Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-23

The story of Company G's baptism Of
fire was graphically told an Inter Noun
tain reporter a few days & by Karl G..
Peterson, who was General kessler's or
derby during the earlier part of the fight
ing of last spring.
At the battle of Caloocan Orderly Pet
erson received a Mauser bullet in his left
lung. The missile passed through the
young mans body and was taken out
within half an inch of his spine. Be
cause of this wound as he expressed it.
he missed much of the fun. He was sent
to the hospital, and later. invalided
home.
G got the first taste of real
war on the night of February A." said
he. Il remember it very we'll. We were
in barracks at Manila, and had been
kicking ourselves because of our en-
forced inactivity. About 8 O'Clock the
first ergeant entered the barracks. and
it was easy to see that something was
up. He mounted a chair and shouted:
Get on your fighting clothes, boys;
your brown pantaloons and blue shirts.
and take your haversacks and c~anteens.'
'sWe obeyed the order and waited in
suspense for an TOUR. Taps were sound
ed and still no order came. Some of
the boys went outside and could hear
firing away off in the distance. A mem
Der of Company l accidentally discharged
Ills DleCt dIu lulo CdlSSu great 1
lnent.
About this time Captain Wynne came
down and ordered
Company G, fall in!
we quickly formed in the company
street where forty round of extra am
munition was issued to US, making ninety
rounds in all, and Major Bruning came
along and issued first aid packages of
bandages. Companies 3. E and NJ were
with us. Dur c%ronies, the boys of Com
-@..- ~ ~-=- = A.
coyotes stood around kicking them
selves because they were not in on the
fun. Our company was known as the
high collars"
Go after 'em high collars, and show
'em that your backbone is stiff as we'll as
your linen yelled somebody.
Good bye, coyotes - we called back
as we marched down the street. Lieu
tenant-Colonel Wallace and Major Cook
were with us. Someone started to whis-
tie Marching Through Georgia. and
in a minute the whole battalion was
our pent-up nerves. We marched out
about a mile where we captured a Fill
ipino spy. General Macarthur came
along and ordered Wallace to the left OF
the railroad track. Company G was de-
ployed as an advance guard. and for
some reason, probably because of the
general confusion, the three companies
back of US We're halted, and we marched
alone into action 100 yards beyond the
firing line, and we We're under fire for the
first time.
1T was hard to describe the sensation.
I was nervous and excited, but / was
not afraid. Then it was as dark as
pitch and we could see the fire leap from
the guns away to the front, knowing that
they We're intended for us, and we could
hear the ping Of the bullets as they
passed over our heads, and I cannot say
that l felt as comfortable as l do at
the present moment. Then we We're or
dered behind the ~embankrnent, where we
remained for some time. After a long
wait came the order from Wynne
" Forward, guide inter march,! and
in a minute We We're on the firing line.
shooting to beat the band. 1t was some
relief to shoot at the little black devils
and we fired about fifteen volleys into
them with great satisfaction, thinking
that we We're doing some execution.
When day dawned you can imagine our
chagrln when just in front of US rose the
majestic face of a bluff. We had been
shooting into the bank of the bluff all
night.
EARLY in the morning we went across
the big ~embankment, and a short time
later the Monterey and Raleigh began
to throw shells into the camp of the
Filipinos. They would pass through the
ground bounce and burst with great eff
feet. Finally the ships changed their po-
sltion and threw their shells directly over
our heads. 1t was not at all comfortable
and we signalled them to move, which
they did.
Talk about accurate shooting. I be-
lieve the American runners are the best
in the world. About two miles away
from the ships stood the church of La
Iona, in the tower of which was ar
American signalman. The whole coun-
try had been blocked off into squares b,
the military engineers long before this
and each square numbered. Down be-