The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-14

and the insurgent, trenches near Las
Pinas all the morning Bakoor was
once on fire, but the natives stopped
the spread Of the flames. During the
night an insurgent cannon was fired
three times at the Americans on the
outskirts Of Las Pinas.
General Lawton this morning took a
battalion of the Fourteenth regiment
and two companies of the Twenty-first
regiment to locate the native battery
and then two guns of the Sixth artil-
lery and four mountain guns were
planted against it at six hundred yards
distance. The natives had large gun
from which they were firing home
made canister loaded with nails and
had two smaller guns. Their shooting
was most accurate. The first lot OF
canister burst directly in front of
ScOtt's guns and another shattered the
legs of a private in the Fourteenth in
fantry. Several shots struck the edge
Of the town. The country traversed
was as bad as 1t is possible to imagine,
being mainly lagoons of mud and water
fringed with bamboos.
AS soon as the fighting opened the
Americans were attacked by hidden
rifemen on all sides, even the Amigos,
or friendly native, in the houses of the
town shooting into their rear.
The companies of the Twenty First
regiment, skirmishing along the beach,
with amigo guides, found, apparently,
a handful of rebels, who retreeted. The
men of the Twenty-F'irst followed, and
suddenly the rebels opened a terrific
fire on the troops from the sides and
rear. The soldiers withdrew to the wa
ters edge, finding what shelter they
could, and were picked off rapidly. At
+a, THAR aY,o,,,,rpitioD was nearly =
hausted the companies Of the Twenty
First retreated, but Gen. Lawtun dash
ed down and rallied the men.
The little group made a desperate
stand, General Lawton, Major Starr
and Lieutenants Donovan and Con-
nelly taking rifles from the wounded
men ans firing at the enemy, the gen
eral bringing down some of the rebel
sharpshooters from tree. Finally
their cartridges were all gone, end they
were forced to break through the enc
my's flank, carrying the wounded 10
the main body of the troops.
Lieut.. Donovan, whose leg was
broken, f1oundered for a mile through
a bog, leading his men in the face of a
greatly superior force
Gen. Lawton ceased fighting until re-
Inducements could be brought up. Two
battalions of the Fourteenth regiment
and one battalion of the Ninth regiment
were hurried to the front and in the
afternoon the battle was resumed.
An army has seldom fought under a
greater handicap or more courageously
than did our regulars, a majority OF
whom were, comparatively speaking,
recruits who could have been pardoneG
for retiring in the face of such fierce
fire, from the exposed positions
The Fourteenth regiment lay to the
right of the bridge and In the front of
them was the Twelfth regiment, with
the Ninth on the right and the Twenty
first up the road, facing the bridge
which was the key to the situation. On
the bridge was the bodies of two Anne =
leans who had attempted to rush across,
and many wounded men were carried
from the open ground before the bril-
gade.
After firing in volleys for a short time
the Americans were ordered to fire
when they could see the enemy. Gen.
Lawton, though exhausted by the
mornings fight, rallied by sheer VIII
power, and was the commanding figure
in the battle. He went along the lines.
directing and encoura ging The troops.
Gen. Wheaton and Gen. Overshine were
equally courageous. In fact the generals
were among the few men on the battle
field who refused 90 take shelter under
hottest fire.
The only approach to the fighting
ground was by narrow, winding road,
where the rebel bullets dropped quickly
wounding several of our men.
At 4 o'clock there was an hoAr's lull
in the fighting. and an artillery serg-
cant galloped back to where two guns
Of the mountain battery were waiting
in reserve and shouted: Bring up