Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-05-18
NEBRASKA SOLDIERS
win Go Back to the Fighting Line After
Recuperation.


Recuperation.
MANILA, MAY 1a-The First regi-
ments Nehrask ia, volunteer infantry4is
taking the annual step Of respectfully
petitioning the division commander,
Major General Macarthur, to tempot
rarily relieve them from duty at the
front. The regiment isss, badly ext
haustedN BY the pampa ign in which, it
has taken an active part, and not many
more than 300 men of the organization
are at present fit for duty. On SUM-
day last 100 men of this regiment ref
sponded to the sick call. The men,
in view of the facts, have prepared
a respectful memorial to General Mac-
Arthur asking that their regiment be
withdrawn for short time from the
fighting line, in order that they may
recuperate. The memorial states that
4 the men are willing to fight, but are
in no condition to do so owing to
the strain of long marching. continued
fighting and outpost duty in which
they have been engaged. 1t is added
that many Of the men have been unit
able to have their clothing washed
for months past, having been CONT
PEELED during all that time to sleep
b in their uniforms to be in readines$
for fighting. The memorial adds that
since February the regiment has lost
225 men in killed and wounded; and
fifty-nine since the battle of Malolosl
The officers of the regiment propose
to present a similar memorial on bel
half Of the men. The splendid record
OF. the First Nebraska in the entire
campaign and the tone of the memo1
rial prepared by; the men is such that
no imputation of characterization can
be brought against them. Officers OF
the regiment said to the correspondent
of the Associated Press here today
that they thought the men had been
worked beyond endurance and should
! be given a rest and some OF the reguI
lar regiments which are now guarding
/ the city be sent to the front.
Five volunteer regiments and the
!. Utah, battery Of artillery are at San
Fernando. They muster in all about
$500 men. Many of the soldiers are
Sin the hospitals suffering from heat
3or other causes: The wounded were
sali suffering acutely and showed the
Selects of exposure to the sun when
they arrived Three days rest has
already worked wonders.
Since the army entered Malolos the
soldiers have had little water to drink
except that which was brought on
railway trains from Manila, and that
was OF poor quality. The artesia1
wells at San Fernando are doing much
II al
WASHINGTON, May 13.-No dist
patch received recently from Manila
has been read with deeper interest at
the war department than that which
was sent by the Associated Press via
4 Hong Kong, War department officials
and army officers did not care to be
Quoted upon the subject, but the CONT
nfent generally among army ohicerS
was that the troops which had been
fighting so long and continuously are
( exhausted and were really in need OF
srest. It lis explained that the men
ibid not fear fighting, but after fight
ing and marching and constant picket
duty they were no doubt much exi
hausted. Some army officers suggest
ed that the action of the Nebraska
regiment was like town meeting and
that the army could not be conducted
upon such lines. Comment was made
to the effect that the dispatches indit
Gated that the various regiments were
on duty constantly and that there was
no reserve to relieve them when they
reached the limit of endurance.
1t was stated by an officer in the
department that one reason why 1t had
been impossible to relieve the yoiunt
Iteers with the regulars now at Manila
was because the regulars recently sent
to the Philippines were at least two1
thirds recruits and were necessarily
unframed and lacked the discipline OF
the volunteers, who are now veterans
1t is believed that General Otis does
not care to risk the hard fighting to
untried men that he desires the Volunt
teers to remain at the front because
he is sure of them in any emergency