The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-26
ASSAULT ON Town viii
Begin TO-DAY.
THE LARGE BUILDINGS FIRED
Rebels Are Evidently Preparing
TO EvaCuate the Place.
FIGHTING I fHICk JUNGLEs
First Soutb S 1Ota Regiment Suffered
y ! ''l'.t '''' ltI'''
.
HARD Ln 2 5 WORK FOR OUR TROOPS
Natives Met the American Advance
With Fierce Resistance, and Suc-
cess Was Dearly Bought
Bravery OF Colonel Fun
ston of Kansas.
HARD Le6s 5 WORK FOR OUR TROOPS

Manila, April 25.-10:30 p m.-General
MacArthur's division fought it's way to the
Filipino trenches before Calumpt today,
advancing four miles, mostly through
woods and jungle, and crossing the Bagbag
river
This was accomplished at cost to the
Americans of six killed and twenty eight
wounded, the First South Dakota regiment
being the heaviest loser.
After fording the river the South Dakota
men pursued the insurgents to the OUT
skirts, but that town found to be SO
strongly protected that General Macarthur
deemed it best to withdraw the tired hght-
ers and go into camp for nights rest be-
fore making the final assault
The largest buildings in Calumpit were
being fired by the Fipinos while the
Americans were crossing the river fully a
mile away, indicating the enemys inten-
tion to abandon the place. The insurgents
seem to have adopted a settled policy of
retiring from one position after another
after inhicting the greatest possible dam
age upon the advancing army. The forces
today were well drilled. Every foot of The
ground was tenaciously disputed by the
thoroughly organized troops, who stood re-
Planned to Wreck Our Tain
The enemy had planned to wreck our
artillery transport train. This attempt was
failure, but a span of the iron on the
railway bridge over the river was Destroy
ed. hampering the American transportation
for some time. The Filipinos cut the GRID
ers, intending to have the structure fail
with the train but it collapsed prematurely
of it's own weight.
The Bagbag river, which is about iOo
yards wide at that point, was splendidiy
fortified, and the Americans were compelled
to approach an open space from which the
rebels had cleared away every obstruction
to sight. The bank of the river high
bluff, was surmounted with trenches, cap
ped with rock loop holes and partly Dy
bushes
General Wheatons brigade approached
the river along the railroad leaving camp
beyond Malolos city. General Hale's coli
umn which started yesterday was earlier on
the march and swooping westward toward
the railroad. The armored train was being
pushed by Cinnamon, the Twentieth kan-
sas regiment advancing in an extended or
der on the left and the First Montana regi-
ment with the Utah Light artillery on the
right.
Opened tho ball
The rapid-firing guns on the tram
"opened the BALI at 80 a. M, about
mile from the river, their popping alternat-
ing continuously with the boom of the six
Founders.
THE Montana regiment and the Utah
artillery batteries at the same tina retired
to the Jungle from which the insufSents,
who were occupying large stragglt1g VIII
lage Huberhub poured heavy volieys. In
the course of an hour the Americans had
forced a passage through the woods to the
open space in front of the river and the
artillery. Immediately wheeling into the
open, began shelling the Filipino trenches.
In the meantime Company X, Twentieth
Kansas led by Captain Beltwood, per-
formed one of the most brilliant achieve
ments of the campaign The regiment was
being held in reserve and Company
charged distance of quarter OF mic
over a cornfield to the bank of the river,
near the bridge, where the insurgents, from
a trench, were peppering the armored
train then about 200 yards down the track.
The company found shelter in ditch
Colonel Frederick Funston called for vol
unteers to cross the river, and the colonel
himself, Lieutenant Ball, private of Cons
pany X, and a private of Company e;
Trumpeter Barsfield and Corporal Fergu-
son. of Company /, crawled along the iron
girders
While this was going on, the men of COM
pank X from the ditch, were fusilading
the trenches in the endeavor of diverting
attention, but the Filipinos got the range
from a trench down the river, and their
bullets soon spattered the water under the
structure
Funston Lead the Way
Having reached the broken span. the
small but valorous party of Americans slid
down the caisson, swan few yards to the
shore, and crawled up the bank the littla
colonel leading the way to the trenchest
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