The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-07

! Americana Filipena mucha amiga, We
were expecting every day for the ball to
be set rolling. and We were not much sur
prised when on the night of February T.
al 7:30 p m, companies L, D, I and g
| Of our regiment were sent out 10 block
house II and formed as skirmishers along
the bank of a small creek, while company
! 3 went to Battery Knoll TO support two
| guns Of the Sixth artillery. About 1870
| p. m. one of the Cassett posts of the Ne
! braska regiment shot and killed an insur-
| gent who would not halt when command
| ed, and the insurgents forced our out
| posts to retreat This was the first firing
| that was done. The firing was taken up
| all along the line, as by this time we had
| a line of skirmishers from Manila on one
side to Cavite on the other, and about
! a. m. our line-that is the Washington 8
was strengthened by companies A, F, K,
c, E, II, and VI of our regiment, and at
about O'Clock the firing got TO US. The
| insurgents, lying behind their trenches,
poured Mauser and Remington bullets into
| our regiment until I thought we would
all be killed, but we soon got used to 1t
and returned the fire with interest until
daylight, when our first lieutenant,
elaine, asked permission of Major Weis-
enberger TO take our company across the
creek, and permission being given, We
waded the stream, which is about five
feet deep, in the face of a CALLING fire
from the insurgents. The other com
panies of our regiment coming over, we
started with yell at the insurgents
breast works General King shouted
halt" three times, but the command not
being obeyed, he turned to one Of his staff
and said, 'T will give them a command
they will obey" Then turning 10 US he
shouted. Go on, you savages, go on,
and his command was obeyed without be-
ing repeated. The insurgents fought
every inch of the ground they retreated
over until they reached the cover Of
wood Of baraboo brush and banana trees,
where we could not see them, and here
they made another stand. We were then
reinforced by one battalion Of the Idaho
regiment and two companies Of the Cali
fornia, and then we forced the insur-
gents to retreat step by step to Santa
Ana, one Of their strongholds, but they
could not stand our final charge, but
threw away guns, ammunition and every
4ONO4iACNAS4-
any degree, and swimming the Pasig river,
got out Of our range. Up to this time
company A had lost twenty-eight men
killed and wounded.
From Santa Ana we started to San
Pedro, capturing two Krupp guns on the
way, and after some pretty lively skirm-
ishing we took San Pedro and captured
twenty-five wagon loads of ammunition
that they had stored in a building.
We then rested for the night and the
next day moved forward towards Pasig,
a city of 25,000 inhabitants, which we now
occupy. Owing, however, TO the great
distance our lines were covering we re-
treated to San Pedro and built trenches,
and outside of some sharp-shooting, moth
ing was done until the 18th of this month.
when we had been reinforced and had
enough troops TO once more move for
ward. which we did, and after taking
Guadalupe, advanced to the top Of some
hills. We then had with Us the Twenty
second regiment the Twentieth regiment
and the Oregon volunteers and We poured
bullets into Petoras and Pasig, while the
gunboats and the Sixth artillery shelled
them This is when General Wheaton
wanted one battery of the Twenty-second
regulars TO go over and take the Isle of
Petoras, but they did not want to go un-
less the whole regiment was sent, which
made the general mad, and he said: Il
will get a regiment to go that will not
kick if they get killed" and turning to
his orderly said: Bring Colonel Wholley
of the Washington volunteers here, i'm
mediately." on Colonel Wholley coming
up he said: Colonel. there are some in
sursents on the Isle of Petoras who are
pouring in nasty croes-fire from behind
their breast-works; il you want to go
over. do so, and use your own discretion"
Colonel Wholley sent companies l. and D
over in a skiff in the face of murderous
fire. and company L was the first to land.
A regular officer stood on the opposite
bank and said: Foolish, foolish; there
goes two companies that viii never come
back" and although we didn't all come
back, most of US did, and we got an in
surgent or two for every one we lost.
Pasig was taken few days later and
Taguig on the same day. Companies L
and D are still holding Petoras against
the insurgents, who will never be able 10
drive Us out of the intrenchments they
made. as they are very well constructed.
That ended the fighting up to yester-
dav. when some OF the regiments started
to capture NIalabon and they had terri
BILE fighting, our loss being forty killed
and $50 wounded. and they are still fight
ing.
Eight companies of our regiment were
attacked this morning by a large force
Of insurgents and had fearful fighting.
but finally forced the Insurgents out Of
Pasig. our loss was seven killed and
many wounded.
While writing this letter an insurgent
sneaked into our lines and set fire 10 one
Of our quarters; he was caught and --
there will he a niger missing till the
judgment day"
Write often, and If you do not hear from
me. write anyway. as I am a long ways
from town and have 70 so out and fight
niggers almost every day. While I was
writing the other letter to YOU yesterday
the first sergeant came up 70 me and
said: "Haron. you and Diehl Chats my
caum) go our to those woods and see II
there are any insurgents in sight We
started, working through the trees, and
finally we found some. We shot into
them. and the way they made Us get
back 10 our lines would shame an express
engine. Sob got a bullet in his leg but
il made only a slight wound, while I es-
capped with only hole through the sleeve
Of my shirt,
The BOYS al have some very close calls
and 50 90 the insurgents. The other dav
l was talking 10 an artillery sergeant.
when nine Insurgents started 70 cross a
field IN front % as. The sergeant trained