The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-07-28
FRED Nelson WRITES
His Usual Interesting Letter
From Manila. Boys are
Tired Out.
Headquarters 2Olh Kans., Inf. U
s. V Manila p. l., May 81.

s. V, Manila P. l., May 81.
AS you see | am still in Manila.
Lieutenant Hull was in the first of
the week and | expected and wanted
to go back with him, but he said that
they had very little to do and was
sure that there would be no advance
and said that IL | should get sick
again he was afraid could not get
back again until | was nearly dead
as they are very strict about men
coming in. So he left me a little
work to do and / stayed here but |
am awfully tired of it and | want to
get back to San Fernando. Winter
bourn, the quartermaster sergeant, Is
in too now and we have been invoic-
ing and making up reports which we
are behind in. The colonel has tele-
graphed in too that the regiment will
be In within week and | am almost
believing it as four or five organiza-
ions from out there have come in.
They seem to be coming In as fast as
the very limited railway service can
tring them.
was very glad to receive the clip
ping that Pa sent me. The Gleed
Grafton Is good. But don't think it
is possible to praise 1t. Afford too
much. He was, | think, one of the
best and truest men | ever knew.
and everyone who knew him thinks
the same. Another very fine young
lieutenant in our regiment was kill
ed in one of the late battles. 1t was
1t. McTaggert, of Co. q. The same
company that Capt. Elliott command
ed. He seemed very young but was
an excellent young man. You sent
me CLIPPING from the Capital COM
menting on an editorial from New
York paper. l do not remember
whether l spoke of the incident re-
counted here or not in telling of the
Caloocan fight. / think limited at it
though; but war is terrible and men
are turned to beasts in the heat of
battle, especially when IL is in the
first few battles, and when thousands
of bullets are splitting past, every one
of which means eternity. But il is
certainly unfair to convey the inn
preston that a general order was
given to the regiment to "take no
prisoners" for it is certainly untrue
and 1 am sure no such orders were
ever given.
BY the way have you seen the
picture in Harpers Weekly of the wag-
on tram going through CaloocAn?
will always remember that night,
but we were all more nearly checked
to death by the smoke than we look
there, and we we're most of the time
lifting carts out of trenches which the
insurgents had dug across the road.
John Steele received a cablegram
from the Kansas City Star to the
ed mustered out in Frisco with travel
pay but that Kansas wanted us to
come home as regiment and asked
the sentiment OF the regiment. /
think Steele left 1t to the Colonel and
l happen to know his sentiment in
regard 10 the matter, 80 | think
Steele cabled that we would rather
be mustered out in Kansas. But
that Is not the wish of 90 men out of
every hundred Travel pay ia a
days pay and Communication of rations
for one day for every twenty miles
for every enlisted man. From San
Francisco to Leavenworth il a long
ways and every man could clear at
least $50 which would come in
mighty handy when we are turned
loose Then every one could come
home the route he chose and no
one would have to travel the same
road over as some will have to do,
since some came ont on one road and
some on another, Then when we get
10 Kansas we want to 90 home. /
dread thinking of lying at Leaven-
worth for three weeks while the ma.
NHihoiJ 10 S'iu"i"S "9 ""'i anu sup
pose that they would want to
see drills and dress parade and
guard mount and 50 ON but our
clothes won't be so nice and
few and they won't all he there
either, and we won't have
the energy and interest in 1t
we used to have for the tinsel show
and a'that" is getting rubbed Off with
u rough hand TOO. And then If we
don't get there until late fall or
winter as we probably will we would
take our death of colds in camps there
for we are not much used t. frost just
now. And al! that equipage too, we