The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-25

Special Correspondence to The Tribune
Cebu, philippine Islands. Oct. ST.
have had my baptism of fire and can
now realize the sensations that sweep
over a man in battle. our first en-
gagement after leaving Manila was
near mere on September D. and was
very successful. On September 12 two
battalions of our regiment, the Nine
teenth infantry, We're ordered to leave
Manila for Cebu to relieve the First
tennessee volunteers who had been or
dered home. We left Manila on the
transport Indiana, the second battalion
going to 1loilo, the capital Of the island
of Panay, The Tennessee boys came on
with us. We are the third battalion
and with the headquarters Of the Nine
teenth regiment. under Colonel Simon
Snyder, who is now governor general
of this island.
We arrived here on September ~ and
Immediately went in the old barracks
used by the Spanish soldiers, relieving
the third battalion of the Tennessee
bows who went on board the transport
preparatory to going to Manila to get
ready to sail home.
But there good luck was soon
changed, for we were all ordered to
proceed to the mountains, a distance
of eight miles, to take part in actual
warfare. The Tennessee boys were
ordered off the transport and went with
us, as this was eXuected to be one Of
the hardest battles fought against the
rebels.
WENT WITHOUT A MURMUR.
The Tennessee boys went without a
murmur, and a good deal of praise is
deserving that regiment for the faith
full work they did in the battle of Cebu
on September % Colonel Childers is
brave man, as we'll as a very cool
man, and the Tennessee boys are to
be congratulated en- having such a
colonel.
We left Cebu on September 2t,
marching within twenty-five hundred
yards of the rebel forts. where we were
ordered to pitch our shelter tents. We
had just got prepared for a good
nights rest when the enemy began to
fire on us and our tents were ordered
down, as they made too good a mark
for the insurgents.
Fortunately no one was hit, as the
rebels are not very good shots as a
whole, but they succeeded in keeping
US StNutIeTeu, as more OF us Were
anxious to go TO our graves until we
got chance at them.
On the morning of September % we
advanced to the valley Of death, a
name given to the valley because two
regiments of Spanish soldiers were
lost there. We were then under a
heavy fire and about fifteen hundred
yards from the enemy. We advanced
very slowly and kept we'll under the
hills, so as not to lose too mnay Of our
men, and we had good success, as we
had only one man killed and five
wounded, one OF them being Sergeant
Covey, Of our company, who stood six
feet to my left. He was a brave SOL
dier and It sent a chill through our
company to see such good man fall.
CLOSE TO THE FORTS.
We advanced during the day to with
in 300 yards of the forts of the enemy
and kept the firing up until 10 o'clock
that night, so we were under a con-
tinual fire for thirty-siX hours. But
during the night the enemy flew, 40
that we practically hal nothing to do
but advance on the morning of the 23d
and take the forts. Two companies OF
the Tennessee regiment We're in the ad-
vance, so they reached the forts first,
with our company next. 1t was under
the command of Lieutenant w. w
Fiscus, jr., as brave an officer as ever
wore a uniform, and one who is loved