The Denison review., 1899-06-20
SERGEANT A. D, JAMES
He Writes An Interesting Letter
From the Philippines.
THE B0YssAREA ALL WELL
Tells of the Fighting and Gives Good
Description of the Country.
{SAN FERNANDO, p. L.,
May L, 1889.

Description of the Country.
(SAN FERNANDO, p. L.,
May II, 1899.
To The DENIsoN REVIEW,
DEAR FRIENDS: 1t has been some |
little time since wrote you and as we |
have had several new experiences since
l trust that another letter will be of |
some interest.
We left the city of Manila on the l4th
of April and went into the camp at
Malolos that evening relieving the 10th
Pennsylvania regiment which went
into quarters at Cavite preparatory to
being sent home.
Everything was quiet at Malolos and
our camp there Was pleasant and en-
jcyable for neatly two weeks.
While there We had fresh beef from
Manila every day and plenty of fresh
water and bread also from Manila,
which together with our regular camp
fare made us a very good living.
The Insurgents We're not very close to
us there so the duty was not heavy and
everything went off in an orderly man.
ner up to the 2Sd of April. Early that
morning small scouting party from
the 4th U. S. cavalry got mixed up with
some insurgents and lost one man.
They tried to recover his body but
were driven back. so they called for
help and seven companies of the 51st
Iowa and eight companies of the 1st
| Nebraska went out.
| The fight was hard one and lasted
from seven o'clock in the morning to
nearly noon. 1t was in this fight that
the Nebraska boys lost their brave col
onel and altogether their loss was tor
ty-eight killed and wounded.
The Iowa regiment was under just
about as hot fire as was the Nebraska
but we were more fortunate for our
loss was only six men wounded.
| Company G was on outpost duty that
day SO did not get in that battle but
they joined the battalion early next
morning in time to make the advance
on Calumpit, the next insurgent strong
hold up the railroad.
In Mondays fight before Calumpit our
company had one man wounded Cor
poral Louis Wyland of Harlan-he was
shot through the right thumb and right
leg, but his wound was slight, so he
did not suffer much. saw him just
before he was taken to Manila and
what seemed to worry him more than
his wound was that the bullet had gone
through his kodak and spoiled some
fine pictures he had just taken.
The fight at Calumpit was pretty hot
but did not last long and our boys went
. into the town just after noon.
Around Calumpit the insurgents had
miles of intrenchments one after the
other and all connected so that they
could move from one position tc
another under cover.
They were strong and we'll made and
would have done credit to any army in
the world but when the Filipinos see us
coming they have business in another
part of the country. AS long as the
Americans do not advance they will
stay and shoot at us, but when the boys
! get up and get after them with q yell
they can't stand it and have to go. We
stayed at Calumpit four or five days
then moved onto Santa Tomas and San
Fernando. Between San Fernando
and Calumpit are five rivers, ranging
In size from rivers as large as the West
; Boyer to the size of the Missouri al
Omaha, one large swamp and severa
groves of bamboo.
The boys fought nearly all the way
and had to wade or swim under fire all
the rivers and most of us looked like
the ''last rose of summer when we got
. through. John Cushing was wounded
in the fight before Santa Tomas. He
was struck in the back of the head bu,
it proved only to be slight scall
wound and he did not leave the line
| He said it felt as though some one had
hit him on the head with a ball bat.
The fight just before San Fernando
, was not SO hard and the 1st and 2nG
, battali0ns of the 5lst Iowa took thu
town.
The Filipinos were on the run when
we came up and it was just like shoot
ing rabbits for no sooner did niggel
show his head or start to run than forty
men would take a shot at him.
San Fernando was town 1 should
think of some $4,000 or 10000 inhabit
ants-it is pretty place and we'll bull
fact the best and most important
town we have yet taken.
Many of the residence houses art
large two story stone buildings, vel
built and comfortably furnished ant
the houses now occupied as headquar
ters wouli do credit to an American
city.
The public buildings and churche.