The times., 1899-07-26
CLEARING THE PASiG REGION.
Mistakes of Inexperienced Commnn-
ders-Thc Escape of Pillar
(From the New York EHtning Pn.tN

rance on the part OF newly arrived officers
in high command has done more to Use
up the army than the bullets of the enemy
In three days campaigning General Halls
column suffered more and was rendered
more unfit for future work than ought
to have been the case in a full months
campaign under an officer who understood
the climatic conditions and how to care
for and handle so large body Of men. No
officer of experience would have left his,
troops in the broiling sun for hours as he
did. nor have made n forced march on a
sum n-baked mountain road in the middle of
the day, as he did two days later, With no
reason whatever, since he knew that the
town OF Morong, which he was marching
upon, had been captured the day before
by the Washingtons. | saw more men fall
out on that foolish forced march than in
any half-dozen marches the troops had
made before. and many of them were so
prostrated by heat that they had TO be
sent to the hospital at Manila
One company arrived at Morong with
only nine men in it's ranks. The probable
reason for this abuse of troops was the
fact that General Hall had been severely
reprimanded by General Lawton for hls
failure to get upon the Antipolo road in
time two days before. No general should
have the command of an offensive force
here until he has been in the country long
enough to know how TO campaign in the
tropics and to learn the characteristics or
! the enemy. One may be a good Indian
fighter In America and a poor Filipino
fighter In Luzon.
Instead CT keeping his troops inactive
while bridging his ditch. General Hall
might have sent his infantry ahead and de-
yeloped the enemy. or, at least, placed
them in the shade. Just as the bridge was
completed the insurrectos opened fire upon
4 H.. ,ss~t, lni hea ylrE
/, They deployed to the left of the bridge
and drove the small force back into the
hills which rise almost abruptly from the
valley at this point The 0regous were
| brought forward on the right and pushed
! into the hills under a heavy fire from
| trench on a commanding elevation. Ihey
advanced steadily to within about 500 yards
and then took cover and brought their
| rifles into play. Meanwhile two OF the
Hotchkiss guns had been brought into ac-
| ton, throwing shells over the heads Of the
/ Oregon troops, and soon the enemy hed
south toward the Antipolo Road They
were Immediately pursued in column along
! rough mountain road that was in places
almost a tunnel through the rock.
The advance work was done by the cav
airy, dismounted. the 0regons heading the
main column. About 8 O'Clock in the al
/ ternoon the advance came out of the sunken
! road upon a little plateau hammed in on
! three sides by high, steep hills, and I'M
mediately the Mausers and Remingtons be-
gan to crack. The insurrectos were in
force on all three hills. from 800 to 1,5O0
yards distant. and about 500 feet in alti-
! tude above the plateau. well screened by
rocks and dense underbrush. Their posi-
ton was impregnable, if held with deter
mination. For a short time the cavalry
returned the fire, and then retreated, hay
| ing two killed and one wounded. The Ore
! gon regiment was brought forward. They
| deployad with a rush, one battalion TO the
right, one to the left. and one in the CEN
| tire. and in few minutes their voileys wers
| laundering against each hill, while the
| lines swept across the plateau and up the
| steep slopes with continued cheers. The ad-
( vance was Irresistible and tine enemy fed
I from every position along the trails that
| led TO other submits farther back, but not
all of them. for dozen dead and wounded
were found among the rocks, and four un-
wounded were captured
| The wounded are cared for by the sur
geons. and then left with natives living
close by. The remaining hours OF daylight
were consumed in bringing the force to-
gether again. and camp was made for the
night on the plateau some two miles
| from the Antipolo road, which was to have
! been reached at noon. II was for this fail
ure that General Hall was reprimanded.
His error in holding his whole force in the
valley while building a bridge for the guns
was emphasized by the fact that the Ore
gon regiment finally fought his battle alone
and unaided by the guns. which were far
to the rear when the hills were stormed.
| Meanwhile the rear Of heavy guns and
the rattle of musketry could be heard in
the direction of Taytay some three miles
away. where the Washingtons and a por-
ton of the Twelfth were assaulting the
strong position there. After dark the en-
emy retreated along the Antipelo road.
which the force in our front was still pro-
tecting. The Oregons lost one killed and
three wounded.
The next morning Hall advanced to Anti
polo. being delayed but little by the en-
emy's rear guard and pushed on through
the town toward Morong, camping after
dark at Teresa, three miles from his desti-
nation. Meanwhile the Washingtons had
captured the town by going around the
Laguna in cascoes towed by the river gun
boats oeste and Norte. They arrived late
in the afternoon and waded ashore in wa
ter up to their shoulders to a rice fat Just
south of the town. For some unknown rea-
son the insurrectos, who were lying behind
trenches just at the edge of the town, did
not fire upon them while they were in the
water, but opened up as soon as they
formed line on land. The battle was over
/
yanced to within good range and then
poured in several vollsys, while the rapid
fire guns on the boats also swept the
trenches. Then the troops advanced witt
a rush and the enemy fed precipitately
| leaving half dozen dead in the trenches
as part compensation for the two wounded
men on our side. The next day Genera
Halls command arrived in the demoral-
lied condition stated, and the Washing
| hy- TO Dazfer
The following day the 0regons vert
sent in cascOes to Manila, and the re-
mainder of Halls force marched baci
again, garrisons of regulars being left a
Morong, Antipolo, and Taytay. and the
new policy of holding conquered territory
was entered upon. The attempt to capture
Pillars forces was a failure. as have beer
all similar efforts during the war, but tht
driving out of the enemy and the uCcu-
patton of the region at the head OF the
lakes was a distinct gain. relieving totl
the Pasig and the waterworks from CON
tinued annoyance by insurgents.
Five days later Lawton massed his
forces on the south line and with the
aid of two war vessels began the work oi
driving from their fortified positions at
Paranaque. Las Pinas, and Bakor the
enemy. whose activity on the south line
had kept the sounds of conflict in the ears
of Mania's citizens for four months
Here. also. there was an elaborate and
abortive plan for the capture OF the entire
insurgent force. supposed to number 1000.
1t was planned TO cut on all avenues OF
retreat before the rebels were forced out
of their strongholds, especially the high
way running across the ten mile strip
living between the Laguna and the bay
and leading around the southern end OF
the I.aguna. The force employed in this
movement was composed Of the CoIorados
North Dakotas. the remnant of the Ne
braskas tthe hardest-used regiment in the