Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-15
LEADING THE CHARGE.

and horror at the fate of their hapless
Filipino enemies. Once, when a detach-
ment of our army was crossing bridge
over one of the small. swift streams of
this country, the insurgents were in
trenched on the other side Hardly had
the crossing begun when the bridge
collapsed. A young lieutenant and IA
men were left alone on the wrong side
of the stream, with no means of getting
back From the side where our troops
were the major waved his hand to the
lieutenant. 1t was a farewell, and the
young officer read the thought that was
in his superior's mind He turned to
his men.
Boys, said he, ''we'n be in heaven
or hell tonight. Double timel Charged"
Mad with the lust of fighting and
with the sense of their danger, the men
obeyed and charged like furies. Against
the intrenchments they hurled them
selves, bayonets foremost The wild
charge struck panic into the Filipinos.
They fled, the IA Americans after them,
yelling like madmen. The rest Of this
story is that those IA men killed II
Filipinos with their bayonets
There are regiments here that have
been in active service almost from the
day they came. The Colorado men were
actually in fighting order before they
set foot on land On that historic 18th
of August. 1898, when Manila was sur
rendered. the Colorados were landed.
They were brought from the ship. in
boats. So soon as they were within
wading distance of the shore the men
leaped from the boats and formed out
there, moving through the water in
splendid line of battle 1t was glori-
GUS sight, and cheers rent the air as
they advanced ON Fort Malate and took
it, dripping wet, as they were
These are such stories as fill the soul
with enthusiasm for our flag and coun-
try. tell them to you because in any
history of the Filipino insurrection you
will never read them.
There is one that fingers in the mind
with strange pathos. On one of those
fatal Sundays when the fighting about
Manila was hottest the men Of GER
tain company suffered terribly. They
were in an exposed position, and large
proportion of them were killed outright.
Men as they loaded and fired saw their
dearest friends. lifelong comrades some
times, drop dead beside them. 1t mad
dened them with rage and pain as man
after man fell They could not weep
They did not have time Besides. it
would have been unmilitary. So they
poured the fires of hell into the insur-
gents and cursed and swore like demons
One of their officers told me he never
before or since heard such blistering
and awful profanity as on that Sunday
of battle.
The fight ended. and the decimated
company buried their fallen comrades.
In the evening. when all was over and
their duty done. they gathered in
group in the dazzling tropical moon
light to smoke and think Perhaps then,
with the thoughts of home, of their lost
comrades, strong upon them, some
among them suddenly remembered it
was Sunday. They began to sing IA
miliar hymns, these erstwhile profane
blasphemers. There were good voices
among them-sweet baritones, tenors
and rich bassos. With one accord they
struck up Nearer, My God, to Thee. -
Solemn and tender and thrilling it rose
on the vibrant. air:
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee
Fen though it be
That raiseth NE.
ELIZA ARCHARD CONNER