The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-05-03
FROM MANILA.

Subjoined are extracts from letters writ
ten by Frank II. Foster, Company A, bat.
talon engineers United States army, to his
father, K. l.. Foster, Newark, N. j.:
MANILA, Feb. 10, 1899
We have not enough soldiers here to do
more than protect Manila. We have been
lighting almost continuously night and day
Tor the past fifteen days, and everyt ody il
worn out and exhausted. We Ole engi-
neers) have been in two battles, and in one
OF them would have been annihilated but
Tor the poor Workmanship of the nsur-
gents. | ain unable to do good service
longer on account of the heat. have not
been to the hospital, because there are 9TH
ers IN worse condition than / am. SO / will
go out as am ordered, and stand IL az long
as l can walk. / am almost destitute OF
clothing OF all kinds simply because il can
not he procured. This is solely due to the
dllatory methods that obtain in the war de-
partment.
MANILA, March 9, 1899.
Herbert Captain III. s. Foster, goth Unit
ed States infantry arrived here about two
weeks ago. He is acting major, and is sta
TONED on the line Of ntrenchments about
mile east OF the railroad station at Caloocan.
and holds, should judge, very strong POI
sition. 1t is in large church (Laloma) sur.
rounded by double stone wall, forming a
square OF about 400 feet, and is supported
by one gun OF the Utah battery. The land
is slightly elevated and overlooks the en-
emy's country over clear stretch of land
from one to two miles in extent.
Nothing Of importance is being done now,
as we are simply waiting for more troops
to arrive Skirmishing goes on at some
Of the night although on the part Of the in
surgent army there is no organization or
method
I enclose labels taken from insurgent am
munitton boxes, discarded on the various
battlefelds. There may be some doubt at
home from what source the insurgents re-
ceive aid and comfort in the shape of am
munition and supplies, but there is none at
all here 1t may not be sanctioned by tie
German government, but the bullets do their
perfect work all the same, and Prince Hen
ry seems to take the responsibility upon
himself
All reports to the contrary, the feeling in
the navy is very strong against the Ger
mans, and 1t may hardly be doubted that
there has been some very strong and ear
nest conversation between the commanders
OF the two fl cts, and 1t is the opinion of
most OF us lee that there would have been
no uprising had not the court of Aguinaldo
received assistance from some foreign
source. ] am free to say personally that
still doubt if Aguinaldo would have taken
the course he did had he not been forced
into 1t by his associates.
We have all heard of the army bill hav-
ing passed, but no one seems to know how
many troops will be sent here, or how or
when they are coming. From the little I'M
Outstanding we have of the army BILL
should judge that it authorizes about one
half of the troops that the existing condi-
tions here require. Forty thousand troops
on the ground here to-day. ready for action
would save many lives that will certainly
be sacrificed, and would greatly shorten the
campaign.
The insurgents have some smooth bore
cannon and continue to shoot them off, but
no one seems to know where they are locat-
ed, or wha they are firing at. They flock
along the lines at night and shoot away
their daily ration of powder from any point
where they can find protection, but when
they become too much Of an annoyance the
machine guns are turned upon them, and
they are quickly driven out.
The portions of the town that have been
burned down by the insurgents, are, with
very few exceptions, nothing but matched
shanties occupied by themselves They
are incub stors of all kinds of disease and
misery, and everyone regards the destruc-
ton as a good job we'll done.
frequently ask Filipino why he is not
a soldier. The reply is that he has family
to take care OF, or that he Is too young or
too old. They generally try to avoid ans
wering the question, but through 1t all you
can plainly see that they are insurgents at
heart We cannot blame them for fighting
for their rights, as they in their ignorance
believe they are doing. Nor can we excuse
Germany for her endeavor to prolong two
wars here, in the hope that its continuance
will bring some of the spols to her Golfers.
personally feel that upon Germany alone
rests the responsibility OF this war. By as
Stunning to aid the insurgents she fosters her
own ambition, the miserable Filipino gets
the Yankee bullets and Congress, the
army, and the American people acquire
unique il not very gratifying experience.
TIE weather is still fine, although the
sun is too hot in the middle of the day, to
permit of any undue exposure. There are
no rains yet. The winds are high in the
afternoon, and the nights cool
Since 1 commenced this letter, Herbert
(Cspt. H. B. FOSTER with his battalion
| twentieth United States Infantry has
moved to st. Pedro Macarti, where he has
been engaged with the enemy for the past
three days.
FRANK FL. FOSTER.
Reloy ia q cnnv of the lahal tO which "a