The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-16
III WORK Of THE CLIMATE
Making Fearful Inroads
on Our Army
OUR REGIMENTS DBCIMATED
BY Fatigue an1 Continual Fighrtsx I'm
the JunSles of the Phflippine.-The
Nebraska. Petitions 10 he Temporarily
Wfthdrawn From the Front-Eresh
Troops To be sent to the Front-The
"De~ey Of the Army"-The Phillip.
pino Congress-.

Troops 10 be sent to n Frons-The
"Dewey Of the Army.-The Philip.
pino Congress.
Manila, May S.; via Hong Kong, May
1.-THE First regiment or Nebraska
volunteer infantry is taking the usual
step of respectfully ~petitioning the d.
vision commander, Major General Mac
Arthur, TO temporarily relieve them
from duty at the front. The regiment
is badly exhausted by the campaign in
which Is has taken an active part, and
not many o than 800 men of the or
ganization are at present fit for duty.
On Sunday last 160 men of this reg
iment responded to sick call.
The men, in view of the facts, have
prepared a respectful memorial to Gen
eral Macarthur, asking that their regi-
ment be withdrawn from a short time
from the fighting line, in order that
they may recuperate. The memorial
states that the men are willing to fight,
but are in no condition to do so, owing
to the strain of long marching, contin-
ual fighting and outpost duty in which
they have been engaged. 1t is added
that many Of the men have been un-
able to have their clothing washed for
months past, having been compelled
during all that time to sleep in their
uniforms, to be in~readiness for fighting.
The memorial adds that since Febru-
airy End, the regiment has lost 225 men
in killed and wounded, and SO since
The battle of Malolos.
The officers of the regiment propose
to present a similar memorial on be-
half of the men. The splendid record
of the First Nebraska IN the entire
campaign and the tone of the memorial
prepared by the men are such that no
imputatiOn of insubordination can be
brought against them. Officers of the
regiment said to the correspondent of
the Associated Press here today that
they thought the men had been worked
beyond endurance and should be given
a rest, and some of the regular regi-
ments, which are now guarding the
city, be sent to the front.
Five volunteer regiments and the
Utah battery of artillery are at San
Fernando. They muster in all about
$500 men. Many of the soldiers are in
hospitals, suffering from the heat or
other causes. The wounded were all
suffering acutely and showed the eff
fects of exposure to the sun when they
arrived. Three days rest has already
worked wonders.
Since the army entered Malolos the
soldiers have had little water to drink
except that which was brought on rail-
road trains from Manila, and that was
of poor quality. The artesian wells at
San Fernando are doing much toward
making the men contented.
FRESH TROOPS TO THE FRONT.
Manila, May 12.-Fresh troops are
beginning to go to the front. Two bat
talions of the Seventeenth (regulars)
that had been holding the lines about
the city of Manila, will join Major Gen
eral MacArthur's division at San Fer
nando tomorrow and one battalion OF
the same regiment will reinforce Major
General LawtOn's division near Baco-
lor. These troops will be replaced here
by the Twenty First infantry regiment
which arrived from the United States
on board the transport Hancock yes
terday.
Capital Grant of the Utah battery
whose success in managing the army
%gunboats Laguna de Bay and Vadongs
has won for him the sobriquet "tht
Dewey of the army has been put IL
command of the recently purchased
Spanish gunboats whose arms the in
surgents captured. These vessels arr
now being prepared for operations OF
the rivers and along the coast. In
reftting and arming of the gunboat
is being pushed with all diligence.
THE PHILIPPINE CONGRESS.
London, May PA special dispatch
received here today from Manila say
that the Philippine congress now SIT
ting at San Isidro is composed or MT.
six members, of whom twenty favo
peace and an equal number are IRE
balance of power, arer eady to adml
concilables. The others, holding tn
hat absolute independence is hopeless
of attainment, but demand better term
at the hands of the United States tina
those offered.
China Notip Ii