The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-26
CALUMPlr TRENCHES
Captured by NaoArthur's Troops
After Some Lively Fighting.
OUR CASUALTIES THIRTY. rouR.


Rebels Left Seventy Dead-Brilliant
Charge OF Company X, OF tho Twen-
tieth Kansas Volunteers.
Manila. April 26.-General MacAr-
thurs division fought it's way to the
Filipino trenches before Calumpit
yesterday, advancing four miles, most
ly through woods and Jungle, and
crossing the Bagbag river. This was
accomplished at a cost to the Ameri-
cans of six killed and twenty-eight
wounded, the First South Dakota re-
giment being the heaviest loser.
After fording the river the South
Dakotans pursued the insurgents to
the outskirts of Calumpit, but thetown
was found 80 strongly protected that
General Macarthur deemed 1t 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 fred by the Filipinos while
the Americans were crossing the river
fully a mile away, indicating the
enemy's intention to abandon the place.
The insurgents seem to have adopted
q settled policy Of retiring from one
position after another, after infiicting
the greatest possible damage upon the
advancing army. Their forces yester-
day were we'll drilled. Every foot of
the ground was tenaciously disputed
by thoroughly organized troops, who
stood remarkably firm even before ar
tillery.
The enemy had planned to wreck
our artillery transport train. The at
tempt failed, but span Of the iron rail-
way bridge over the river was Destroy
ed, hampering the AmeNcan trans
portation for some time. The Filipinos
cut the girders, intending to have the
structure fall with the train, but it col
lapsed prematurely of its own weight.
The Bagbag river, which ia about a
hundred yards wide at that point, was
splendidly fortified, and the Ameri-
cans were compelled to approach
across an open space, from which the
rebels had cleared every obstruction
to sight. The bank of the river, a
high bluff, was surmounted with
trenches, capped with rocks. loopholed
and partly hidden by bushes.
General Wheaton's brigade ap-
preached the river along the railroad.
leaving camp beyond Malolos city.
General Hales brigade, which started
on Monday, was earlier on the march,
and sweeping westward toward the
railroad. The armored train was be-
ing pushed by Cinnamon, the Twen-
tieth 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 battle about a mile from
the river, their popping alternating
continuously with the boom of tina g.
Founders.
The Montana regiment and the Utah
artillery batteries at the same time
entered the jungle, from which the in
surgents, who were occupying a large,
struggling village of huts, poured
heavy volleys. In the course Of an
hour the Americans had forced a pas
sage through the woods to the open
space in front of the river, and the al"
tillery, Immediately on wheeling into
the open, began Smelling the Filipino
trenches.
In the meantime Company X, TWEEN.
tieth Kansas, led by Captain Boltwood,
performed one of the most brilliant
achievements Of the campaign. The
regiment was being held in reserve,
and Company X charged a distance Of
a quarter of mile over q cornileld to
the bank Of the river, near the bridge
where the insurgents from trench
were peppering the armored train, then
about 200 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,
private of Company X, private of
Company e, Trumpeter Barsfield and
Corporal Ferguson, Of Company /,
crawled along the iron Orders.
While this was going on the men Of
Company X, from the ditch. were
fusillading the trenches in the En-
deavor to divert attention, but tho
Filipinos got the range from trench
down the river, and their bullets soon
spattered the water under the struc-
ture.
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 little colonel leading the
way to the trenches, revolver in hand,
while the few remaining Filipinos
bolted.
Colonel Funston said afterward:
ut was not much to do. We knew
they could not shoot straight, and that
our boys would attend to them while
we were crossing"
General Hale's troops, on the right,
lowed the north bank of theriver, near
est the town, from the east, with the
First Nebraska regiment on the left
and the First South Dakota and the
Fifty-first Iowa beyond.
General Hale's right Joined General
Wheaton's left soon after noon, a curve
in the river enabling the Americans to
pour an enfilading fire into the enemy.
trenches.
About this time the cheers of the
Kansas troops announced that tho
Americans had crossed the river. Gen
eral Hale's men began to ford the
Chico, branch of the Bagbag, stretch
ing to the northeast. The general him
self plunged in up to his neck, and the
regiments, all carrying flags, 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 had
one killed and two wounded.
1t is difficult to estimate the in-
surgent losses. but they had no fewer
than 20 killed many of them by the