Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-23

N.iN ~ IL IL tIc IIDd MUS Ol ldlI
Luzon.
Just before 6 O'Clock our firing line al
ready formed for attack began to advance
with the second battalion on the right,
llree companies of the third battalion on
the left, and the first battalion acting as
the support. The firing to the right con-
tinued with unabated energy and our line
had not left is trenches two hundred
yards behind, when the enemy's out
posts discovered us and after sending a
few harmless shots in our direction fell
back to their trenches. Then from their
line OF defenses. which skirted the edge
of a dense bamboo jungle, came a series
OF well directed volleys, %ploughing the dry
sun-baked dirt at our feet. and worse yet
at each one of them a man or two would
f~ail-wounded or dead. With these fell
lows, there was little of that wild, high
nrlng so often heard about, for they We're
the pride of the insurrecto army and
every man was aiming low. In the mean
time our line was not idle. At the enc
my's first fire came the command. for
ward. double time; our steady walk
changed MO a lively trot forward, the
@cession Of volleys. The double time
continued until we arrived in easy range
of their works. Lie down. ''fire by pla-
tooons. commence firing" Then from
our line, rang out a volley that caused
the yellow dust Of the trenches to whirl
- NioNuo oDoNC tuClI ueduS. dlteSllIIS Tie
accuracy of our aim. Three of these
went crashing into their lines and then
began the advance by company rushes,
beginning with the company on the right
the alternate companies pressing for
ward the regulation distance, covered by
the furious volleys OF the companies on
the line. These movements We're perfect
~ executed. the alignment being as COR
rect as If on dress parade, and those tenn
pests OF lead we sent SO constantly crash
ing through his lines were beginning to
have a marked effect on his nerves. Blu
he chung enaciOusly to his defenses, ex-
hibiting a higher order of courage than
we had before encountered amongst
these brOnzed warriors. Mauser and
Remington sang and buZZed over our
heads as %defiantly as at first. though his
volleys had dwindled into desperate fir
ing at will, and his aim was somewhat
more lofty. Hating within two hun
dred yards Of his defenses, platoon fir
ing was continued so vigorously that the
perspiratiOn streamed down the smoke
blackened faces our our men. but the vol
leys went with as much precision as at
first. Many isdaining the slight shelter
afforded by the ridges intersecting the
field, kneeled or stood erect while firing.
1t was too much for the "Gugu." Some
of them attempted flight. but snnokeless
powder would not hide the light blue of
their cotton uniform, and when a bunch
u tHCLH SlueaNOIcu - ~ dIWdl tHSy
speedily found surcease Of all their sor-
rows in death. Our men We're all doing
sharpshooting and the luckless Tagal
who exposed his person at ono passed
into the Ian where instructions have
been out of date since the days of Mo-
loch. At least twenty volleys were fred
here and as he enemy had virtually
ceased to reply our firing stopped, and
an advance was ordered. But the willy in
sufrectO was not gone, he was only lay
ing low for a good play. AS our line adj ,
vanced, from his trenches again came a
hot challenge of Mauser and Remington.
But Montana was too close now, and
again these dreaded volleys were sent
crashing through his trenches with a
deadly precision that would have made
the position untenable for the best discip-
lined troops on earth, and when he heard
that fierce. wild howl which always pre-
ceded a charge by our regiment. his nerve
collapsed entirely and he sought safety
in most precipitate flight. and. although
the pursuit was continued until nightfall
but once again that day did we come upon
him in force. In the insurrecto trenches
and for two hundred yards to the rear,
the sight was one never to be forgotten.
Everywhere lay the dead and dying. In
the small space it was possible for a sol
der in the ranks to see, fully forty man.
gled forms lay terrible in death. Near a
clulnp of waving bamboo lay twelve shat
teItu DtuIeS III Il Dlc, apparently carried
there by their comrades. But Il few yards
to their right were seven desperately
wounded men who lay as they had fall
en-. A little further on. on his face was a
boy-a mere lad of sixteen or seventeen
who never knew that it was a Spring.
field bullet that scattered his young
brains on the sod. In the trench an Of
ficer was painfully gasp;ng his last. He
was evidently a brave fellow, for he re-
ceived his death wound with his face to
the foe, the ball which caused his un-
timely demise having entered the eye and
found an exit at the base of the brain.
Wounded were everywhere. Many of
them thinking they were to be killed
would hold up their hands imploringly
for mercy. not knowing of the kind
treatment in store for them Along our
entire front extending over half a mile,
the scenes were the same. I lave heard
men of every ompany tell of the terri
BILE execution The Montana regiment in
uuon the enemy in that conflict
which continued more than an hour.
Along every front We're dead, /.
dying and wounded. abandoned rifles and :
clothing. blOOd-bespattered trenches and
all those things that combin to make
war terrible. Our own loss was not !
small. Nearly every company suffered |
one or more casualties. and a chapter
be written of the many deeds of ,
daring performed by our boys in that =
days fighting. We Only paused at the
trenches long enough to allow some pieces
Of artillery which had come up to pass l
as. Then the pursuit was resumed to the c
river where after another short. !.
but spirited engagement we calnped for 4
he night.
At the conclusion of our morning en- b
occurred an incident which inn S
pressed itself indelibly upon my mind.
The firing had scarcely veased when a :
gentle breeze scattered the smoke of war e
% the four winds. The sun diSpersed the =