Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-18
Experience of q. s. Troops in War
With Filipinos.
LETTER FROM MAI, CHAS. A. HOWARD
Progress Of the Campaign as
Noted by a Participant.
VALU ABLE ACQUIS ITION

| Mr.. Charles A. Baker of this city has re-
| ceived an interesting communication from
a friend, Maj. Charles A. Howard, LIST
| South Dakota Infantry. United States Vol
| unteers now on duty with his regiment in
| the Philippines. The letter IS dated March
| l6, 1899. lat trenches of block house No 4,
near Manila and is as follows:
I'VE left home May 3 1895 for Sioux
| Falls, where We organized the regiment
and were mustered into the service of the
United States May 10. We left for San
Francisco May %, arriving there June =;
left June % for the Philippines, arriving at
Cavite August %. AS you may imag CINE, it
has been a great experience for me, and if
l live through it it will prove of great value
to me, l think. If l go under it will, of
course, make difference.
Il went to Sioux Falls as captain of the
Aberdeen company, and as such was mus
tered into the service of the United States
May H. but was promoted to major and
mustered In as such the 10Th Our colonel
is A S. Frost, an officer in the regular
army; have had the best of instruc-
ton. and now have a regiment that is /
think, without superior in the service to-
Gay We got here ten days too late for the
fall of Manila, and, of course. it looked
then as ii we would not have any fighting;
but we kept right on drilling and disciplin-
ing our men, just as if We were going to
that we did, for it finally came.
Line of Outposts.
Our troops from the beginning main
tanned a line of outposts around the city.
and the night of February l. at about 10
o'clock, the insurgents opened fire on the
men of our outposts and those of Nebraska
on our right We were occupying with
outpost guards (sixty mem about a mile
of the lines. and they were about three
miles from where our regiment was quar-
tered in town.
In ten minutes from the time the attack
commenced our regiment rapidly NOV
ing out to the support of the outposts On
arriving we found that our fellows had
been forced back little, and we sent for
ward tW0 companies to their relief and
$ on reSalned the ground lost Soon after
ward the firing ceased. We waited an
hour, but 1t was not resumed: So leaving
our lieutenant colonel in command of the
two companies and the outpost guard we
TOOK the rest of the men back to quarters
was certain that it would reopen before
morning, did not go to bed and sure
enough, at a. m. they opened again hot
Ter tnan ever, having received reinforce
i'lellts. IN hVe minutes we were on our
way out AGAIN. On arriving | was ordered
TO take another company forward to rein
FORCE our firing line and to relieve the lien
tenant colonel, who then came back to the
regiment. From that time | was under
hfe, and hot one it was. We had no pro-
lection except slight underbrush that pre-
vented them seeing us very well The an
envy was behind intrenchments and had
the advantage of us. The air seemed full
OF bullets. | had two men killed and three
wounded between that and morning 50
you can see their craftsmanship was not
very good
As if on Dress Parade
AT O'Clock the balance of our regiment
moved up and we charged them going I'D
the slope and over their Entertainments as
II
fght was won. We then buried the enc
my's dead, sending our own and all wound-
ed into the city. We had our dinner at 3
o clock and started forward to capture a
stone wall and a large stone church that
they occupied about a mile away. We took
thls with heavy loss to the enemy in about
an hour and q half, with the loss on our
SIDE of one man killed and three men
wounded linen our whole army line was
estabHshed, trenches thrown up, and here
we have been since, waiting until the trooDs
on the way arrive SO we can leave the city
well guarded, when we are going out to nut
the fear of. the Lord, and incidentally of
Uncle Sam, into the heads of those heath
ems. On the I'D they made an attack in
force on our part of the line at 100 m
putting up good hot fight until II 80, but
without forcing back an inch We had
two men killed and three wounded in this
fight.
They are all hard fights we have had.
although there has been more or less de-
sutory shooting every day and night We
have had no deaths and but a few wound
ed in this way. Just l wrote that last
sentence we got notice from army head
quarters that their secret service depart
ment had learned that a heavy attack
would be made on our regimental line to-
night or tomorrow night. so will prob
ably have another circus soon. I've sent
word along the line so the men on guard
will be especially watchful. We think that
when we get started out after these fell
lows we can wind up the fighting in thirty
days.
Great Country.
This 10 a great country and it Is going
to prove a valuable acquisition to the
United States 1t is like discovering a new
continent, for there has been no develop
ment of the natural resources of the is
lands. There are lots of gold in some To-
calities and a possibility in the line Of hemp,
sugar tobacco, lumber and rice beyond the
power of imagination.
This instruction is practically the
part of the TayalaS, a tribe inhabiting
about a quarter of the Island of LuZon,
stirred up by some of their leaders who
We're educated in the political school of
Spain and the trouble was fostered by the
dilatory, easy going, undecided policy on
our part caused by the uncertainty of the
feeling of the nation until the election had
been held. These Adventures had an idea
that by putting up bluff the United States
would be induced to allow them to set up
a government and leave them at liberty to
plumber the islands the Spaniards had
done, and I'm glad the scheme did not
work.
There will be a great opening here for
American capital when matters get ad-
justed and settle down, and millions will
be made here through American enterprise
and with American money. Everything is
crude of course, and modern methods are
not used anywhere or IN anything. The
climate at Manila IS fine, none better |
guess anywhere in the tropics. I've had
but little chance, of course, to personally
know how 1t is In the interior I've no idea
when we shall go home, possibly in two
months perhaps not for year. Whenever
1t is ] shall be mighty glad to see odd sod
for that really is the only country"