The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-21
.[ETT[RSIFROM MANILA
-%-
Noble A. j. Mcdonnell Tells His Ex-
perience In Battle.
WORSE THAN SPANIARDS
HARDER TO CONQUER
THAN FORMER MASTERS.
Short and Laconic Epistle From Ben
Harbour = Major Richard W..
Young Tells of the Finding of Dr..
Harry Young's Body-Death Of
Corporal Kennedy In Hospital.

W.. J. Mcdonnell, who lives at 2S1 Sec
ond East street, has received the follow
ing letter from his son, Noble A. j..
Mcdonnell, who is in battery A, U. S.
", in the Philippines:
The Waterworks, Eleven Miles From
Manila, Jan. 6, 1S99.-My Dear Father:
We have gone through a far worse war
with the natives than we ever did with
the Spanish, and [ am safe and in the
finest of health. I was struck slightly
on heel; no blood.
Last Saturday night, Bird inst, one of
the American sentrieS shot a. Filipino
lieutenant, and the fun commenced
The Utah batteries Immediately moved
seven guns to the left of the city and
planted them under an old church, used
tombstoneS for breastWorks, and OPEN
ed fire. The noise and slaughter were
terrible. l. with my section, went to
the right of the city with one gun from
battery B, and there the two guns,
with their crews, made as brilliant a
fight as any of the war. The guns
reached the outskirts of the American
forces, and major of the Tennessees
gave US the order to go down the road
on the run, and we did. Mind you,
there was no infantry with US, thou
sands of natives were on the right side
of the road, the trees were full of them,
also the buildings, and as the road is
about ten feet above the surrounding
country, we made the finest kind Of
targets. Shots were coming at US by
thousands, and when we got right into
the middle of them we swung into ac-
-tion. l was gunner and acting chief
of my section. Our gun was a little
smaller than some of the others. We
were firing a shot from my gun every
ten seconds. and before 1 had been
shooting five minutes / had set ten
buildings on fire, which drove the ma
tiveS out. Then we shelled the trees
and brush, but the natives did not move
out. My gun was red hot, and the gun
crew almost dead from exhaustion. Sew
eral of my men were hit, but were still
in the fight.
We now ran the guns side by side
down the road for a hundred yards un-
der a terrible fire from the natives, and
again got into action. L threw canister
into the bambooS and occasionally a
shrapnel into a building, setting it on
fire. By this time every building in sight
was burning, and the natives were run
ming as fast as God would let them. At
this point the American infantry
jumped out on to the road, and, form
ing into skirmishers, went into the
brush at full speed. The battle was
over. Two guns from Utah had won a
most brilliant fight, and not one Utah
man with me was seriously wounded,
and over 200 native soldiers were dead.
We pushed on, fighting every inch of
the way, and in forty-eight hours had
advanced to here, and hard fighting it
was. Two more Utah guns reached us,
and our four guns, now side by side,
shelled every hill on our march. At
least 1000 natives were killed on our
march. The natives have taken away
certain parts of the engines at the
waterworks; the engines are now work
ing, and are being put in repair. As
far as 1 can learn, between 5000 and
5000 natives have been killed, and a
terrible lot wounded. Over 100 Ameri-
cans are dead and a couple of hundred
wounded, and the fight is not finished.
We are camped upon a hill, and our
four guns command the waterworks
and the valley. Many natives are com
ing in with white flags. 1 brought in
two prisoners whom 1 captured. More
news when L get chance. Regards to
all, and trust you are well. / am,
NOBLE A J. MCDONNELL.