The Dickinson press., 1899-04-29


to the outskirts of Calumpit, but the
town was found SO strongly protected
that General Macarthur deemed it best
to withdraw the tired fighters and to go
into camp for a nights rest before
making the final assault. The largest
buildings in Calumpit were being fired
by the Filipinos while the Amer
leans were crossing the river fully q
mile away, indicating the enemy's in
tention to abandon the place.
The insurgent forces were we'll
drilled. Every foot of ground was
tenaciously disputed by thoroughly or
ganized troops who stood remarkably
firm even before artillery. The enemy
had planned to wreck our artillery
transport train. This
Attempt Was a Failure,
but span of the iron railway bridge
over the river was destroyed, hamper
ing the American transportation for
some time. The Filipinos cut the gir-
der, intending to have the structure fall
with the train, but it collapsed prema-
turely Of its own weight. The Bagbag
river, which is about 100 yards wide at
that point, was splendidly fortified and
the Americans were compelled to ap-
proach across an open space from which
the rebels had cleared every obstruction
in sight.
General Wheaton's brigade ap-
preached the river along the railway
and General Hale swept westward to-
ward the railway. The armored train
was being pushed by Cinnamon, the
Twentieth Kansas regiment advancing
in extended order on the left and the
First Montana regiment, with the Utah
light artillery, on the right. The rapid
firing guns on the train "opened the
ball" at II 80 a. m. The Montana regi-
ment and the Utah artillery batteries
at the same time entered the jungle
from which the insurgents poured
heavy volleys. In the course of an
hour the
Americans Had Forced Passage
through the woods to the open space in
front of the river and the artillery i'm
mediately on wheeling IN the open be-
gan shelling the Filipino trenches.
Colonel Frederick Funston of the
Kansas regiment called for volunteers
to cross the river, and the colonel him
self, Lieutenant Ball, private of Com
pany K. a private of Company E,
Trulnpeter Barsfeld and Corporal Fer.
guson of Company I, orawled along the
iron girders. Having reach the broken
span, the small but valorous party of
Americans slid down the caisson, swan
to the shore and crawled up the
bank. The little colonel led the way to
the trenches, revolver in hand, while
the few remaining Filipinos bolted.
General Hale's troops on the railway
had the hardest fight. They followed
the north bank of the river nearest the
town from the east with the First Ne
braska regiment on the left and the
First South Dakota and the Fifty-frst
Iowa beyond. The country to be tray
ersed was mostly jungle, but the
Filipinos Stood Their Ground
even in the open spaces. When the
cheers of the Kansas troops announced
that the Americans had crossed the
river General Hales men began to ford
the Chico, branch of the Bagbag
Stretching to the northeast. The gen.
tral himself plunged in up to his neck
tad the regiments foundered across the
stream. The guns of the Utah light
artillery were dragged over next and
formed into an extended line to advance
upon the trenches before Calumpit,
from which the Filipinos were pouring
continuous volleys.
The armored car had one man killed
and two wounded. The Kansas regi-
ment had three wounded during the
charge and the Utah light artillery one
killed and two wounded. Most of the
other casualties befell the South Dakota
regiment,