The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-05-10
FROM The FIRING LINE.
Monongalia Boy Writes of His
Experience at Manila.

Fighting all Day Long Against Cruel
And Treacherous Foe - Terrible
Slaughter OF The Philippines Steady
Advance or the Soldiers and the Ex-
ecuticp They do--InterestiDg and
Readable Letter From Harry Eyerly.
An interesting letter has recently
been received from Harry A. Eyerely
who is a member Of the noted Tenth
Pennsylvania at Manila. He is
native Of Vaudeville and writes to
John II. Smyth Of that place. The
part OF the letter not relating to per-
sonal matters is as follows
FIRING LINE TWENTY MILES FROM
MANILA.
March 28th.
Dear Friend: shall pencil few
lines in answer to your letter received
on Friday, the day before our advance
on the Insurgents from our trenches
which lie four miles from Manila.
The whole line is resting to-day.
/ suppose you have read a great
many things in the papers about the
Philippines, but the press gives great
many false statements butt havn't
time to give you many OF the details
connected with the war here.
] shall simply state that on Febru-
airy, fourth at nine thirty in the morn
ing we were attacked by the Insur-
gents whom we drove back into the
country for four miles and threw up
breast works four feet high and TWEEN
ty-two miles long | mean the whole
Eighth army corps not merely the
noted Tenth Pa. This we held until
the arrival of our reinforcements
from the United States. These all
arrived on Thursday.
The north wing of the army reach
ed from the Pasig river in semi-cir-
Gle to the Bay Of Manila; this being
the wing in advance. We now had
on the line about 1900 men ready
for action. The Tenth under the
command of Col. A. L. Hawkins oc-
cuped the fourth place from the river,
right in front of the famous Chinese
Hospital and to the right OF the Great
church de-la-Saloma Church Of the
Hill-with the Utah Battery ON our
left.
We got orders on Friday evening to
be ready at dawn to advance. The
Insurgents were then in heavy en-
trenchments seven hundred yards In
our front. Saturday morning just as
day was breaking the whole left wing
1eployed advance skirmishers the
main body of men following fifty
yards in the rear.
We had not gone more than three
hundred yards when the Insurgents
opened heavy fire on us. We marched
on NOS returning the fire until we
were within five hundred yards of
their breast works. Then we poured
all sorts of lead into them. They
stood their ground until we were
within seventy yards of them when
the fire from the Springfelds, Krag
Jorgensens and batteries made it too
hot for them.
They fled and then came the time
that we cut them down. As they
would run out of the bamboo entrench
menGs we would NOW them down Ii Ike
a moving machine cutting down
grass. This kind OF work was kept
up all day Saturday and when we halt
ed at dusk we were eight miles from
where we had started. Sunday morn
ing early the march was resumed.
The extreme left of the line and the
center taking three towns; Malabon
a hOut tho cf1a of old Morrotfn,yr ,r;t h
out the new addition l mean; San
Francisco, Del Monte about the size of
Cassvlle and Polo about the size of
Greensboro, Pa.
We are now about twenty five miles
from Manila and have about thirteen
miles further to go to reach Malolos,
the largest city on the island outside
of Manila. Malolos is where Aguinal.
do resides and he calls it his capital.
The intention is to surround the city
and Shell it with seige guns and COM
pei 1t to surrender or else to annihilate
all the inhabitants. | wish to God
that they were all killed for more
cruel or treache. Jus race never lived
than they afe.
cdnb Tell you now many were
killed and wounded since we started
but some reports place it as high as
four hundred for US and seven thous-
and for the insurgents. The true es-
innate has not been made yet.
John Sherman once said War is
He'll. Oh how true that is. Murder
ing our men for the sake of these dirty
ours. have no time to write you
more but send you copy of Manila
Freedom a paper published here which
you can show to inquiring friends.
would like to tell you more but lack
OF time forbids. Would like you or
any other friends to write and give
me the news as l have not been in
Vaudeville for a year and five months.
HARRY A. EvERLY,
IN N ~