The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-04

of ammunition. making $50 in all 1--WE
| always carried SO rounds)., We under
| stood that four companies of us were
to be General MacArthur's body guard
| or support, but by some mistake after
we had been with him for about an
| hour we We're sent out to the kansas
outpost, where from the sound of vol
ley firing they were having a hot time.
| Company G had just been put on the
line as support to one of the Kansas
| companies, when the order came for the
| Montana companies to report back 10
Gen. Macarthur. AS we were already
on the line they left US there and took
the other three back. We were lying
behind a small ridge and had been
there about an hour when biff, bang,
the insurgents had opened up on us.
As we We're in the support we could
not return the fire. All we could do
was to hug the trench and dodge the
! bullets. The two Kansas companies IN
| front of us on the firing line were pour
ing volley after volley into them. This
was about o'clock and dark as the
| ace of spades. We could not see any
| of them. The only thing left for the
| Kansas companies to do was to shoot
| in the direction of the sound of .he
! rifle. This was where Company G
was tested for the first time. The Or
| der came for us to go up to the firing
| line and relieve Company of the Kan
| saS regiment. We had to crawl on our
| hands and knees about 100 yards 1--WE
had orders to advance cautiously and
keep as close to the ground as poSsible)
in the face of good fire from the in
surgents. When we arrived on the
line the Kansas company fell back
| and took our position. About this time
the firing ceased and the line was re-
inforced by one of Utah's artillery
guns and a rapid firing gun. They
were put in position on the road that
leads to Caloocan. We were on the side
of the road next to the bay. There
were no more shots fired until about
5 o'clock, when they opened up and
poured hot lead into us for about an
hour. Six Kansas men were wounded
and one killed at this time lying right
along side of us, and not a man in
Company as much as scratched. We
thought it very lucky, as the bullets
We're throwing dirt in our faces and
hail storm of them going over our
heads with a sing song noise peculiar
to an insurgent bullet. We stopped or
camped at the place, only advancing
about 300 yards. until Monday at
o'clock a. NJ, when we We're relieved
and ordered to report to our regiment,
which is located on the right of the
Kansas. All this time we had been
on the extreme left of the line. We ar
rived at the Montana headquarters at
about - o'clock and found that in the
whole regiment we had only one killed
and five wounded. Here we put UP in
trenchments, fearing an attack. Every
night we exchange shots with the in
surgents. They creep UP within 100
yards in the dark and let drive. We
give them a couple of volleys and that
settles it for about two hours, when
they come back and tantalize US some
more About every other night one
of our men gets slight wound. Here
We have a firing line Of IS miles; four
companies on the firing line, four in the
support four in the reserve. All the
regiments on the line are fixed the
same, That is the sway we were To-
Gated UP to Friday al 8 o'clock. At
this time we were strengthening our
trench filling sacks with earth to out
on top, when the order came to ad-
vance on Caloocan. We could see one
big gun and thousands of insurgents
in their trenches. The gun was To-
Gated on the railroad track, and as it
was still loaded when captured and
| had not been fired, the suppOsition is
| that they expected us to march up the
| track in column of tours. At $3.50
| the line advanced Chat is the part
| that was to advance, namely, the Kan
| sas, Montana, Idaho and Sd artillery
| acting as infantry, the right end of
| the Sd acting as a pivot, the rest of
| US making right half turn, taking in
| the whole country to the left to the
| beach. AS the line widened the re-
| serve and support companies dropped
| I'M. The line hal no sooner started
| than the firing from the insurgents
| commenced, and before we had been
| fighting 10 minutes the firing became
| very heavy. On the left of us where
| the kansans We're located is a strip
| of woods reaching all the way to NAL
| hn i,tn
! stand for the kansans to drive the
| insurgents out into the rice fields, 50
| We could get a crack at them. 1t was
here that they poured it into us as they
came out of the woods. They gave
us flank fire. For about half an
| hour | could see men falling everyy
| where. First, Captain Hill. Lieutenant
Colonel Wallace, who was on the firing
line between Companies G and c;
| Lieutenant Gardenhire (you know Gard
| got commission); Peterson BOrthwick
and Kennedy of Company G, all in a
short space of time, That is the way
! 1t came until we got the black devils
on the run We charged over the coun-
! try for two miles and left a trail of
| blood that will always be remembered
by the boys who took part in it.
don't believe there was a show of cow
ardice from any enlisted man.
Captain Wynne and Lieutenant Cor
| by of Company G, Major Cook, Captain
| Dillon and l. company officers, and in
| fact all of them, are as brave officers
as you could find in any army. Col
| onel kessler rode his horse from one
| end of the line to the other fearless as
lion: Captain Dillon kept saying to
| MS men: Come on, my brave heroes:
We'll drive them to hell Lieutenant
Gus Nickel hollered SO much that he
lost his voice for two days. Babcock
Oh ~ al CT
hot time in the old town of Caloocan
that night. We did not stop that
rabbit drive until dark, when we lined
up and had roll call. 1t was then we
found out how hot the battle had been
| Montana having 81 wounded and three
killed in this fight. This brings Mon
tana to third place of all the regi-
ments here in her list of killed and
wounded. She has Sc all told since the
| outbreak. We are now intrenched in
/ front of the enemy, the same as be-
! fore, only we have % miles of firing