The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-03-24
uoilo. Il. l.. 1893.

Iloilo. Il. l.. 1893.
| will now write you a letter. which
/ hope you will be pleased to- receive.
/ got to Manila safe and well. I am
going to- tell you about the battles We
are now having with the insurgents.
When We got TO Manila we were sta
toned at Cavite. which Is eight miles
across the bay from Manila. On
Christmas day we embarked on the
Arizona and sailed for Iloilo; We had
two troop ships and one battlt ship.
We anchored in the stream of lloilo
after a two days voyage from Manila
and lay there aboard the tran sports
for nearly forty-five days.
On Saturday. February 1ith. the Bos-
ton and Petrol began to throw shells
into the city OF IloilO and kept il up
for two hours. when we saw the Amer
lean Flag raised in place OF the insur-
gent one. At o'clock OF that day our
regiment started to land. with the eN-
ception Of the band boys; | could not
go ashore for | had been taken sick.
but / asked the doctor to give me per-
mission to go along, but as that was
my first day out OF bed he would not
let me. The next morning at 8 o'clock
the band boys got into n boat and
nor pistol. but had my bugle with me
as / am now the bugler for Company
A, having been transferred from Com
pany L. j got ashore all right, but
could not find my company. some boys
that l met saying that my company
was on outpost duty. | met our doc
| tor and tried to- keep out OF his way.
but finally ran right in front OF him;
he seemed very much surprised to see
me ashore. but asked me how I was
| feeling. and / told him I was feeling
| much stronger. He smiled and said
Take care of yourself
About IL o'clock I met some OF the
boys of my company who had come I'm
TO get water. | went along with them
and found my company and they were
all astonished to see me.
About 12 o'clock we received orders
to go to the front and take the next
town called "Jaro." which Is about five
miles from Iloilo. Our company was
on the firing line and we are about 800
yards in front OF the rest OF the troops.
About sunset we captured the town OF
Jaro and that is the first time I ever
heard the whistle OF bullets. which
seemed to- say look out for me-" We
chased the insurgents back ard went
could not sleep on account OF the noise
made by the whistling OF the bullets
lasting all night. Having done more
hard fighting that day than any other
company we were not ordered to do
guard duty: we had two men OF Com
pany \ wounded in this fight. The
next day we went out on outpost duty
and the insurgents were shooting at
us all day. The next day our major
came up TO our commanding officer ard
ordered him TO advance our company
nine or ten hundred yards to the front.
At o'clock on February 1ith we start
ed to go TO the front with only one
company and a gatling gun. We had
not gone very far when we again heard
the bullets whistling around our ears
l accompanied the major and took the
/ commands from him. I have done
more hard work than any other man
in the company. for our major is q
brave man; he was on horseback and
was chasing him around with ms
bugle and blowing calls as he com
manded me. After three hours hard
fighting We ran out OF ammunition
and were compelled 10 retreat. In this
battle we lost one corporal and a ser
geant wounded. That makes three
mon wounded and ore killed from oul
company. ] have been In two actions
without arms, but anyway n buElsI
hardly ever has occasion TO use a pis-
tol.
I will close now as I have 20 go ont
on sentry duty, but will write more
next time.
With best wishes to all. am yours
with aloha nui loa.
GEO. X. LEWIS.
Musician COMPANY \. Efrhtpenth In