The record-union., 1899-05-31


wanted
Again we went out nearly four miles
along a road bordered on each side with
heavy foliage screening us from all the
Amigos in the fields, who are really
the insurgent outposts. We captured
some half-dozen of them in the road
and held them. With the staff officers,
squads went up and down the river
bank, seventy-five yards from the IN
surgent trenches on the other side, and
watched them building Notifications,
some in bathing, etc. We remained as
quiet as possible in this road, holding
our horses in momentary expectation of
being discovered or shot.
We got the lay of the land, the river
and their Notifications. Then we re-
leased all our prisoners and went back.
The volunteer outposts tell us that the
road was raked by fire from the insur-
gent lines for half an hour after We
retreated 1t was as neat piece of
work as 1 ever heard of.
Again, in a night attack, we held
them off at Guaquinto, leaving forty Of
their men dead and 203 wounded on the
field. Several organizations participant
ed in this affair.
two representatives sent by Aguinaido
to meet the commission, returned under
a flag of truce Also that word had
been received from the President to
cease all hostilities, as far as possible.
and to advance no farther
We would not be sorry to hear that
some settlement had been arrived at,
as we are now entitled to discharge,
NO tn in n r.
vice for this campaign, although there
is a fascination About the actual fight
ing, the excitement of which never
pals.
l shall never forget my feeling Of
pity for the first insurgent dead l saw
in the trenches after the first attack on
Manila-their set eyes and open mouths
turned up to the morning sun, their
clothing saturated with their coagulated
blood But 1 have become 50 accus-
toned to such scenes and my heart so
hardened against them from seeing my
own comrades fail that it is with q
feeling of keen satisfaction that I now
see trench strewn with them.
To attempt to tell you all that we
have seen would mean to write book.
suppose you read of our work at the
E Troop lost one killed and six wound
ed. 1 was one of twenty men who cap
tured a bluff of rocks from the enemy
from which we did some excellent work
am almost certain of having got three
insurgents and a water buffalo, on
which 1 tried the range. My best shot
was at coon in full uniform, whom
l b0wled off a roof at 800 yards.
L ;y,
white clothing who was firing from a
grain stack. Feldman dropped a sharp
shooter from a perch at least 500 yards
off 1t was a grand shot. The second
platoon of our troop left twenty-seven
dead insurgents behind a woodpile
through which our "Krags" go like it
were so much soap.
In the fight of March 18th we held
the extreme right of the line, and only
stopped to rest when absolutely neces-
sary and to MUNICH hardtack from a.
m until ) p. m, being dismounted, our
horses a half-mile in the rear
1t was a misty, rather cool day. We
were scratched and bloody, our shoes,
| leggings and trousers saturated with
the wet from the brush and grass; al
most blinded by our perspiration. and
hardly a drop of water in canteen.
I remember once was so thirsty that |
! licked the water from the leaves on
the brush in one rest. Every mile or
so they would make a little stand be-
hind a bamboo hedge, and then have
to retreat oxer open rice fields, and
then we got in our work. 1t was great
day, and our fighting was worthy OF
more glorious cause.
| / guess 1 forgot to tell you that Frank
and Dougherty shot boloman who
sneaked UP on them on the outpost at
o'clock yesterday morning. They will
sneak up like snakes in the grass to
within a few yards, and then throw a
| bolo at a sentry. l always change my
position after it is good and dark and
twait for them. I have never been mo-
! Tested though ] came near shooting a
goat the other night.
| We hear very little from our dis
mounted troops, c, L, and G, on the
! southern line, though we learned that
/ a C Troopman was killed this week.
Our days are spent very pleasantly
now. Everything is quiet in the day
time. and duty easy. There is none Of
the tiresome polishing of equipments
and inspection that we have at the
post, no calls to answer except to feed
and water the stock We spend our
time in large bamboo house which we
have fitted up into a clubhouse, with
furniture from deserted neighboring
shacks. All contribute their newspaper
mail to the fund, and read aloud any
thing interesting, or, if you wish, you
sleep all day We gather bananas,
mangoes. etc, and live on chickens
which we cook ourselves. There are
hundreds of these, fine fowl, which
can fly over a housetop like prairie
chickens.
1t is laughable to see squads of US
armed with clubs and rocks, chasing
the fowls around over the walls and
| ashes in the heat. / have had myfSun-
day dinner at the French cafe in Manila
ever since we came here but l never
enjoyed anything so well as these little
camps in the outskirts, when we broil-
ed half dozen chickens at a time in
large earthen pots in stew of green
corn. rice and all manner of vegetables
and greens from neighboring patches.
1t is a great outing, and We enjoy
the sunny side of things greatly We
are told that the regular recruits can
not be held more than three or four
months at the most, and we will get
home, 1 think, in August or September
This fall of Malolos was considered the
end of this campaign, as it was expect
ed they would make a grand stand
here but "Aggie" was too wise. and