The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-06-23

began to get rid of the vicious ele
ment in the regiment.
doubt If the Twentieth Kansas
regiment differs much from the
average volunteer regiment 1t has
been fortunate regiment in that 1t
has had good opportunities The
men have liked their officers as a
rule. There are not more than one or
two officers disliked by the men. |
think that is why the men fight so
well.
| In the advance from Malolos a con-
| spicuous part was played by the
armOred tram ard the infantry of
Wheaton's brig ide had little to do,
save when a number Of Montana men
and one company of Kausaus, under
cover of fire from the armored car,
advanced and occupied the bank of
the Bag uag river.
SWIMMING RIVER UNDER FIRE.
Twelve men Of the Kanssns charg-
ed across the broken bridge while it
was still under fire from the enemy.
! jumped into the river and swan to
the other side, when all that were LETT
of the enemy fled. The bridge was
repaired by the engineers during the
day and the next day the brigade ad
vanced to the r o Graude de Pampan-
ga, the second largest river i'm Luzon
island. 1t was found here that the
large railroad bridge of $50 feet span
had been almost destroyed.
| obtained permission from Generals
Wheaton and Macarthur to attempt
| to carry this bridge by assault, but
was told to attempt it only with men
who would volunteer for that special
duty. | sent Corporal Fergus out to
reconnoiter the bridge, an especially
hazardous undertaking. with the
enemy entrenched in force at the
other end
DARING OF A CORPORAL.
He not only succeeded in reaching
our end Of the bridge, but, under
cover of darkness, crawled along the
irouwOrk, where the floor of the bridge
had been cleared away, to the other
end, and under the insurgent outpost.
He had nothing but his revolver.
He came back, and reported that AT
the other end of the bridge there was
nothing but one steel girder three
inches wide ON which to walk, ana
this precluded the possibility Of
stormng the bridge.
The enemy was entrenched all
along the opposite bank OF the river
in considerable force, and had three
pieces OF artillery and one Maxim
gun, which they used literally, but
without hurting anybody.
At noon the Goth concluded to at
tempt to force the passage of the river
800 yards below the railroad bridge !
A raft had been left on our side ofthe
river. This we cut in three small !
RATS. | again called fsr volunteers
to swim the river This was au extra
hazardous undertaking, because the
AAfbA " a. hNNH anu NlAt, auh INC CuL-
rent strong, and where man swan
he would he exposed to the ii ire of the /
enemy intrenched all along from the
bridge down to the point of crossing.
We stationed men who were SnOwn
to be good shots along the south bank
of the river to protect the flank, and
Lieutenant Fleming brought up
Hotchkiss revolving cannon. with
this We opened fire on the trenches Of
the enemy, sweeping the tops.
BRAVERY OF TWO VOLUNTEERS.
a number of men volunteered to
swim the river, but only two were
needed. These two were PMvates
Trembly and White. These men
took "a rope in their teeth and swan
across the river together, reaching
the shore twenty-five feet from one of
the enemy's intrenchments.
They were naked and had no arms.
They kept under cover of banks as
we'll a they could, our men on the
other side firing over them in volleys
and the Hotchkiss also being used.
y soon as the enemy heard our two
men talking they jumped up and be-
gaH to run out, fifteen leaving this
trench. Some of them were shot by
our men on the south bank as they
ran.
Meanwhile the men could not find
anything to tie the end Of the rope to
more convenient than one of the up
right posts of the insurgent trench,
so one of them worked himslf up,
hand over hand, and, making "A moose,
slipped it over post within SIX feet
of three armed insurgents on the other
side of the trench. After the rope had
been secured we began to cross.
never "cuss" man unnecessarily