the Oregon volunteers, three troops of
the 4th United States cavalry, and a
mounted battery of the 9th artillery was
drawn up on a ridge behind San Padro Ma
cati, mile south of the town, at daylight
Monday morning.
The cavalry led the column at a smart
trot across the open to the right, reaching
a clump in the rear of Guadalupe. Sup
ported by the Oregons the advance force
opened a heavy fire on the rebels. The re-
spouse was feeble and desultory, apparent
y coming from small bodies of men in ev-
cry covert. While the right column was
swinging towards the town of Pasig the
left advanced pouring volleys into the bush.
A small body of rebels made a determined
stand at Guadalupe church but the enemy
was unable to withstand the assault.
The river gunboat poured a terrific fire
| from her Calling guns into the brush. For
| all of an hour the whirring of the rapid fire
guns alternated with the booming of the
heavier pieces on board. In the mean
while SCOTS battery ashore was Smelling
| the trenches and driving the enemy back
| The artillery then advanced to the ridge of
bamboo and drove few of the enemy's
| sharpshooters away with volleys from their
carbines. The artillery then advanced and
met with little opposition.
In the meantime the infantry had been
| sent forward in extended order, the Wash
ington regiment resting on the bank of the
river, each regiment deploying on reaching
its station and furnishing its own supports
| The entire column then wheeled towards
the river driving the enemy towards its
supports, and then advanced on Guada-
loupe. The artillery moved to a ridge
commanding Pasig and Parteros. By this
time the enemy was in full flight along a
line over a mile long, and the firing was
discontinued temporarily in order to give
the troops a rest before making the attack
on Pasig. At this stage of the engagement
it was raining heavily.
After a short rest Gen. Wheaton re-
sumed the attack on Pasig. SCOTS bat
terry, supported by two companies of the
Goth regiment, advanced on Guadalupe
| by the road along the river bank the re
mainder of the Goth regiment and the ODD
regiment following the reserve of the Ore
| gon volunteers. The column came in con-
tact with the enemy and gunboat steamed
to the firing line and cleared the Jungle on
both sides while the battery took up po-
sition on bluff at the right. The first
shot from the American field pieces at 1900
yards range dislodged gun of the enemy
at Pasg. After the town had been shelled
the Goth regiment lined up on the bluff and
the 22d took up position on the left of the
place, with the cavalry in the centre,
whereupon the enemy retreated to the
town. The gunboat then moved into a
| bend opposite, and hot fire ON the rebel
position was maintained along the whole
American line until 2:20 p. NJ, when prep
arations were made for the attack
At 3 p. NJ our gunboat started in pur-
suit of the enemy's armed tug, chasing her
to the lake.
At $3.50 p NJ. large body of the enemy
was discovered working around our right
flank and the goth regiment was moved to
commanding ridge. The rebels were
met opposite Pateros, but the enemy bolt
ed. The advance continued as far as the
Pasig river, in front of the town of Pasig.
The fugitives crossed to the opposite bank
and made stand in Pasig for an hour.
But Scott's battery shelled the town Wig
orously and the Filipinos retreated again,
leaving the Americans in possession. The
whole American line bivouacked at 5
O'Clock.
Gen. Wheaton's column encountered the
enemy in such force late Tuesday between
Pateros and Taguig as to necessitate a
change in the original plans. The cavalry
attacked a rebel stronghold in the Jungle,
driving the enemy into Pateros. The
Americans had one man killed and three
wounded. Scott's battery shelled the
town and woods effectively. Later the
enemy crossed the river from Pasig. Two
companies of the I'd Oregon infantry clear
ed the right bank after a sharp engage
ment, and then retired with three wound
ed. In the meantime the Washington vol
unteers closed in, driving small bodies of
the rebels back upon Pateros. One man
was killed. During the night the enemy
burned the town of Pasg.
The 22d regular infantry advanced I'M
til they encountered a number of volleys.
This fire was returned with interest. The
line then wheeled toward Pateros in the
following order The Oregon volunteers,
the Goth regulars, the Washington volun-
teers, a cavalry detachment, the 22d regu-
lars, and reserve artillery. The troops
followed the roads while the gunboats
Caste and Laguna assisted in suppressing
the fire on the left flank. Three rebel ca
noes were captured on the river. The
rebel sharpshooters at Caloocan were ac-
tive, but no casualties were reported.
Gen. Wheaton's column advanced beyond
Pasig to the shore of Laguna de Bay,
sweeping everything before them. The
enemy made a running fight and suffered
severe loss. The rebel avenue and com
munication north and south was closed,
the American Gordon stretching over a
mile from the river to the lake.
Rebel incendiaries landed on Thursday
night at the village of Pandacan, east of
Manila, ON the Pasig river, for the pur-
pose, it is said, of terrorizing the inhabi-
tants. A number of native houses were
destroyed.
The transport Grant, with Gen. Lawton
and the 4th infantry and battalion of the
17th,-about 1900 men-arrived at Manila
Friday.
The Filipinos before Manila apparently
had planned an attack upon the lines of
Gen. Otis and Gen. Hale Sunday morning,
but their courage seemed to fail them,
though they fred signals and afterward
kept up fusilade along the American