The record-union., 1899-12-25
And Moving Out to Take and Hold More
Territory.
Heretofore We Have Possessed the
Half-Burned Town Of uoilo and
Nothing More-General Hughes
Occupied Four Towns and IL
Waiting for Ammunition and
Provisions and for the Country
to Dry.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.)
ILOILO, Nov. 13.-This island Of
Panay, sister island to Negroes and 9TH
.er Of the Viscayan group, has for
months past been in insurgent hands.
To-day the American forces are taking
the aggressive for the first time, and
are moving out to cover and hold
more territory. Up to the present we
have possessed the half burned town of
Iloilo, and nothing more.
The Twenty-sixth Regiment, under
Colonel Rice, arrived here two weeks
ago from the United States
I'VE at home" said officers Of this
regiment knew that our troops were
on Panay, but we had the impression
that they occupied the island; that the
important coast towns were at least
ours; that our possession was more
than nominal. Hence, we are sur
prised to see the American forces actu-
ally besieged by the insurgents upon
three miles Of land Immediately sur
rounding Iloilo.
People in the United States may
have the same ideas as had the officers
of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, and to
them it would be we'll to say that our
lines, up to the present, embrace the
three miles Of this port, and nothing
more. Insurgent trenches face US on
the north and west, and outpost firing
is to be heard at any time.
with the coming of reinforcements
a battalion Of the Nineteenth and the
Twenty-s sixth Regiment entire, Cen
eral Hughes, in the midst of a typhoon
that swept the country with driving
rain, flooded rice fields and made quag-
mires of the roads, an expedition COM
posed of the Eighteenth Regiment, I'M
der Colonel Carpenter; the Second Bat
talon of the Twenty-sixth Regiment;
two battalons of the Ninteenth; Light
Battery G. of the Sixth Artillery, under
Captain Bridgeman, and Captain God
ron's mounted scouts from the Eight
zenith Regiment, advanced into the en-
emy's country. The battalion of the
Twenty sixth and the two battalions
of the Nineteenth constituted a pro-
visional regiment under Colonel Rice,
while the First and Third Battalions
of the Twenty-sixth garrisoned Iloilo
and Jaro.
''The objective point of the expedition
was the supposed insurgent stronghold
at Santa Barbara, eight miles north
of Jaro. but as the direct road between
these two points had been strongly en-
trenched the American forces made a
detour to the west in order to approach
Santa Barbara on it's unprotected side
Yesterday General Hughes had occu-
pied successfully the villages of Oton,
Tigbaun and Gurnal on the coast and
west of Iloilo, likewise Cordoba. four
miles north of Tigbaun.
Company C of the Twenty-sixth
Regiment had the only contact with
the insurgents on the first night out
One of the men of the company, which
was under command of Lieutenant
Fales, was seriously wounded, two of
the enemy were found dead when the
trenches were captured and much am
munition fell into our hands as a re-
suit of the brush. To-day General
Hughes column is resting in the four
towns mentioned, waiting for arnmu-
milton and provisions to be conveyed to
it and also for the rains to stop and
the country to dry.
1.-The town of San Miguel, within
sight of Iloilo, was partially fired by
the rebels when they thought our troops
were about to enter it.
1.-THE town of Iloilo to-day presents a
woe-begone and dismantled appearance
A third Of the place Is in ruins and the
partial reconstruction Of business
houses and the humber dwellings Of
the poor with debris from the confla-
grafton on February 18th, reminds one
of the wreck after Western cyclone"