Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1899-01-27

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!. time and at seven we moved, carrying
days rations, canteen full of water, and
hundred and fifty rounds OF ammuni-
ton. The camp was only about five
miles from Manila. When about half
way our regiment, together with several
others was halted and lined up in line
of battle, called a support, while the
rest of the force, was sent ahead, consist
ing of regulars, save three or four volun-
teer regiments. From our position we
could command a fine view of Admiral
Dewey's feet, while he was bonn harding
fort Malate, At 9:45 the big Flag ship
Olympia opened fire, quickly followed
by the Raleigh, Concord, Baltimore,
while the Monitor Monterey, with her
four big twelve inch guns, ran under the
very muzzles of the two ten inch Spanish
batteries, with orders, if the enemy fired
a single shot, to silence the battery and
commence laying the City in ruins,
which she could easily have done. The
bombardment lasted tifty-five minutes,
when the Spaniards raised white flag
over fort Malate, and the American
Army moved up to the doomed tort and
the Spaniards retreated into the walled
city of old Manila, The Idaho's did very
Spanish fort few over our heads thicker
than any of us will ever want them to
again.
Here is where we had our worst hard
ships; we were stationed in the Malate
barracks that had been abandoned by
the Spanish. They were filthy dirty
and sGagnant water stood all over the
ground. We and the 14th Infantry were
| marched into this plae about 8 O'Clock
the evening OF the fight, after having
helped pull the heavy Utah cannon
into the city. If ever there was tired 4,
hungry, and worn out lot Of men, it was
us. We had nothing to eat for three
days except coffee, no blankets to sleep
on, and had orders to keep our belts on,
filled with one hundred rounds of am
munition. Think how much sleep q
man could got with all this weight strap
ped around him and sleeping on the
hard floor. Three or four of us found a
sack Of dried peas the Spaniards had
been feeding a horse,
| We took them away from the horse
and would boil a few of them each meal
and eat them without any salt. We
were so afraid some one would ask us
for some, when they were cooked, we
would slip away behind some building
and eat so we wouldn't have to give any
away. In case of that kind every SOL
der is supposed to rustic his own grub,
and expect nothing from anybody.
In about week after the battle we
were all pretty well settled in our quar-
tiers and were getting as good grub as
the U. s. army ever gets which is not
saying very much. Since, things have
been very quiet except little insurgent
scare once in while. When 1 was at
home we used to hear people say sol
dier never worked. To show you that
man, that says this, don't know what
he is talking about, l will give you a
sample of what we do. We have Dress
, Parade twice week, Battalion Parade
three times week, Drill twice day,
have inspection of arms once a week
gymnastical or some other kind of q
nastical drill, an hour every day, dc
guard duty once every ten days, get uI
in the morning at O'Clock, go to bed al
nine, at least, we are supposed to but
don't slways do it, and the rest of the
time is ours. You can see by this, that
a man don't have very much time tc
talk to these young PHILIPPINE Senoritas
The most of US have come to the con-
custom, that when we get home, and an
: other war comes up, there will have tc
r be ''others" if there is any fighting done
} In regard to describing this country
t we are not able to say much because the
| only way person can find out anything
is to go and see for himself and we are
| not allowed to do that.
, Manila has about $50, 900 inhabitants
consisting Of every nationality on eartf
| but mostly Spaniards, PHILIPPINES, anC
: Chinese. They say there are over $50
600 OF them. They do the greater par
of the business, that is, in the dry goods
) and grocery lines, although there are
, several large English firms here. TIL,
: buildings look more like that old Cotton
) wood barn that used to be below the no
' tel, than they do like business houses
| Nearly all of them arc bgilt of ston
3 and none of them are over three storie
| high. They can't build tall houses OIL
: account of earthquakes. The streets
' and sidewalks are very. narrow and it i
g with difficulty man can work his wa.
through the crowds that gather.
/ They have some lovely churches herr
. that seems to be the strong suit of tn
| Spaniards, Of sunday morning on
can see thousands of them stringing on
D like sheep, dressed in all kinds of egal
= las. The native women don't wear an,
1 more clothes than the law compel
$ them to, There is enough cloth in on
of an American girls sleeves to max
t three native women full dress. Still
s some of them are very good looking
| Bunker says he don't like them at al
; but caught him ma king an awful
/ fowery play at one the other day
D Bunk says he was joshing her but i
e looked like a queer josh to me. As t
r the products of this country, they cal
: raise anything in the world here tina
t grows in a tropica, country, Hemp
r Tobacco, Sugar and Rice seem to be tn
= principle products and every thing j
shipped away from here in the raw ma
t terial except tobacco, and great deal G
3 that is. There are several Cigar factor
+, les in the vicinity of Manila and the
] turn out some fine cigars, but am toll