The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-05-27
SHARP FIGHT YESTERDAY
FUNSTON AND THE DAkOIAN0
ROUT THE FILIPINOS.
A LARGER ARMY ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
Insurgents Reoccupy The Territory Americans
had Swept and Harrass the Scou ing
Parties. An ambush Laid
for Wagon Trains.

Manila, May 2G.-11:20 a. ma
scouting party of American troops en-
countered a body of insurgents at Santa
Rita and the Americans being rein
forced by Brigadier General Funston,
with the South Dakota regiment, a
warm fight ensued.
A lieutenant and five men of the
American force were wounded and ten
of the insurgents were killed and several
captured
General Hughes, who has been APP
pointed to relieve Colonel Smith as
Governor of the Visayan district, will
be succeeded as provost marshal by
Brigadier General Williston, who re-
Gently arrived here in command of the
troops of the Sixth artillery.
MORE MEN NEEDED.
Manila, May 26.-7:40 p. m.-The
events of the past week have empha-
sized the need of a much larger army
here, without which, according to the
best authorities in Manila, it would be
attempting the impossible to expect to
establish American supremacy in the
Philippine Islands. The inadequacy of
the American forces is said to be re-
sponsible for the large total loss i'll the
number of small encounters, without
material results as q compensatWU7
Most of the fighting has been in terri
tory which the Americans had swept,
but have been compelled to abandon be-
cause they could not spare troops to
hold it.
The forces commanded by Generals
Macarthur and Lawton hold two i'm
portant lines of communication and
commerce, the railroad to San Fernan-
do and the Rio Grande river. But much
of the country they have swept, includr
ing scores of the smaller towns and
some of the larger ones have been left
uncovered, simply for want of men to
hold them, and the insurgents have re-
turned and are occupying the towns the
Americans abandoned, and are camping
in the jungles and woods outside of
others. on watch for chances to harrass
the garrsons and attack scouting part
les or detached companies with greater
forces. This is the kind of warfare they
prefer to regular battles.
1t appears that the Filipinos who at
tackled the Third regiment between San
Miguel and Balnag We're part of Gen
eral Pho del Pillars army. They came
from the south across the mountains.
presumably to meet wagon train
which General Lawton expected along
the road They also planned to capture
several large detachments and were
placed in ambush at different points.
They fired from the jungle, at dis
tance of 200 yards, and gave the Ameri-
cans one of the hardest fights eX-
perienced in the campaign.
The Fiipinos lost more heavily than
the Americans in all the recent encount-
ers. The insurgent generals take the
loss of arms more to heart than they do
the loss of men.
Foreigners who have arrived here
from the insurgents country, under the
recent order of expulsion, say the
cemeteries in all the towns are filled with
fresh graves. A majority of the Fill
pinos wounded die, because the insur-
gents hospitals are inadequate, medi-
cines are scarce, and they have few sur
geons. except Spanish captives who have
been impressed.