Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-02-17
FRon MANILA.
Letter of w. j. Pettee, nusician
of Company A, to His
nother.

llOSIlSTs
MANILA, P. L., Dec. 18, 1881 am on
guard today and am compelled to stay
at the guardhouse-a few lines written
now will be time we'll spent.
We are keeping a very close guard
now as the insurgents are acting very
unfriendly. Our outpost guard has been
doubled and nobody is allowed to go
very far from quarters.
The orders are now for every man to
keep his belt full Of cartridges and hav-
ersack and canteen ready for instant
service.
Our company got Christmas boxes yes
terday, and I wish you could have seer
the fun when we opened them
Nothing that people at home could do
would have caused more universal salts
faction. The boxes contained an excel
lent assortment of the most useful things
you could possibly have sent. I recog-
nized my mothers handwriting in good
many of the boxes and am glad that you
had an opportunity togive the boys in Co.
A a good opinion Of the Bismarck ladies.
We were all very much surprised this
morning to find that our gun oil was
frozen stiff. The night really was
quite chilly and it seemed so good to
cuddle down under a blanket and 'sleep
the sleep of the soldier"
1 have been agreeably disappointed to
find that mosquitoes are not very trouble
some here, but we all have nets to guard
against them.
Our quarters being on the beach there
is a good breeze-most of the time.
I wish you could see Manila at sunset.
1t is supremely beautiful to see the sur
go down behind the mountain peak six
ty miles away, and the reflection on the
bay is something fine to witness.
A few years under American rule will
make Manila bay one of the finest har-
bors in the world, and with the entrance
properly fortified all the navies in the
world could not enter.
Corregidor Island, at the entrance, is
now used as a pleasure resort for conval-
escent soldiers and a permanent hospital
will be established there as soon as it
can be done.
The island already has a small town
and the extensive Notifications erected
by the Spaniards to guard the harbor.
I have just sounded taps and fixed my
bed to sleep in the guard house tonight.
According to army regulations the guard
trumpeter is supposed to sleep at the
guard house, but 1 have always been al
lowed to go to my quarters till tonight.
The way things are o it is necessary
for the trumpeter to be with the guard
SO if any trouble arises he can sound ito
arms" ut a moments notice. A couple
of Spaniards were arrested here last
night who had escaped from the insur-
gent lines and they say that We will he
attacked as oon as the opportunity Of
fers. I think all of the troops here are
under the same orders that we are, viz:
Ready to SCRAP" Every man is in
structed to have fifty rounds of ammuni-
ton in his belt and one hundred in his
heaversack.
The general opinion here is that the
natives haven't 'sand" enough to fire on
our o%utpoSts.
Our new cook Mike CLASSIFY continues
to be a "howling success" We have all
our tough meat in hamburger now. ]
enclose in a bundle of papers sent by
last mail a descriptive circular of the
camp cooking outfit which is issued to
each company for field service.
When we are in barracks stone stoves
and owens are built which are of course
much more convenient.
[ say a copy of Leslie's weekly with
illustrated accounts of the mastering
out of the Rough Riders, and there was
a picture of three rough riders, each
over 6 feet 2 inches in height, and who
do you think one of them was? Billy de
Zylinski. l recognized him at a glance,
2o'clock a. nj was peacefully slum.
bering about fifteen minutes ago when
an alarm was given and I was aroused
and ordered to sound fire" A big blaze
was visible some distance down the
street. OF COURSE, | am not supposed to
sound any calls without orders from Of
fcers of the guard, and when I ran out
of the guard house door I stopped
ouu yoAoo V0Aa, "iAoio arc my
ORDERS"
1t took the officer of the guard some
seconds to gain self-control enough to
order me to sound fire."
1t has been suspected for some time
that the insurgents would set fire to
some building to draw the soldiers from
their quarters, but two companies were
detailed to attend the fire and the rest
turned out with arms. I rather guess
the nstives would get a hot reception il
they showed up now.
Each company has stacked their arms
in the street and placed a guard over
them and there they'll stay till morning,
1t is surprising how quickly a thousand
men car be aroused from sleep, and be
formed into companies fully armed and
one days ~rations on their backs.
There was a very select party at the
residence of an Englishman, a short dis.
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