The record-union., 1899-06-15
THE FIGHTING NEAR MANILA.

The hardest fighting of the campaign
Gently and that too almost at the gates
of Manila. When the American fleet
Under Admiral Dewey destroyed Mon
tijo's fleet off Bacoor Bay, near Cavite,
in Manila Bay, eight miles southwest
erly from Manila, Admiral Dewey nad
ROLAND force at hand He had no men
to spare from the fleet sufficient in
number to occupy and hold Cavite. ar
senal if the insurgents objected. There
was nothing for him to do, therefore,
but to hold the insurgents In cneck
through diplomacy. as he weu did.
Cavite province has always, say all
historical accounts, been the hotbed Of
insurrection, the stronghold of the
Tagals There they gathered in lar
gest number and from that province
their incursions into other parts OF the
island of Luzon were made.
When we took the city of Manila it
was these Tagals in large force who
came upon the outposts OF the Aroert-
can army and demanded that they be
permitted to enter the city, for what
purpose is well known. To that time
they had shown no marked hostility 10
the Americans. But when refused en-
try to the city they provoked a breach
of amity and the war We now have
came on. Aguinaldo, shrewd enough to
know that it would not do for him 10
,be cornered in the Cavite province Oh
the south, retreated eastward and
nerthward with his forces, and hence
about all the fighting has been done,
to the date of the latest battle, east
and north of Manila. But great boiy
of the insurgents were left in Cavite
province, and there they have been ever
since.
1t is related by one of the Cal!forniD
Heavy Battery that the work of that
command has been mainly IN holding
Cavjte arsenal. which Is situated upon
the point of a narrow peninsula eight
miles southerly from Manila Back Of
1t, less than two miles, lies old Cavite,
near which the battery's outposts have
been maintained. For months these
outposts have been daily and nightly
fired upon by the Tagal insurgents, but
suntil the other day there has been no
4hard fighting with them. However, the
Insurgents have practically controlled
the shore country Of the bay, from Ma
late to Cavite viejo.
/; AS our readers are aware, the ships
OF the navy have for months been ham,
,anering away at Paranaque, for in
,gtance-now held by us-ore Of the prn-
,cipal shore towns, and nearly midway
1between Manila and Cavite. The mar.
uow strip of country lying between the
bay Of Manila and Laguna de Bay has
therefore been infested with insurgents
for months, but We have had no
pitched battles with them, though there
shave been frequent skirmishes. The
Americans having driven the rebels on
Nhe north well into the mountains and
obtained control of the rail lines Of
Tagals on the south deemed the time
ripe for them to make a furious as
eault upon our forces from the south
and engage in an attempt to take the
city Of Manila from US, hence the hot
test battle of the campaign has just
been fought, and with these Cavite pro
vince fellows, who have been resting.
practically, throwing up heavy fortiff-
cations, constructing entertainments,
and practicing with arms taken from
the Cavite arsenal before the outbreak.
They appear to have chosen their
ground well, the same over which they
had frequently fought the Spanish, the
river Zapote entering the bay of Ma
nila midway between Bacoor and Las
Pfr1as being the center Of their opera
4ions. There we met and engaged them
under partial cover of our ships of war.
The assault was a failure. We had
4 hot battle or rather two battles and
succeeded in driving the Tagal insur-
gents suathward and backward and In
dieting such punishment upon them IS
TO Justify the belief that they are.
partly at least. demoralized. Their ar