Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-03-23

they have learned from The Spaniard5,
who caste q tremendous amount Of
ANN, milton in volleys at long range
and run when the enemy presses
theIl. The chief credit for our VIC
tories must 60 to General Elwell ;.
OTIS, whose disposition Of troops at
every point where they were likely 70
come in contact with the enemy has
.hown him to possess military talents
Of a high order. Besides feeling and
engaging the enemy III the enyirons
OF Manila, he has had to police n dis
affected city; in other words, to deal
with al internal as well as an external
foe. Vigilance has insured success.
There never has been n time, either
Ly night or day, when General Otis
has not been master OF the situation.
May l, 1898, August 13, 1898, Feb
ruary 5, 1S99-these are the dates of
the three battles of Manila. The first
victory was unattended with any loss
to our side; the second cost about
fflv men, killed OF wounded; in the
third the list of our casualties was
I've times as great as in the second.
The losses suffered by Spaniards aud
natives on these three occasions land
the Filipinos must strictly be regard
I'd as subjects Of SPAN until Spain
has ratified the treaty Of peace will
never be quite accurately stated; they
were probably about eleven or twelve
times as severe as ours.
Firing began at y quarter before
nine o'clock on Saturday evening,
February !. Two native soldiers re
fused to obey The order Of a sentry
who challenged them, as they al
vanced toward the outpost Of the rirst
Nebraska Regiment, stationed be
tween Manila and Santa Mesa. The
necessity of maintaining the integrity
OF our lines, especially at night, has
been impressed upon all Ivy the con
duct Of certain Fil'rinos who la
slipped through a week earlier al
soldiers. The Nebraska sentry again
called upon the two natives to halt.
and, rs they paid no attention to HI
order, levelled his rifle and fired upon
them. The sequel shows that they
had been sent for precisely THIS pur-
pose, TO draw the sentrv's IRE, as
part OF a preconcerted plan 70 place
the responsibility for beginning the
action upon our troops, and to maxi
America appear the aSSrcssor.
Twenty thousand Filipinos in THEN
trenches. block houses. and little vii
lagos dotting the rlain eyidentl,
thought themselves ready L. drive III,
American lines IL upon the city.
They possessed several quick-frin
and krupp tield-gnns; many Of the.
were armed with Mausers of the lates
pattern, and a number Of Spanish so,
diers had joined their ranks.
About thirteen thousand OF GU
troops were holding the position
formerly occupied by the Spauiarde
midway between Manila and the band
of Filipinos north, east and south {
the city. 4 semicircu!ar fighting
line, seventeen miles In length. wa
formed of the following regiments, be
ginning with those stationed on Ma
Mia Bay north Of the capital. Ia
Twentieth Kansas, FIRST Montaua
Acuto euhs.l'aHla anu 1Hlrd Arfl
lery, under Brigadiec-General Harr.
son Il. Otis; the First South Dakots
First Colorado aud First Nebrask,
commanded 10y General Hale, su,
ported by Batteries 4 and B of til
Utah Light Artillery, nnder Gener.
Macarthur, northeast to east Of II
city the First California. First Idaa,
First Wyoming and First WasLIn.
ton. under General King, east a.
southeast. near the Pasig River; ii
Fourth Cavalry. Fourteenth I~ntantr,
First North Dakota Infantry AL
Sixth Artillery Division. c~olnr.uIi,
by General Anderson. hear the soc
shore Of the city.
Like an echo OF the sentry sl.u,
gun was fred from Block house Ne
and the signal for attacking oartruo
bad been given. The Nebraska II.
u.nt was made the first TARGET %
eptic. however the FIRING snraad