The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-16
VALOR Of VOLUNTEERS
Deeds of Daring and Endurance In
Philippines.
OFFICIAL HAND
MAJOR YOUNG AND OFFICERS
OF BATTERIES WRITE.
Reports of Battles In April and May
Received to Be Filed In the States
Archives-SpeciaI Commentator
to Commanders and Subordinates
For Distinguished Services.

TO n Subordinate:
For Distinguished Services.
Governor Wells yesterday receive,
from Major r. w. Young a copy of hi.
report to the war department of opera
tons of the Utah batteries in the Phil
ippines for the months of April ant
May. The report embodies reports o.
Captain E. A. Wedgewood, Lieutenanr
Ray Naylor. Lieutenant John F
Critchlow, now captain, and Sergeanr
Anderson, since promoted TO a lieuten.
ancy. Major Young's report states thai
within a few days, meaning from June
1, he would submit recommendation
for brevets and certificates of merit
based pom the operations of the cam
paign. About three weeks ago these
promotions were made by Acting Gov
ernOr Hammond on Major Young's rec
concentration.
1t is mentioned in Major Young's re-
port that the two gatling guns which
were obtained from the armored train
and employed .under the immediate
command of Lieutenant Bridges al
Calumpit remained with the Utah ar
tillery n were used in the engage
ment at San Tomas, one under Lieu
tenant Naylor, as mentioned in Captain
Wedgewood's report. and the other un-
der his, Major Young's, own command
as chief of artillery. The latter gun
expended 5000 rounds of ammunition
duSing the engagement.
Major Young's report to the division
commander of the Eighth army corps
tells of the. engagement of a platoon OF
battery B.. Utah artillery, a platoon of
light battery d, Sixth artillery. and a
troop of the Fourth United States cav
airy in the battle fought with the Fill
ipinos on March % at the crossing Of
Tulihan river.
Getting Into Action.
After describing the character of the
enemy'S strong position, behind breast
works of earth, stone and bamboo, and
the relative position of the c%ontending
forces, the major states:
N"Upon receiving the order TO AXE the
funs. l instructed Lieutenant Critch-
low TO order his leading piece forward.
Advancing a few hundred yards we
came to the top of a small hill. on the
other slope of which the bullets We're
falling thickly. No available position
could be found near the crest of the
Fill. n l, with Major Bell, rode well
forward to the bottom of the hill. where
L oCAt@bOA d pOStllDIL W HIGH COtIllldIlutC
an excellent view of the intrenchment
across an open field and furnished a
slight screen of underbrush in a row
OF bamboo for the guns n personnel,
and a ruined stone foundation as shell
ter for the mules. The enemy's work
was scarcely 100 yards distant.
THE guns were brought down by
Critchlow and Davis. the
of the Sixth United States artil-
leTy, at a rapid gait. a bamboo fence
was cut through and the 50 inch rifle
run in and unlimbered near the stone
foundation, and the mules were speed
lily placed under cover. The piece was
run forward by hand through the rough
intervening space, Constructed by ban
ana trees and other plants, to a position
the screen.
Gunnery of the Utah Boys.
Under my instruction the 30 inch
rifle was loaded with percussion shell
and both it and the Colts automatic
gun were directed to aim at the hostile
field work. Firing was opened stimuli
taneously and was continued as rap
IDLY as possible on the part of the field
piece and continuously by the Colts
until the former had discharged three
shots, when the enemy was seen to be
evacuating the intrenchment. We then
OllONtu llltIll up lne I'LL WIFI tUTdD
mel and the automatic gun fire, with
apparent telling effect. After our first
shots the insurgents. who had been
pouring a murderous fire into the woods
a view of controlling the road, re-
their eXertionS and apparently
their chief attention TO our pO-
;ition, which, on account of our using
;mokeless powder, they could not def
litely locate, but which, on account of
he nearness of the explosion of our
runs. they were able to accurately ap-
)roximate.
THE bullets fell in a storm at and
lround our position, but fortunately,
Utmost miraculously. in view of the alb
of bullet-proof cover, no one was
tit.
"At Major Bells information that the
nemy still remained in the engine
and bridge head, we limbered the
and ran it to a position neal the
avalry, where these positions were
-isible. One shell was fired into the
'oiler house and the remnants of the
efending forces were dislodged.
AN inspection of the works showed
hat two of our (the Utah) shells had
truck the floor of the slot, exploding
t h interior face with disastrous re-
ults, and that the third had struck the |
Interior face. but had failed to perfo-
ate the wall. which was about ten feet |
/ thickness"
reports of Wedgwood and Naylor.
OF the operations of battery A from
-pril l to May is. Captain Wedgwood
the engagement on April %
t Gumgua, when, under a heavy fire
rom h enemy, Privates Davis and
-bplanalp were wounded. A rapid fire
I about forty minutes ~diSlodged the
nemy. Greater loss" the captain
tates, was doubtless prevented by the
)rtunate selection of position, our
uns being masked from the enemy by
foliage, and using smokeless pow
er, our exact position was not dis
Lieutenant Naylor gives a detailed re-
of h part the two guns of bat
cry A took in the action at Bag Bag
yer on April %, when the enemy was
riven from its position. In the early
of this engagement the missiles
ON the rapid-fire gun came so close to
lieutenant NaylCcc's command that Ma
n Young ordered the men to lie down.
about ten minutes the cross-fre
eased n the command advanced To
position supporting General Hale's
ivance.
Crossing the Rio Grande river camp
as made at Calumpit, where Private
elmer was wounded in the small of
lie back by a stray Mauser bullet.
Special Mention For Bravery.
After the town of Calumpit was taken
turing the engagement two of the
guns became disabled), Lieuten-
1T MAYORS command was sent along
lie railroad on May 4 to assist in the
0f an Tor,o. D,- "