The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-04-26
CALUNIPIT TRENCHES
Captured by MaoArthur's Troops
After Some Lively Fighting,
OUR CASUALTIES THIRTY-FOUR.

Charge OF Company X. of the T,v 10
tteth kansas Volunteers.
Manila. April 26.-General MacAr-
thurs division fought its way TO the
Filipino trenches before Calumpit
yesterday. advancing four miles, most
ly through woods and jungle and
crossing the Bagbag river. This was
accomplished at a cost TO the Ameri-
cans of six killed and twenty-eight
wounded the First South Dakota re-
giment being the heaviest loser
After fording the river the South
Dakotaus pursued the insurgents o
the outskirts Of Calumpit, but the town
was found so strongly protected that
General Macarthur deemed It best to
withdraw the tired fighters and to go
into camp for a nights rest before
making the final assault.
The largest buildings in Calumpit
were being fired by the Filipinos while
the Americans were crossing the river
fully a mile away, indicating the
enemy's intention to abandon the place.
The insurgents seem to have adopted
a settled policy of retiring from one
position after another after inflicting
the greatest possible damage upon the
advancing army. Their forces yester-
day were well drilled. Every foot OF
the ground was tenaciously disputed
by thoroughly organized troops. who
stood remarkably firm even before ar
tillery.
The enemy had planned to wreck
our artillery transport train. The at
tempt failed, but a span of the iron rail-
way bridge over the river was destroy
ed hampering the American trans
portation for some time. The Filipinos
cut the girders. intending to have the
structure fall with the train. but it col
lapsed prematurely of its own weight.
The Bagbag river, which is about a
hundred yards wide at that point, was
splendidly fortified, and the Ameri-
cans were compelled to approach
across an open space, from which the
rebels had cleared every obstruction
to sight The bank of the river,
high bluff, was surmounted with
trenches capped with rocks, loophOled
and partly hidden by bushes.
General Wheaton's brigade ap-
preached the river along the railroad.
leaving camp beyond Malolos city.
General Hales brigade, which started
and sweeping westward toward the
railroad. The armored train was be-
ing pushed by Cinnamon, the Twen
tieth Kansas regiment advancing la
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 battle about a mile from
the river, their popping alternating
continuously with the boom of the 6
Founders.
The Montana regiment and the Utah
artillery batteries at the same time
entered the jungle, from which the in
surgents, who were occupying large,
straggling village of huts, poured
heavy volleys. In the course of an
hour the Americans had forced a pas
sage through the woods to the open
space in front of the river, and the al
| tillery, Immediately on wheeling into
the open, began shelling the Filipino
trenches.
In the meantime Company X, Twen.
tieth Kansas, led by Captain Boltwood,'
performed one of the most brilliant
achievements of the campaign. The
regiment was being held in reserve,
and Company K charged a distance of
quarter of mile over a cornfield to
the bank of the river, near the bridge,
where the insurgents from a trench
were peppering the armored train then
about 200 yards down the track The
company found shelter in a ditch.
Colonel Frederick Funston called
! for volunteers to cross the river, and
the colonel himself, Lieutenant Ball, a
| private of Company X, a private of
| Company E, Trumpeter Barstield and
Corporal Ferguson, of Company |,
crawled along the iron girders.
While this was going on the men of
| Company K, from the ditch, were
| fusillading the trenches in the er-
deavor to divert attention, but the
Filipinos got the range from a trench
down the river, and their bullets soon
| spattered the water under the struc-
| ture
Having reached the broken span, the
small but valorOus party of Americans
| slid down the caisson, swan few
yards to the shore and crawled up the
bank, the little colonel leading tho
way to the trenches, revolver in hand,
while the few remaining Filipinos
! bolted.
Colonel Funston said afterward:
at was not much to do. We knew
| they could not shoot straight, and that
our boys would attend to them while
we were crossing"
! General Hale's troops, on the right,
had the hardest fighting. They fol-
lowed the north bank of theriver, near
est the town, from the east. with the
First Nebraska regiment on the left
and the First South Dakota and the
| Fifty-irst Iowa beyond.
General Hale's right Joined General
Wheaton's left soon after noon, curve
in the river enabling the Americans to
pour an enflading fire into the enemy
| trenches.
About this time the cheers of the
Kansas troops announced that tho
Americans had crossed the river. Gen,
eral Hale's men began to ford tn,
Chico, a branch Of the Bagbag, stretch,
ing to the northeast. The general him,
self plunged in up to his neck, and the
regiments, all carrying flags, hounderet
across the stream. The guns of the
Utah light artillery were dragged ovei
next and formed into an extended Lint
TO advance upon the trenches befor,
Calumpit, from which the Filipinoi
were pouring continuous volleys.
The armored car had one man killeC
and two wounded The Kansas regi
ment had three wounded during thu
charge and the Utah light artillery hat
one killed and two wounded.
II is difficult to estimate the in
! surgent losses, but they had no feWe