Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-04-19
rRom A BAaeEa oo6aTY soLpIRR.


ents. MI. and Mrs g. r Taylor Ern-
est is one of the brave boys OF the fam
Gus 20th Kansas now doing service in
the Philippines. This letter was writ
ten February 9th. in the trenches be-
fore Malabon, and it was received here
April 5th:
I'VE were having a pleasant, quiet,
but rather monotOuous time prior to
the outbreak. We were kept closely in
quarters, however. in anticipation of
trouble, but few DAYS before it actual
ly came the officers conceded us the
privilege of two hours liberty after re-
treat. We had TO be in quarters at S
p. m. sure or suffer the consequences
! which, in some cases. were not very
mild l assure You. Everything was so
quiet on Saturday and during the even
ing that with comrade l went over TO
the Lunetta during our two hours lib
erty. The Lunetta is a sort Of park on
the other side Of the old city where the
richer classes go for recreation in the
evening. The soldiers frequent it, too.
| We got back in time and was sound
asleep when our captain aroused US at
about 10 O'Clock and ordered us to get
ready to fall in as our outposts had been
| fired upon by the natives. We had re-
ceived the same order so often that we
| gave it very little attention until the
| firing at the OutpOstS was resumed;
then there was no longer doubt as to
whether this alarm meant business. 1t
was only few minutes until we were
marching at nearly double quick time
to relieve the outpost guard holding a
| bridge that spanned . stream north Of
town and the only place the natives
could enter the town. The firing con
:inued all the time we were marching
out and didn't stop after we got there
either. When we reached the outside
limits of the city we were ordered to
lie down behind a large stone wall
around a cemetery until the enemy's
position could be determined; then our
battalion-the seCOnd-was ordered to
cross the bridge. Co. K went first, then
M my company. Maybe you think
the bullets weren't flying around then.
We advanced about one hundred yards
and lay down behind small dixie in
rice swamp.
Here we fired our FIRST shots in this
war for humanity After a warm lit
tie skirmish of about twenty minutes
we advanced another hundred yards,
this time getting behind dixie consid
erably higher than the other but still
in the swamp. We stayed here the re-
mainder of the night and not boy will
ever forget that night There we were
sitting in water from ankle to waist
deep, and it was a rather dilapidated
appearance we presented next morning,
We never got our breakfast until noon
and then it consisted OF bareback and
salmon. Our coffee we did not get till
about two and then we were ordered to
advance before we could drink 1t.
while lying behind this dixie three
men were wounded and one killed in
our company. Up 10 this time we had
seen no natives at all; we had been fir
ing at the smoke and flashes of their
guns, but now we began to see a few,
which proved that our fire had been eff
fective. All we saw until late in the
afternoon were dead ones.
1T did not seem like war at all until |
after our boys were hurt and then we
all wanted to get at the niggers.' At |
ter starting on the advance and seeing |
so many dead natives brought forcibly |
to our minds that were indeed at war |
and before night we felt it. We con-
tinued to advance cautiously in Skin
mish line and when about half way
natives opened fire on US. We were
ordered to lie down and we did it with |
pleasure, as the lead was coming from
three directions-front, rear and left |
flank, All the protection we had was
to lie low. l never felt bigger in my
life. The bullets were striking in the |
ground all around us and clipping the |
rice StraWs Off too close to be cOmfOrta- |
BILE. The Utah artillery was to the left |
of our company and doing their level
cSDps Oto NhOlA Sh4i Ss'O cO I4OO oiCJ
couldn't shoot and the natives made
rush to take it. They got within fifty
yards when the Colonel ordered us to |
charge We started and the way the
old Springields spoke out was a eau
ton. Soon after we started the natives
started, too. They fell back to their
but were too panic |
stricken to remain there and rushed |
headlong to CaloOcan, five miles from
Manila. That ended our first day S fight
ing. Our company and two or three
others got thousand yards in advance
of the rest of the line and were ordered |
back. Ny, how we did hate to lose the
ground we had taken.
This advance was our real test, and |
really l was surprised at myself. The
first battle is always said to be bad !
one. This was not what | expected, |
but we established the fact that we
wouldn't run toward the rear.
Monday morning we advanced to |
within two miles of Caioocan where we
remained until Friday: We spent the |
better part of two days burying dead |
'niggers.' Native sharpshooters in the
woods near our lines made it little
unpleasant at times. As a considerable |