Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-05
Carroll q. Stentz Writes Of Many
Engagements in Philippines
WILL RETURN HOME THIS MONTH.
Marched Eiahty-four Miles I'm six Days
saw Remnants Of Aguinaldo's
Government = Adventures
ofFonrth Cavalry.


who is in the city visiting AT the home
OF Chris Haw, on West Fifth street.
has recently received a letter from her
son. Carroll Sientz. who went 20 the
philippines under Gen. Merritt, ms II
member of the Fourth cavalry, in July.
1895. He has been in many engage
ments during his term of service, but
has remained in good health through
out. His letter will be read with inter-
| EST by his many friends and acquain-
tances in Ottumwa. He wrote the fol-
| lowing when he expected to come home
| on the Pennsylvania. but he did not get
ON that ship, and sailed from Manila on
the Tartar, which is expected in San
Francisco inside of the next Two weeks.
In a note received Saturday by Mrs.
Hooton, Mr.. Stentz says he will be in
Ottnmwa by Oct. Is. The letter fol-
lows:
4 Manila, p. T., Aug. 16, 1899.
| ,..Dear AIother-I will try to give you
a brief account of what l have been
mixed up i'll during the last three and
one-half months. | wrote to you when
we were at Balinag. When we left
there we went farther into the rebel
country. going almost north We cap
tured Massin, st. Idle De Fonso. San
Miguel, Mercennes. sebol Sulphur
Springs, Gapang and San Isidro. We
marched eighty-four miles in six days,
and it was all a man could stand. We
generally broke camp u, 3 Il. m. and
went into camp between and 10 p. m
4 l was in Malolos and saw what was left
|of Aguinaldo's rebel government.
lsaw their congress hail., their capitol
and Aguinaldo's residence. When the
rebels were driven out OF Malolos. they
lmoved their capital TO San 1sidro. We
drove them OUT of there. too. We were
Ionly thirty hours behind Agninaiao. his
congress, and his american prisoners
at San Isidro. We found the prisoners
names scratched on the walls of thei,
Eprison cells and an old gray-haired
Spanish priest gave one OF the officers &
letter from one of the prisoners who
had -'ven it to him TO be delivered to
the first American he saw.
;un May 10, while we We're at Bali
nag, letter OF congratulaton was reac
to the command of Gen Lawton. j
was from President Mckinley anG
thanked the general and the command
/. for their hard work of the month from
!, April II to May II, which ended in tn,
fall of San 1sidro. We went to Manil;
the latter part of May and after thre,
). days rest went out again with Gen
4 Halls brigade. On June we Tough
all day and had seven men killed il
the cavalry. On June we again tool
up the march and went right up illft
the mountains, fighting every step o
the way for thirteen miles, and captur
ed Antipolo, a stronghold of the rebel
on top of the mountain range. We wer'
without food or good wafer for 10'
hours, so you can see that we tough
under difficulties. We took Terreci;
the same evening and went into camp
On June 5 we started again, and TIL
heat was SO intense that .thirty-siX o
the $3.50 men of the brigade, fell out
exhausted in the five mile march. w
arrived at Morong, town located OF
that great lake, Laguna de Bay, OIL
June 6, and stayed there as garrison un
It'll June 26. On the same day we wen
aboard the cascoes. Our duty was t
patrol the lake and keep the rebels GU
of the shore towns. A casco is a long
tlat-bottomed boat used in the Philip
pines for water transportation. The.
average 12 to II feet wide and 60 to Q
feet long, and are 6 feet deep. The
will carry as much as four Or five bo
cars, and enough coal can be put j
the larger ones 10 fill a train of rail
road cars. We lived on the cascoe
until July 26. We had a, small gunboa
with us to protect our landing. Dun
: ing the month we landed at fifteen di1
: fsrent towns and had to fight at seve
of them; SO you see we had our hand
full.
81 have seen my last fight with til
insurgents and am not sorry of II
either. We will be discharged tomol
row and that will be the end of m
soldier life. Give my regard to all m
friends. Your son, Carol C. Stentz.
''P. S.-Aug. II. I received my di.
charge this morning and am now FREE
We will start home on the Pennsylval
ia about the last of the month, SO
will be at home Sept. 80.