Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1899-04-19
Direct from the Battlefield.

Direct from the Battlefield.
H. r. Thompson recently received let
ter from an old friend, which through the
courtesy OF Mr.. Thompson we reproduce
as we consider it interesting enough to
entertain the public which the TIMES
reaches.
In the Trenches, two
miles east OF Caloocan,
three miles north OF Ma
Mia, Feb. 81, 1899.
NY dear Tommy:
On Friday last received your very in
teresting and entertaining letter. 1t was
certainly very kind Of you to write at such
length.
Well, was working away practicing law
and while l never became wealthy or dis
tinguished things kept coming my way
fairly well, but when the war excitement
arose the fever became too strong for me,
and | had to 60 to war although never
had any previous war experience, and |
have had quite change in my manner Of
living.
After our enlistment we spent week in
camp in Washington, Pa, the county seat
OF our county, and it is needless to say
that we had good time there. We then
took train for San Francisco and were
fortunate to have one made up OF Pullman
and Tourist sleeping cars, and having on
board large supply of refreshments the
trip was by no means disagreeable one.
We remained in San Francisco six weeks
aoI hol o1tho,,~b
had to drill very hard. had gotten my
self trained down to $50 pounds and was
in splendid physical condition. We then
went on board the U. S. troop ship ''Ari-
zona," which is one of the fastest on the
Pacific, and held the Atlantic record about
Is years ago. We were somewhat crowded
and the food was bad, but had quite a
pleasant trip otherwise to Honolulu, where
we disembarked and went into camp, re-
naming there ten weeks.
1t is healthful place and we had fine
place to camp but unfortunately the strange
fatality which pursues many of our mill
tary camps during this war was conspicu-
ously present there, the proper sanitary
regulations not having been observed. l
was not well all the time we remained
there. We had the finest sea bathing a
few minutes walk from camp and beauti-
full park surrounding it.
Honolulu is quite place, but many
things are quite high in price, drinks in
Guided. The people are quite hospitable.
One could hardly distinguish it from an
American watering place in the south.
| We again went on board the ''Arizona"
and had some little more room and very
much better board than we had before.
We sailed Is days before reaching here,
and had several days OF quite rough
weather. The Pacific is very mild, just
like lake, but it got rather risky with US.
/ look forward with great deal of pleas
ure to our return, as it seems to be settled
that we are going back that way.
| Well, found this to be very peculiar
city and very different from anything that
| had ever seen before. Everything is
very ancient and anti4uated. We were
very pleasantly quartered in the Gorilla
theatre, and had shower baths and plenty
OF nice clean white uniforms issued, and
managed to live very comfortably, as drills
and guard duty we're not burdensome but
as the attitude Of the natives was becoming
threatening we had to increase our outpost
details which began to make us work
harder.
| We had many scares and emergency or
ders issued, some of them being founded
upon suspicious that afterward proved to
be groundless; but on the night of Febru-
airy 4, we were ordered out to protect the
territory covered by our outposts and have
been on the front ever since.
That night we remained under heavy
fire, and on the morning of the next day,
Sunday, February 5, marched around and
took the Chinese hospital, stronghold of
the enemy in our front. We made charge
and although it was surrounded by high
brick wall which made an elegant defense,
we had no trouble in taking it, the enemy
rapidly disappearing. We then turned by
the left flank and joined the Montanas on
our left, and after that started up rice
bottom, right in front OF which was hill
on which was located the Chinese cemetery.
Things were going very nicely when sud
denly "Hark, from the tombs doleful
sound" The enemy had taken refuge in
the cemetery and carefully secreted behind
the well fixed gravestones were pouring
hot shot into US who were out in the open
with no defense whatever. Our advance
opened fire, and the rest of US had to fall
down and let them fire on us. The guns
of the Utah battery were turned on the
cemetery, and l never heard sweeter music
than they made. After awhile we were
gotten up, ordered to fall back and num-
Der of our men went up through the ceme-
terry and dislodged the insurgents from
there. Our next advance was made against
strongly fortified church which was the
key to large space Of country, and we had
little trouble in taking it. Since then we
have remained in the territory we took that
Sunday, and have thrown up intrenchments
and have been defending them ever since.
On the Friday following the battle our
left end, the 14th Kansas and the Sd artll-
lery, assisted by the monitor 'Monadnock.'
which lay out in the bay, took the city of
Galoocan which is between two and three
miles on our right. Since then our line
which is about 20 miles long has not
changed, and there has been considerable
fighting on both ends. We have only had
one attack here which was slight engage
ment on Thursday week, when the enemy