The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-04-26
ARE NOW BEFORE CALUMET
AMERICAN TROOPS FIGHT THEIR
 WAY TO THE CITY.


 proving in Fighting--A Kansas Conn
 pany's Brilliant Charge-American II
 Loss Six Killed and Twenty-eight
 Wounded-Filipino Dead Number
 Seventy.
 Manila, April 25-1O:30 D. m.-General MacArthur's division fought it's way to the Filipino trenches before Calumpit to-day, advancing four miles, mostly through woods and jungles, and cross- ing the Bagbag river. This was achiev- ed 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 Dakotans pursued the insur- gents to the outskirts at Calumpit, but the town was found so strongly pro- tected 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 be- ing fired by the Fiipinos while the Americans were crossing the river, full ly mile away, indicating the enemys intention to abandon the place.
 The insurgents seem to have adopted settled policy of retiring from one po- sition after another after inf1icting the greatest possible damage upon the ad- vancing army. Their forces to-day were we'll drilled. Every foot of the ground was tenaciously disputed by thoroughly organized troops, who stood remarkably firm even before the artillery. The ene- my had planned to wreck our artillery transport train. This attempt was failure, but span of the iron railway bridge over the river was destroyed, hampering the American transporta- ton. The Filipinos cut the girders, in tending to have the structure fall with the train, but it collapsed prema turely of it's own weight. The Bagbag river, which is about hundred 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 ob- struction to sight. The bank of the riv- er high bluff, was surmounted with trenches, capped with rocks loopholed and partly hidden by bushes.
 General Wheaton's brigade approach ed the river along the railroad, leaving camp beyond Ba1olos City. General Hale's, which started yesterday, was earlier on the march, sweeping west ward toward the railroad The armor- ed train was being pushed by China men, 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 fire guns on the train "open- ed the balp at 1:30 a. m., about a mile from the river, alternating con- tinuously, with the six pounders. The Montana regiment and the Utah bat teries at the same time entered the jun gle, from which the insurgents. who were occupying large struggling vil- 1age of huts, poured heavy voleys. 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 immediately on wheel ing into the open, began sheling the Filipino trenches. In the meantime Go. K, Twentieth Kansas led by Cap tain Boltwood, performed one of the most brilliant achievements of the cam paign. The regiment was being held in reserve, and Co., K charged a distance | of quarter of a mile over cornfield | to the bank of the river, near the bride where the insurgents from a trenci; were peppering the armored train, then about two hundred yards down the | track The company found shelter in ditch.
 Colonel Frederick Funston called for volunteers to cross the river and the colonel himself, Lieutenant Ball. a pri- Vate of Co. K, a private of Co. B, Trum- peter Barsfeld and Corporal Ferguson of Co., I crawed along the iron girders While this was going1cn the men of Co. K, from the ditch, were fusilading the trenches in the endeavor to divert attention, but the Filipinos got the range from trench down the river and their bullets soon spattered the wa ter under the structure. Having reach ed the broken span the small, but valor- ous party of Americans slid down the caisson, swam few yards to the shore and crawled up the bank, the little col onel leading the way to the trenches, revolver in hand while the few remain ing FilipinoS bolted. Colonel Funston said afterwards: Ut was not much to do We knew they could not shoot and that our boys would at- tend to them while we were crossing"
 General Hale's troops on the right had the hardest fighting as 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 Fifty-first Iowa beyond. The country to be traversed was mostly jungle but the Filipinos stood their ground even in the open spaces. General Hale's right joined General Wheatons left soon after noon, a curve in the river enabling the Ameri- cans to pour an enfilading fire into the enemy'a trenches.
 About this time the cheers of the Kansas troops announced that the Amer leans had crossed the river, General Hale's men began to ford the Chico, d branch of the Bagbag, stretching to the northeast. The general himself plunged n up to his neck and the regiments, all flags, floundered across the