The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-02
IN FRONT OF MALARoN.
Lieut.. Col Little Describes the Scenes
Near La Luna Church.

In his description of the fighting
around MalabOn and LaLuna cathedral
Lieut. Col Little writes as follows:
After dark March % the OregonS
moved into our trenches in front OF
MalabOn. We marched across country
about two miles to the La Luna cathe-
dral and camped for the night on the
prairie among the rice dykes. We were
UP at a. m. The Second and Thlrd
battalions formed as firing line west OF
La Luna church and moved across the
trenches to attack the enemy about one
mile away in the woods. My battalion
the First, followed as a support 4OO
yards behind. The FilipinOs began mr.
ing almost at once. Whitman soon be-
gan on the right and Metcalf on the
left AS the FilipinOs always over
shoot we advanced under a constant
fire, Frank Steward of Company A be-
ing the first to fall. We found several
wounded from the Third battalion and
Third artillery Ca regiment OF regular
infantry on our lefO. The doctors ana
hospital corps did fine work.
1.-The firing line disappeared IN the
timber and we followed and soon found
ourselves again under a heavy hre at
the brow of the little hill Pushing
forward, we entered a 100-yard-Wide
valley on the Tulahan river. Companies
H and E had a hot fight here with IN
surgents in a trench across the river.
Capt. Clark was shot through the lung,
but is doing nicely. Crossing the river
at fords. the regiment camped Tor the
night. Next morning we marched TO
the right and forward, finally forming
on roadway, Pennsylvania on our right
and Third artillery on our left For
about an hour in dust and heat we
marched to the left, westward along the
road, when we heard firing in front
The artillery opened ahead. Our first
and Third battaliOnS formed to the
right of the road and went across an
opening a mile or two miles wide, some
times under fire. Ahead was the rail-
road and Polo, which the insurrectOs
fired. Just as col Funston rode up to
me with our orders a Mauser bullet
| crashed through the brush about foot
from US.
IAN afternoon we lay in the sun,
watching the fight of the insurgents
and the cannon, and at night camped
in their trenches. The heat was bad.
Capt Buchan, who had been knocked
| out some the nighL before, was com
| PEELED to drop out that afternoon. Next
morning he came up, but went back to
town, have a severe sideache. 1 have
heard that he was struck on the foot
| by a spent ball while en- route back
with the ambulance. From Polo we
| marched by a country road lined with
| houses to AbandO, quite a fine large
| city, crowded with our soldiers. AS at
/ Polo, the FilipinOs had fired most of the
good buildings. At AbandO were streets
and good houses and trees. Pushing on
| over good hOuSe-lined country road, the
/ Second and Third battaHons swung to
| the left at Meyancan, a railroad sta
| ton, and had a bit of fight on a
I river. Companies I, D and H had quite
a lively fight, charging at some Fill
Pine trenches and suddenly, much to
| their surprise, running square up
| against a broad river. The First bat
| talon enjoyed the Mauser fire on the
road until Gen. Otis sent US to the left
| on the river. The insurrectOs soon fed,
leaving some dead and wounded, but
/ not so many as the day before. Many
/ scouts swan the river here and had
great time stark naked chasing natives
| across the open Soon We reformed-'An
| column of tours, my battalion at the
head of the column. Marching north
| east, we found the railroad and went
| north on the track till halted near the
| railroad bridge. Col. Funston pushed
/ on ahead for information, crossed the
/ bridge and sent word to come on. We
| started up the railroad track and en-
| countered a hail of A1ausers. The Third
| heavy artillery, an infantry regiment
| had crossed the bridge and formed to
! the left of the railroad, when the Fill
/ pinos came out of the woods nearly a
( mile away and moved forward to over
| whelm them before aid could cross the
| little iron railroad bridge over the
| broad and deep river. To the right of
| the railroad some of the South DakOtas
| had crossed and formed.
/ CROSSING THE BRIDGE.
| 1.-THE Kansas troops had to be hurried
| across, and as the fire the bridge
! was terrific it made the crossing ex-
! tremely olTncult. There was no footing
/ on the bridge for horses and not much
/ for men. AS the colonel was across
| and my ~atUaliOn at the head of the
| column, my bugler, Berry of F. and
| were the first to reach the bridge and
| of course the first to cross. I've read
/ of men crossing bridges under fire at
! the head of columns and supposed the
/ sensation was peculiar. 1t is not. A
| man simply tries to paddle along as
| fast as he can and get across. I beat
! Berry over, but we haven't decided yet
| whether it was because I was the
| Drawer or the worst scared.
"A few yards to the left of the rail-
| road bank Gen. Hale and his staff and
/ Ct nr1 m cid Of q
| bank built and deserted by the insur-
| rectos observing their advance across
| the open. The little fellows were pretty
nerVy for FilipinoS. The First Kansas
| battalion swung to the left on the river
| bank and running rapidly deployed to
! the left of the regulars. Col. Funston
! was on ahead finding the place. The
| Second battalion followed and theThird
/ formed a support, and we opened fire
| by companies as fast as we came up.
| However, the natives were a mile away
| and I don't think our Springfields ever
| reached them though their fire soon
| ceased, and we camped for the night.
| Several men were killed and wounded
here, especially crossing the bridge.
! Any one of them was of more value to
Kansas than the whole island of Luzon
| would be.
Next day the First battalion and
| company H formed the firing line and
| went forward &, short distance and saw
| MarilaO burned behind US. The next
| day, which was March 3d. I think, with
| First battalion in the firing line and the
| rest in reserve owing to the nature of
| the ground, we went forward, Whit
| mans battalion soon getting into the
| line to the left; my battalion rested it's
| right on the railroad and marched
straight forward toward the river in the
| open, the Fflipinos being intrenched
| across a river, about 20 feet deep. We
| marched one and One-half miles under
| fire. Half way up we drove them from
a little trench and moved on to the
| river. At 500 yards we opened fire, at
400 we broke into rushes ana finally ran
| yelling at the river, Funston on the
| right and ] on the left. I omntied NV