The Portland daily press., 1899-04-26

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MacArthur's division fought It's way to
the Filipino trenches before Calumpit to.
day advancing four miles. mostly through
woods and Jungle and crossing the Bag
Bag river.
This was accomplished at cost to the
Americans of six killed and twenty-eight
wounded, the first South Dakota regi-
ment icing the heaviest loser.
After fording the river, the South Da-
kotans pursued the insurgents to the out
skirts of Calumpit; but the town was
found so strongly protected that General
MacA rthur deemed 1t best to withdraw
the tired fighters and go into camp for
nights rest before making the final as
sault.
The largest buildings in Calumrit were
being fired by the Filipinos while the
Americans were crossing the river. fully
a mile away, indicating the .enemy's IN
tention to abandon the place.
The insurgents seem to have adopted
settled policy of retiring from o'4e
position after another. after infiicting the
greatest possible damage on the adyanc-
ing army. Their forces today were well
drilled. Every foot Of the ground was
tenaciously disputed by thoroughly Or
gsnized troops, who stood remarkably
firm even before artillery.
The enemy had planned to wreck our
artillery transport train. This attempt
was failure, but a span of the iron rail-
way bridge over the river was destroyed,
hampering the American transportation
4 8. 81 nk, tvfr ont ba
girders intending to have the structure
fall with the train, but 1t collapsed pre-
Inaturely of Its own weight The Bag
Bag river, which is about hundred
yards wide at that point, was splendidly
fortified and ths Americans were COM
PEELED to approach across an open space
from which the rebels had cleared every
obstruction in sight. The bank Of the
river high bluff, was surmounted with
trenches capped with rocks, loop-holed
and partly hidden by bushes.
\ General Wheaton's brigade approached
the river along the railroad leaving cam p
bey ond Malolos city.
General Hale's which started yesterday
was earlier on the march. sweeping west
ward toward the railroad. The armored
train was being pushed by Cinnamon,
the twentieth Kansas regiment advancing
in extended order on the left and the
First Montana regiment, with the Utah
light artillery, on the right.
The rapid firing guns on the train
"opened the BALI at IL. 30 .. m, about
q mile from the river, their popping al
ternating continuously with the boom of
the six Founders. The Montana regiment
and til Utah artillery batteries at the
same time entered the jungle, from which
the insurgents, who were occupying
large, struggling village of huts poured
heavy volleys. In the course OF an hour
the Americans had forced passage
through the woods to the open space in
front of the river and the artillery. i'm
mediately on wheeling into the open, be-
gan shelling the filipinos' trenches.
In the meantime Co. X, goth Kansas.
led by Captain Boltwood, performed one
of the most brilliant achievements OF the
campaign. The regiment was being held
in reserve, and company h charged dis
tance of a quarter OF mile over corn
field to the bank of the river near the
bridge where the insurgents from a
trench were peppering the arnored train,
then about two hundred yards down the
track. The company found shelter in a
ditch.
Col. Frederick Funston called for
volunteers to cross the river and the
Colonel himself. Lieut.. Ball, a private of
Co. X, a private of Co. +, 1rumpeter
Barsfleld and Corporal Ferguson of Co. l,
crawled along the iron girders.
While this was going on, the men OF
Co. K, from the ditch were fusilaiing
the trenches in the endeavor to divert at
tention, but the Filipinos got the range
from a trench down the river, and their
bullets soon spattered the water under
the structure.
Having reached the broken span. the
small, Tut valorous party of Americans
slid down the caisson, swan n few yards
to the shore and crawled up the bank, the
little colonel leading the way to the
trenches revolver in hand, while the few
remaining Fllipinos bolted.
Col. Funston said afterwards: "It
wasn't much to do. We knew they could
not shoot straight and that our boys
would attend to than while We were
crossing.
General Hale's troops on the right, had
the hardest lighting. They followed the
north bank of the river, nearest the town,
from the east with the first Nebraska
regiment on the left and the first Dakota
and the 5lst Iowa beyond. The country
to be traversed was mostly jungles. but
the Filipinos stood their ground even in
the open spaces.
General Hale's right joined General
Wheaton's left soon after noon, curve
in the river enabling the Americans to