The record-union., 1899-04-07
Likely to Take a Long Time for American
Forces to Suhdue the Rebels.
The Enemy Will Not Fight in the
Open, But Resort Almost En-
tirely to Bushwhacking and
Harassing Our Soldiers in
Small Bands-Rebels Supplied
With Modern Rifles and Plenty
of Ammunition.
Correspondence of the Associated Press

tCCrT6SDOQQeQC6
MANILA, March 4.-Per transport
Arizona to San Francisco, April 6.)-
Although the rupture between the
American. and native forces ait Manila
occurred exactly one month ago to-day
the conquest of the latter by the for
mer, which has long been conceded g
necessity, can scarcely be said to have
commenced as yet
Had the Americans been in a position
to follow up their advantage and keel
right after the flying rebels, disorgan-
lied as they were by that first unex
pected advance, there is no doubt thai
the question of supremacy would have
been settled by this time. once and fol
all time Unfortunately, however, large
armies, such as that of the Eight
Corps, are not self-supporting, aud as
no provision had been made for sucf
an emergency as arose on the night Of
February 18th, 1t became necessary tC
call a halt at the very outset of what
promised to be a. clean sweep to vic
tory.
While this was unavoidable, it was
disastrous in many ways. First, be-
cause the moment the halt was made
the moral effect of their first defeat was
eradicated from the minds of the rebels
since it gave them time both to re-
cover from their fright, and to frame
excuses for their failure to avoid it;
second, it afforded an opportunity
which their leaders were quick to take
advantage of, to play upon the feelings
of the majority. and enlist the sympa-
thies of thousands who had carefully
inc
their ill-advised demands; third. it al
lowed the rebels to rally their scattered
forces, and after concentrating them in
various places, to infuse new blood into
their ranks.
,As soon as it dawned upon them that
the Americans were still on the defen-
sive, and no further advance was tC
be feared, the rebels again assumed thy
aggressive, adopting the same bush
whacking tactics which had proved Sc
successful against their old enemy, tht
Spaniards. At first these were almos
harmless since they almost invariably
brought on. g. fresh advance on the par,
of those whom they were intended t.
intimidate
After the battle of Caloocan. however
when the American line was SO Ions
and thin that any further general adj
vance became inexpedient. the rebel,
made discovery which revolutionize6
their plans and inspired them with re
newed courage. This was that the:l
rifles had superior range to those O.
the majority of the American weapons
thereafter their sharpshooters carefully
remained out of range of the Spring
fields carried by the volunteer regi
ments in front of them. but maintained
a constant and more or less effectiy,
hre from trees, clumps of bamboo. rock:
or other natural points of vantage
both by day and night.
A-more calling situation than that il
which the American troops have beer
placed for the past few weeks it wouiC
be difficult to imagine. CONSTANT,
ported at by an unseen foe, yet unabl,
TO silence his fire except upon such rare
occasions as when the country was or
dered cleared, and then compelled I.
retire to their original lines after hay
ing done it. the wonder is that the mer
were kept in check at all. Yet the,
were; not that they were so thorough,
disciplined as to accept unwelcome or
ders 5ncomplainingly, but because the,
were buoyed up with the hope that
when their reinforcements. already @,
route, arrived, general advance would
be made, and then sheir turn would
come. That time is near at hand: bu
whether or not the task before ths
eager Americans will be accomplished
so soon as they anticipate IS an oper
question.
If the entire rebel force could be
corrasied in any one section Of the ISL
and the work of subduing it would be
Very simple, and soon accomplished
without doubt. But on the island O.
Luzon alone well-equipped army O.
over $4,000 men has only succeeded ir
clearing the country within a radius OF
five miles from Manila, so far and nc
one knows with any degree of certaint,
what there is ahead. 1t is certain, how
ever, that the further they penetrate
into the wilds of the interior the create,
will be the disadvantage to the white
troops, since swamp and jungle fight
ing are the strong points of the ma
tives 1t is also certain that what |.
to bel done must be accomplished before
the consideration of the health of tht
troops, most of the country is abso-
luteiy impossible from May 10 October
Among the uncertainties to be faced
is that of the force to be encountered
So far as can be ascertained the rebe
Infants are effected by