Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-24
FROM SAN FERNANDO.
Letter From F. E. Strong, of the
Fifty first Iowa.
SOME TIME ON THE FIRING LINE.
Soldiers are Longing TO Come Home
Hard Work Of Iowa Men II the
Front-Tclls OF the Rattles
of the Regiment.


Front-Tclls OF the Hattles
ofthe Regiment
The following letter was received re-
Gently by Mrs. c. NJ. Strong, from her
son, Z. e. Strong, q member of Com
pany NJ, Fifty-tirst Iowa volunteers,
who was AT San Fernando, P. l., when
the following was written:
San Fernando. P. l., Sept. 4, $780,
Dear Mother-We have just returned
from the firing line, six miles north
of here at Singalon, after being out
since Aug. 8, and this is the first time
have had to write. We were called
out early on Aug. 8, with the Thirty
sixth volunteers, Bells new regiment,
on the LETT, then the Twelfth and
| Ninth infantry on the left of the rail-
road, and the Fifty-frst Iowa volun-
teers, Seventeenth infantry, and the
Twenty-secona regulars on the right.
suppose You have heard all about the
fighting long before this. Renholts, OF
Company NJ, Fifty-first, was the only
man hit in our company, being shot in
the leg with Remington. The ball
shattered his leg and turned his foot
back. l have not heard how he is
getting along, but it is feared that he
will lose his leg.
We stopped at place called Calu-
let, and the next day the Twelfth in
fantry went on up TO Angeles, dis
lance of five miles, and took the town
after loss Of five killed and twenty
one wounded. They have been in An
geles since then, and are supported by
the First United States artillery, Bat
terry E. This is Capron's old battery,
and the one that made the wonderful
shot down in Cuba. They Fcut flag
pole down at distance of 1000 yards,
and are still unfolding their record,
doing fine work at Angeles. After
that fight we moved to the left as far
as Singalon, and have been guarding
that point, until the railroad, which
was destroyed by the insurrectos, had
been rebuilt into Angeles This was
finished two days ago and we were
cent back here today. saw Gen. Joe
Wheeler yesterday. He came up on
the traiR going to Angeles, and stop
ped off at Singalon.
We have been out on the line so
lone that there is only a small rem
nant of our regiment left. Our COM
pany came in with twenty-five men,
officers and all, and some companies
had only six or eight privates, with no
officers, or sometimes corporal or
sergeant in charge. There were only
23S men left in the regiment, officers
4 included. Sick men are being sent in
every day, and a number OF the boys
are ill with fever. am lucky and am
the only one in the company that has
not been sick enough to be sent to the
hospital. The only time l was in the
hospital was when ] was wounded at
Manila, and then I was not in bed a
week. Notwithstanding the wet wealth
er, field rations, sleeping on the ground
and other hardships through which I
have passed during the past month,
am still ''up and kicking" and am
feeling fine. We are all glad to get in
off the line, and only pity the poor
regulars who must fill our places, and
must spend three long, weary years in
this part of the world.
The Twentieth Kansas regiment sail
ed for home yesterday on the transport
Tartar. The Washington men expect
to sail soon on the Pennsylvania. We
are awaiting orders to go to Manila to
pack up and start for home. think
we will go down in three or four days.
We exnect to be relieved by the Fourth
cavalry. We expected to so home on
the Tartar, but they sent the war reg
ulars on the City Of Para, crowding the
Kansans on our boat. Then we thought
we would be sure to get the Newport
or the Ohio, but the signal corps has
been ordered on the former, and the
Nevada cavalry on the latter, and
suppose they will fill these boats up
with war regulars, who enlisted for
the war only with the Fourteenth
Eighteenth and Twenty-third regulars
There are a large number of these
men, and some are being sent home on
every transport. We have only Ia
/ look ahead to the Indiana or the Han.
cock, and the latter has not yet ar
rived from San Francisco, although il
is expected within a few days. We
have ceased to hope that we may ge,
away from here before the last of the
month, and are beginning to lose pa.
tience. hope to get home in time
to eat Thanksgiving dinner, at any rate
When we leave here we will stop frs
at Nagsaki, Japan, and then at Yo
Ramona. we VIII SeU 10 go 10 IoklO
the japanese capital, which is three
or four miles inland from Yokahoma
I hear that the Nebraska and Pennsyl
yania boys went there.
4 A troop of cavalry has just arrived
and I will go down to see them.
hope they will relieve us SO we car
return to Manila soon. will close
hoping that by the time this reaches
l.. i
America. Yours truly,
| f. E. Strong,
Co. NJ, Fifty-frst Iowa Vols.
Sanfernando, Province de Pampanga
Philippine Islands.
. Letter From Clyde Iloober.
The following letter was received re
| GENTLY NV Rev r M H0oIpr of Pr