Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-04-13
MANILA LETTER.
Clyde Allen, . Brookings Boy, Writes
Home.
BLoCKHoUsE No. 4, NEAR MANILA,

| Home.
BLoCKHoUsE No. 4, NEAR MANILA,
Feb. IS, 1899.
| DEAR MoTHER-I wrote few days
ago, but will write again today as
have nothing to do and steamer will
leave soon, it is said, for the United
States. i got some papers, sent about
| the first OF January, and also couple
of letters from Hart. written about
the same time. We have not had any
mail for quite while, but are expect
ing the transport Scandia with mail
and troops nearly every day, as she is
now number of days overdue. 1t is
most terribly hot here now, about 80
and 100 in the heat of the day, and the
hot weather season is just starting. 1t
will be pretty hot here in from a
month to six weeks from now; how
ever, the men stand the heat pretty
we'll.
or course you know by this time
that the American and Filipino forces
have clashed and had a fight, and nu-
merous skirmishss. All the regiments,
except those guarding the city, are
out in the trenches and have been
since the day Of the scrap, Feb. 5th.
l will tell you the part we took in it.
The Filipinos began firing on our out
posts at about 10 o'clock, February
4th, and about half an hour later, the
regiment went out on the run to do
business. We got out all right and
after short time the insurgents
stopped shooting, and we went back
to quarters. We had just got In bed
when they began firing on us from all
around the city, and out we started
again.
We got outside Of Manila, and as
the air was full of bullets and it was
dark, we laid down to wait for the
morning. Two OF the men were killed
and a few wounded, and at daylight
we began shooting We staid this
way for while and at about 8 o'clock
the companies were placed in line of
trenches and the order was given to
charge on blockhouse across the val
ley and strip of woods. At the word
the regiment jumped up in open order
and we went after them. They had
an open plain for about three fourths
Of mile, and poured bullets at US,
but not man was hit, and as soon az
We could run across tho intervening
distance the blockhouse was ours. At
about o'clock the insurgents, who b ad
been firing at US all the time, was
giving the 80 Pennies" doth Penn J
about all they wanted to do, and so we
started off again after stone church,
stone fort and blockhouss, which was
from two and one-half to three miles
away and was the headquarters Of the
insurgents.
The woods between us and the
church was full of sharp shooters, etc,
and they poured it at US bad, but their
aim was high. A Co. K man was
killed soon after we started, and the
boys soon got the sharp shooter who
did the business. We kept on running
and laying down until we got near the
church, when we made long run fol
it and then the natives fired at US and
took a run for the woods, at which
time great many were killed. Just
as we took the church, etc., the "l(
Pennies" came up and SO we went or
about half a mile further and theI
laid down behind kind Of trench and
rested, and as our ammunition wal
getting short, we came back.
was supposed to be with Col. Frost
but when the fun began / got CUR
and went on the firing line and was In
the scrap from end to end, but did not
get a scratch. Co.'s. Frost and Stovel
were everywhere and didn't care fol
the bullets at all, and most Of the Off
GERS were the same. Col. Frost is ;
"scrapper" from away back and no
afraid Of anything, and won the ad
miration of all the men.
Our headquarters are at the block
house, where the band boys are actini
as headquarters guard, and most o
the companies are out little way OF
the firing line. They are shooting of
and on, every now and then all around
but they haven't bothered us mucl
yet.
Don't know how long we will b,
here; are living in shelter tents
Nights lovely, with "Mucho musquito,
but they don't bother US as we have
nets. Never felt better. Goodbye
with love to all. Your son,
CLYDE.
P. S. saw Chester this morning
he is feeling as well as ever. The pa
pers say Munger, Zimmerman ant