The record-union., 1899-04-09
GENERAL PEELER IN RECEIPT
OF MORE REPORTS.
How the California Volunteers
Acted Under Fire, and What
They Did Far Away.

appear by the subjoined details, are
/ interesting to the general reader as well
as to military men.
! The following extracts from the re-
ports are the first official reports of the
battles in detail, and they will be read
with interest. They are from verbatim
reports of the return of the First Bat
TALON of Heavy Artillery, California
United States Volunteers, for the month
of February, signed by Lieutenant John
A. Roster and Major Frank S. Rice:
February s, 1899: At the request Of
| Admiral Dewey, commanding the Ash
attic squadron, dispatched flag of truce
| in charge of Lieutenant John A. Glass
and two enlisted men of this battalion
to the town of San Rogue demanding
| of the insurgents, then in possession,
! the evacuation thereof before 8 O'Clock
| the following morning and that their
| intention to comply should be indicated
! by flag Of truce raised over the block
| house by s O'Clock on the 9Th At a.
| m. the insurgents fired the town. About
| S:45 certain portions of the troops sta
| toned at Cavite, including the head
| quarters and Battery D of this bat
talon, were ordered to San Rogue to
capture the incendiaries and aid in ar
resting the confagration The troops
thoroughly secured the island and con-
| tinuing to the front for a distance of
about four miles from Cavite until the
outskirts of San Rogue and the narrow
neck of land connecting this island with
the main land was reached At this
| point an outpost has been established
and intrenchments and breastworks
erected During the advance to this po-
sition several insurgents We're killed,
but no casualties in this battalion.
Major Frank S. Rice has been placed
in command, and the following COM
prise his force: Third Battalion, Fifty
first lows Infantry (four companies and
Major Moore commanding), Light Bat
terry A, United States Volunteers, and
Battery D of this battalion. AS soon
as possible scouts were sent out to To-
cate the enemy. They soon reported
them intrenched about two miles from
this outpost
February 15, 1899: Insurgents fired
on outpost party cutting away brush
between our position and insurgents
movements. The scouting party fell
back to our line Of rifle pits, the insur-
gents skirrnishers following up to with
| in about 300 yards. We opened fire
with three field pieces of the Wyoming
Battery. firing shell and then shrapnell
and volleys fired by two companies of
the F'ifty-first Iowa Infantry The
enemy was driven back and outposts
advanced to original position to re-
sumo the work temporarily stopped.
February 23d: Cossoch post of this
| outpost fired on twice about s p. M;
replied with four rounds of shrapnell
which silenced the enemy
(Signed) JOHN A. ROSTER,
First Lieutenant Firsr Battery H, CAL
ifornia United States Volunteers:
Headquarters of the First Battalion of
Heavy Artillery, California United
States Volunteers:
(signed) FRANK s. RICE,
Major First Battalion Heavy Califor-
MIA United States Volunteers, Com
manding Battalion"
Station Outpost, Cavite, San Rogue,
P. l.. March g, 1899
The returns of the First Regiment of
California Volunteers for the month of
February, is a longer document than
the foregoing. A novel feature is that
the report is typewriter, the carbon
copy being sent to General Peeler.
The report is signed by Colonel James
F. Smith and Lieutenant Colonel Victor
D. Duboce. 1t runs as follows:
February 4, 1890: Call to arms
sounded at $50 .. m. After remain
ing under arms for two hours, comoa-
nies We're dismissed Second call to
arms sounded at $50 p. M First Bat
talon Companies NJ, F, G and Ii un-
der Lieutenant Colonel Duboce, and ac-
companied by K and H, moved to POGO
cross roads, and returned to quarters at
midnight. - IL ffEXEl1
February 9Th: Rested on arms till
4 a. m. Sunday morning, and after
breakfast same command marched to
POGO bridge, arriving there at 5:15.
Companies H and K reported to Major
Slime and Joined his command Com
panies A and E) at Battery Knoll, as
support for Battery D, Sixth United
States Artillery. Companies M and r
were sent forward at 6 a. m. to sup
port firing line of First Washington
Volunteers. Company G ordered to
clear out enemy from houses along
road, and as firing became general, or
ders We're issued to burn all houses
where insurgents We're located Com
panies l. and G, assisted by Idahos.
surrounded the church on three sides
and after maintaining a lively fire for
about half an hour, Captain Dyer bat
terry d, Sixth Artillery opened fire from
Battery Knoll, throwing about twelve
shells into the church, which was then
set fire to under orders from Lieutenant
Cc.onel Duboce. Company K, from Pat
terry Knoll, reported to Lieutenant Colo
nef Duboce, at POGO, and received or
ders to escort General King, which the
company did until ordered to join line
of advance from blockhouse 2. This
company then advanced and captured
convent on left of road, near Santa
Ana, occupied by insurgents (9:3O)
Companies H, E and A (Third Battal-
ion), under Major Slime $3.50, formed
firing line and attacked flank of Santa
Ana, Company A turning to right to
protect advance of A and E from flank
attack. Companies F and M entered
Santa Ana 0:45), burning all native
houses. Companies H and e facing up
river. drove enemy before them toward
Sam Pedro Macati, which place they oe-
cupied later 40 a. nl.), being soon join
ed by Company A. Company L, under
orders from Lieutenant Colonel Duboce.
acted as support to Fourteenth United
States Infantry in advance on Pasay
Company (3:10 p. n.y. ordered to re-.
port to Colonel Smith at San Pedro Ma
cati''
The balance Of the report records mo
action of Importance" being a chronol-
oey of events and movements up to
February 2Sth, when there were slight
skirmishes" "