The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-04-09
LETTER FROn MANILA.
A Kansas Boy Tells of the Fighting IN
the First Battle.

Judge Bradford has received a
letter from a nephew who is
a member of the First Da-
kota Volunteers. The judge has
kindly given THE ARDMOREITE a
copy of the letter, which is as
follows:
''On tie Battlefield, Six Miles
from Manila, PHILIPPINE Islands,
February 10, 1899.-Dear Uncle:
l will try and write you few lines,
though our conveniences for writ
ing are very poor, but as you were
a soldier years ago you undoubted-
" remember the inconvenience
that a soldier has to contend with,
especially in time of battle. am
aware that you know all about |
what we are doing over here and
know more in a general way than
l can tell you, yet a few lines
from one that had hold of the
kicking end of a Springfield rife
might be Of interest.
will not undertake to tell you
what caused the attack more than
to say that we had made up our
minds that we would have to give
them thrashing and went at it.
At about 10 O'Clock on Saturday
night, February I. the bugle
sounded call to arms, and in a very
short time we were in line with
200 rounds of ammunition to the
man. At II o'clock we were at
the outpoStS, and by that time the
firing was general all along the
line, a distance of about eleven
miles. We kept up fusilade un-
til about ) O'Clock. We ate our
breakfast, consisting mostly Of
hardtack and desire to fight At
, O'Clock it was light enough to
see our foe. and we made a general
advance all along the line. We
did not go far until the black dew
lis began the fight in real earnest.
Our brigade was made up of the
First South Dakota on the left.
the First Colorado in the center
and the First Nebraska on the
right. We charged the enemy at
distance of about 800 yards; we
went on brisk trot. yelling like a
lot Of school boys. When We were
in about 400 yards the black ras-
Gals lit out like scared wolves. We
killed quite a number on this
charge. As this was their ad
vance post they did not make sc
determined a stand, as they had ;
much stronger position about {
thousand yards further out anC
consisting of trenches, blockhouses
and forts. This second line wa.
. the one the Spanish occupied a
= the time General Merritt captured
( Manila. Here they thought Il
give us a taste of what they haC
in store for US. They massed in /;
bamboo thicket (jungle it is called
here, and that is what it isl, bu
our artillery opened upon them Cat
ling, Hotchkiss and rapid fir,
guns. In about thirty minutes
the jungle looked like a sorghum
patch after a heavy hail storm.
Again they moved back ant
took their next stand, which wa
at the Spanish position, and
strong one. Our regiment an,
the Twentieth Kansas deployed t,
the left and then fanked tn
rebels and raked their trenches "A
300 yards range. We drove then
out and forced them in range 0
T., the artillery And mighty souls
how they moved them! Nor
than GOO lay in a half mile stretch
y This put them in such a pani
that they ran in all directions eS
cept into our lines. If you thin
= short grass soldier can't shoot
visit block house after a battl
and see - to 40 dead Filipino
killed through holes no large
than mans face.