The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-04-11
IN Line OF BATTLE,

IN LINZ Ut BAL IT.
The Fifty-First Iowa Tastes of Real
Warfare.
CAPTURE OF ST. ROGUE.
b. F. Foderberg Writes of the First Skier.
mish and Some of the Honors
of War.
SAN ROGUE. p. L.
Feb. 10, 1889.
| DEAR SISTER MINNIE:
We came ashore two weeks ago yes
terday Saturday after speuding 81
days abroad the transport Pennsylvan-
ia. We landed about O'Clock in the
afternoon, and at III o'clock that same
evening we bad a call to arms. We
were all tired and expected to get a
good nights rest now that we were on
land once more, but the call to arms
upset us completely because we knew
the Insurgents were not far off and that
they we're liable to attack at any time.
We lined up in the street in front of
our quarters, prepared TO 60 to the
trenches. We did not go, but were or
dered back to our quarters to await for
further orders. We had to sleep with
our clothes on, our belt. ammunition
and gun by our side. The nextday had to
stay strictly in quarters, and at four
O'Clock that Sunday afternoon we
went to the trenches and came back to
quarters Monday morning at seven.
Then the other companies went out
and staid until Tuesday morning when
we, Co.'S. K and G, relieved them. We
came in again Wednesday morning, re.
litved again by two other companies.
This "wednesday, Feb. 81 afternoon
at o'clock Admiral Dewey gave the
Insurgents until 8 O'Clock the next
morning to surrender. IT they did not
surrender he would open fire on them.
1 Before | go any further l will first
| describe, as best as can, the position
of the two armies, the American forces
consisting of the 51st Iowa, two bat.
teries of artillery, a company of cavalry
in all less than 1000 men at Cavite.
The insurgents at San Rogue with a
force of about $4,000 infantry. Both
armies have strong Notifications, and
neither army could overthrow the other
without a heavy loss to itself, and this
the insurgents knew as. well as we did.
Cavite and San Rogue are two cities
built on two separate peninsulas about
100 yards apart. The causeway con-
Meeting Cavite and San Rogue is about
400 yards long by 40 feet wide.
We will go back to the day (Churs.
day)the insurgents were to give up or
fight. This Thursday morning COM
panies X and B came back to the
trenches at O'Clock. AT 7:3O the white
flag went up at San Rogue. and of
course we at first supposed that it had
been put up in good faith, but it was
not. AT S:l5 fire broke out and in Is
minutes the entire city was on fire. We
were ordered TO cross the causeway at
once. Company X took the lead. Here
is where we found out what we were
good for. 1t took some little nerve to
go over there, knowing what we did
concerning their Notifications and the
large number of their forces, but we
went without f1inchlng, and to our sur.
prise the city had been vacated during
the night The soldiers and their fam
lilies had gone to the mainland just be
yond the lake. Only a few families
and about so soldiers were left in the
city, The families were old men and
women and not able to stand the
march, so they were simply left behinc
to take care OF themselves as best they
could. There were a few children with
them.
1t was pitiful sight to behold, when
we were going through the city, these
old men and women and children would
come running up to us crying and beg
giug for mercy. They had been told by
luelT pTleSl IlldG ULlc American SOlQleIS
would kill them outright, and this they
believed and naturally enough they ex
pected we would kill them wherever
we saw them, and it took several days
to convince them that we would not
harm them us long as they went about
the,r own business. The soldiers kept
out of sight as much as they could they
had been left behind to set fires. We
shot every person that we caught set
ting fires, and good many of them bi,
the dust Oil that day too. AS soon as
we found out that the soldiers had lef,
the town we proceeded to follow them
we got as far as the lake and thel
stopped, here we have been every sine,
building rifle pits and trenches, w,
are now pretty we'll fortified. | dom
think that the enemy can ever driv
us out OF here although we are few il
number, not more than about 800 men
~.