The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-06-09

being the end and Montana, 3rd ar
tilery, 10th Pennsylvania, Sou.h
Dakota and Nebraska the side. The
opposite side of the rectangle was
Manila Bay. In front of the regiment
the country was hilly with patches of
brush for mile and half where a
swamp began. Far to the other side
of the swamp about five miles away a
church ruin on which a BAN boo tower
had been built, could be seen with
glasses. Here was where the 22nd
infantry had such hard fight, los-
their colonel and a great many men.
The LAlichau river ran along the
side of the swamp next to us. In
front of the side of the rectaugle in
front of Montana, 3rd artillery, etc,
stretched prairie varying from
"A mile to mile and three-tourths i'm
breadth. Timber or Jungle friDged
the opposite side of this prairie. All
along the edge of this jungle the in
surgents had constructed their
trenches trending IN the same gener-
al direction as ours. This piece of
prairie is very level but is cut up by
rice dykes and grows up with yolun.
teer rice as there was no crop In there.
This rice of course WAS scattered
but some Of IL was rs high as "a horses
back.
This rice Of course was scattering
but some of it as high as horses
back. The prairie is divided into
squares of about 80 to 50 yards by
dykes from ten to eighteen inches
high and ten to sixteen inches broad.
Every piece Of! untimbered land
have seen in the island is cut up this
way. In some places along the
streams where the fields Of growing
rice are irrigated from the river the
dykes are sometimes NJ much MS four
or five feet high. In many of these
places the rice crop is now waist deep.
Back of this prairie and the woods to
the east seeming tut short distance
away rises chain of mountains run
ming from north to south parallel 10
our lines. This chain of mountains
extends all the way to Malolos and ]
do not know how much farther. Per-
haps you might like to know some
thing about the timber especially
bamboo. There are lots palms of all
kinds. The banana trees are soft but
sometimes OF very good size. BY soft
mean like very young corn stalk
aud one Of u foot IN diama,er can 0e
easily cut down with u blow OF corn
knife. There are innumeraOle kinds
BAN 900 is the worst of all. 1t grows
in punches about eight or ten feet
through and ~ many stalks as can
stand IN bunch. The stocks are
from three TO five inches in diameter
and % TO 30 feet high. At the base
these stocks are solid out couple Of
feet above the ground they are mol
low at the center. When an in7ur-
gent gets behind one OF these lunches
of bam BOO you can't see him and If
you could you would stSnd but poor
show 10 hit him for l believe it would
stop cannon ball. After dark the
night before We started tot Malolos,
Kansas was Withdrawn, 2nd Oregon
taking tue trenches, and taken to
La Lama church. The 2nd aud Bird
battalions were placed IN front of the
church with the 2nd extending quite
way to the right of the yard, lst
battalion in reserve. Montana was
/ also Withdrawn and placed ON our
, right, the 22ud Infantry taking their
trenches. Gen. Wheaton commaud ed
the Oregons, end Infantry with the
4th Infantry IN reserve. Bgd. Gen.
/ Otis commanded our brigade Of the
; 3rd Artillery as Infantry, Goth Kan
sAs aud lst Montana and Gen Hale,
the brigade to our right consisting of
the 10Th Pennsy lVania, LIST ;. Dakota
aud LIST Nebraska. These are named
in order from Malabon to the right.
, This was Gen. McArthur's command.
} Gen. Wheaton's brigade was not part
of Gen, McArthur's div sion technical
ly speaking. 1t was an Independent
brigade called the "Flying Brigade
but under the command of Gen. Me-
} Arthur. The first maneuver. as near
7 as can make out, WAS TO use the cor
, ner where we had joined the Montana
( before the Oregon and 22Dd had taken
our places, as a pivot and swing the
! whole division around until it was on
, u line with the old Kansas trenches
! and then advance toward MalolOs
AS the line must:have been seven or
! eight miles long you can SEQ how
l much farther the right end would be
compelled to travel. BY eleven O'Clock
! p. m. on the oath our lines were in
! readiness.
3 A good sized mail came