Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-29

~ -S@ colonel was
dead did the
men realize what soldier he was and
how completely the leader makes or
mars a command.
1t was the old story over again with
the Nebraskans and their soldierly
colonel He was a West Pointer, Il
regular with a good record who had
been picked out by some one in author
ity to lead the first soldiers of Ne
braska in battle. Like all nOvices, the
soldiers thought all considerations
should weigh except the essential one
of discipline. Perhaps they wanted 4
lenient colonel to give them a good
time; perhaps a bandbox soldier to
show off and to show them off before
schOolboys and women.
OF course the volunteers didn't know
the kind of man fortune and official
good sense had sent them, but when
he was dead on the field of battle they
found out that he had died doing a
little repetition act in the line of dar-
ing ueeds.. Here's a little scene from
the campaign against Victoria and his
Arizona Apaches in the eighties, with
Stotsenburg at the forefront. The
Apaches had a splendid position, and
with carbines We're giving a troop of
colored cavalry, which had cut into
their trail, hot time. In fact, the ne
groes were surprised at the Apache
tactics and on the point of getting
away from them when Stotsenburg
dashed in from an opposite side of the
plain on the flank of the Indians. The
modest soldier always declared that
he didn't know there were any Indians
in that part of the country, or he
would have taken another route. If
this is true, he must have been sur
prised when he and sergeant and
eight troopers ran plump into 10
Apaches in close gully. The first
hostile shot knocked the sergeant over,
and the troopers took to cover like
good border fighters. Stotsenburg,
however, picked up his wounded man
and carried him to shelter behind
bowlder.
"Then;'' said a comrade of those
days, "he turned in with his handful
of men and conducted a campaign of
his own for the benefit of an arroyo
full of Apaches. The rest of his regi
dianS"
The next scene shows Colonel Stot-
senburg coming to the rescue of COM
rades in the Philippines. One day
when Stotsenburg was absent from his
command in Manila the famous scout
ing detachment of Major Bell discov-
cred 4 Filipino ambush cleverly laid in
horseshoe form and encircling a rice
field at the edge of wood. Bell had
but 40 men, and one was killed and
five wounded at the first Filipino vol
ley.
The Americans skirmished for points,
then, finding themselves outnumbered,
retired, closely followed by insurgents.
The wounded were carried along and
two of their bearers hit in this service,
but the body of the dead scout was
left within the insurgent lines. Major
Bell asked for help to recover the
Nebraska battalion which came up in
response was checked by the enemy'S
volleys from behind well laid trenches.
Artillery was then sent for, and while
waiting the sun prostrated more men
than Filipino bullets. 1t was a dead
lock. with the Filipinos holding the
best end. Then Stotsenburg came to
the front and was hailed, much like
Sheridan at Cedar Greek, with the en-
thusiastic cheers of his men. They
had learned that he was the man for
any crisis. The colonel was quickly
followed by the Second battalion, which
he had ordered forward as he passed
through camp, and he at once led a
charge of the whole force.
Colonel Stotsenburg went in at the
head of the line and was SHOT dead,
with Il bullet through the breast, before
he reached the insurgent trenches. The
Nebraskans rushed OH fiercer than ever
after the fall of their colonel, and just
as they mounted the works the Fill
pinos broke and ran. The result of the
charge was to clear the enemy from
the jungle and open road to Malolos.
1t cost the Nebraskans 10 per cent of
their number, and the death of one
who was a Lion in battle"
A Nebraskan fired the first shot in
the Filipino war. and no doubt the time
ly aggreSsiveness of the officers and |
men of the regiment STAYED off a sud |
den uprising and massacre of Ameri- |
can troops. The day before the out |
break Colonel Stotsenburg was insult |
ed by an ugly tempered Filipino officer
and was compelled to order his post
by one of his own squads. |
The Filipino tried to get possession Of
The post without fighting for it, but the
colonel was firm, and ut night the fell
ow came back with following to pit
against a sergeants squad. The main
sentry, Private Grayson of Company
D, halted the natives, but they kept
IN and made menacing motions with
heir guns. After the natives had
gnored second challenge Grayson
hot the leader and one man dead.
Grayson's shot aroused the camp,
nd the whole regiment was quickly
u arms. The men knew by the tenn
'er of the Filipinos what would follow
N outbreak. Before the bugle ceased
ounding the companies We're on the
march from their quarters to their sta
Ions IN line. After silence of 20
minutes the Filipino Mausers began to
rack, and the supplementary war in
lie Philippines was OH.