The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-30
LIVELY TIMES.
T. j. Burns Writes
From the Philip
pines.
HARDSHIP OF SOLDIERS.
The Natives No Match
For Massachusetts
Boys.
HARDSHIP OF SOLDIERS.

How much the soldiers in the Phil
ippines are forced to endure in the
game of tag which Gen. Otis is playing
with the insurgents, is better shown
in the letters which the boys send to
their friends than in the dispatches
which are sent the government at
Washington. Such a letter was re-
ceived a few days ago by Thomas j.
Kennedy of this city from Timothy j.
Burns of Co. E. Ninth regular infan-
try Burns went through the Cuban
campaign as member of the Emmett
Guards of this city. He had previous
ly been a member of the regular army
for five years, but his term of service
expired several months before the Gu
ban war He promptly enlisted. He
suffered much with malaria, but on his
recovery enlisted again in the Ninth
regulars. and has been in the Philip
pines many months. His letter was
written late in August, and in an easy
gossipy style he informs his friend of
the hardships which the soldiers have
to undergo Burns makes no COM
plant; his letter is a simple recital of
his experiences. He writes as follows
I'VE
HAVE HAD SOME LIVELY TIMES
with niggers since the 9Th of
June, and I am going to try to explain
to you some of our battles We left
Pateros on the 9Th day of June and
started on a 10-mile hike or march to
a town called San Pedro Macati, and
Joined the rest of the regiment. On
the next morning, June 10th, we had
reveille at o'clock. We ate breakfast
as rapidly as possible, after which we
drew three days rations. We marched
about six miles south Of San Pedro Ma
cati, running into the insurgent out
posts They opened fire on us before
we had a skirmish line formed, but we
soon got in position and then you ought
to see the niggers run! We began to
fire by Volley and drove them a consid-
cradle distance before we rested. 1t
was hard to march through the fields,
on account of the grass 1t seemed
as if the grass had been knotted at
the bottom SO as to entangle us. But
they did not know what kind of men
there are in the United States army.
They soon learned, however.
1--WE rested on Guadelope hill for an
hour, and then started after them
again We came up with them about
8 o'clock In the afternoon and charged
on them with a yell. They could not
Withstand the charge. They retreated
again and we went after them, pursu
ing as far as Las Phinix, which we
took after a pretty hard fight. OF
course, I am just giving you an idea
of the way we have to fight. We had
to travel about 80 miles that day. We
would have been glad to get sleep, but
1t rained that night and spoiled our
rest. We stopped in Las Phinix until
the 18th. On that day Gen. Lawton,
with two companies, F and 1, of the
a.
scouting expedition. In the meantime,
the insurgents were lying in wait in
trenches Which were situated on the
banks of the Zapote river. Their po-
sition was very strong one. They
had a six-inch gun mounted in the
trench. On the morning of the 18th,
about o'clock, we heard heavy firing
and were ordered to be ready to turn
out at any time. Shortly afterwards,
the Fourteenth infantry were brought
up on the line, and they fought like
demons to hold the niggers back. About
IL o'clock the First battalion was or
dered out on the line, and then my
company was ordered out. The en-
gagement proved to be
THE HARDEST FIGHT
we have yet had on the island.
ut took us from o'clock in the morn
ing Until o'clock that afternoon to
drive the higgers out of the city of
Las Bolas We were tired, having
walked through mud up to our knees
and swimming rivers. We were glad
when night came on, to give us a
chance to rest but it rained and we
could not get sleep. There were two
jars of beans that we We're to have had
for dinner that day, but on account of
being called out to get into fighting
trim. we did not take dinner. They
went fine that night about 10 o'clock. l
thought they were the best 1 ever ate.
On June 14th we left Las Bolas and
marched to Baekoor, q. distance of eight
or nine miles. E Co. acted as an ad-
vance guard We expected to have a
fight but we did not see a Niger all
the way We stayed in Backoor one
night in church that was full of holes
from shells. We were dry once more
and under some kind of cover, so we
did not kick.
On the 18th of June we received or
ders to proceed to Manila, expecting to
get a rest when we reached there. We
We're relieved that day by battalion
Of the Fourth infantry. About 4 o'clock
we vert aboard the cascoes, but we
were stuck in the mud, and we had to
get out into the bay to push them off.
Our cascoe got off all right, but the
other two were stuck so hard that we
had to wait until the tide came in be-
fore we finally got on the way for
Manila We arrived in Manila late in
the morning of the 10Th, about IL
o'clock and proceeded to Nippa bar
racks, where we felt sure we would re-
main for a time, but it was not our
luck We had to take a train for San
Fernando on June II, and arrived in
the city next morning about 2 O'clock.
We spread out ponchos and had a few
hours sleep. and on the same day went
into quarters, where we stayed until
June %. We received orders that day
to proceed to Santa Tomas,
TO DO OUTPOST DUTY.
We had it pretty hard for eight or
nine days, until Aug. 8, and received
orders to go back to San Fernando. We
knew right away what to expect when
we got there. We left Santa Tomas
about L o'clock the same night arriv-
ing in the city about / o'clock on the
morning Of the 9th. We had about two
hours sleep, when assembly sounded,
and we got ready for another hike. We
went out to outpost, and formed Skin
mish line before deybreak. We, sat on
the rice paddy5 unth the signal gun was
fired Just at daTbreaK Then we began.
We took the naggefs by surprise. They
did not make much Of stand in the
trenches ana after firing a few shots
they started TO petreat
We went after them like a pack of
Indians. We advanced few miles and
rested in the road leading into Gala
Tut. We filed our canteens in a stream