Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-07-20

AA6j oue WY VSAS WV Aoso 40
usual. We were in a very hard
position for about three quarters
of an hour, so much so, in fact,
that I would not have given very
much for my chances of being
here tonight and able to write a
letter.
l had my company on outpost,
and the insurgents came within
range of US about 1000 strong
and it was about two and one-half
miles to re-inforcements. There
is thick bamboo jungle that
comes within six hundred yards Of
the outpost, and about one o'clock
they began coming out of that and
forming q line Of battle almost in
sight of us. They could not see
US and did not know just whore
We we're, 80 OF course that helped
us.
Fortunately for us, I had sent
out q patrol TO look over our
front, and as they were going
along the road about four hundred
yards in front Of my advance post,
they came upon a bunch of Fill
ipinos. They ran back and re-
ported and just thea the enemy
could be seen by the hundreds
forming their line. / sent one of
my boys back for reinforcemsnts
and after he had gone about
mile he met an orderly on horse
back. The orderly notified Col.
Stover as he passed his quarters,
and went on down to the colonel,
who ordered out the regiment at
once. Col. Stover brought ont
the rest of our battalion, as he was
the nearest to the outpost of any
of our troops. Col. Frost sent
word to me to hold my position If
possible; that the regiment was on
the way.
This trial showed the coolness
of my men. as they held their fire
when they had hundreds of
chances to shoot. But one shot
would have brought on the en-
gagement and had they attacked
us before help came there would
not have been one of us left to tell
the tale of how it happened. We
just lay right there and watched
them make their preparations to
open the ball while every minute
was worth lives to US. The rest
| of our battalion came up and we
were much safer, for they could
not completely annihilate US. The
entire regiment finally came up,
and they had just taken up posi-
ton when the enemy opened up
on my advance posts at very close
range.
They did not think that We
knew they were there and had no
idea that regiment lay in the
sunken road that led to the out
post. It is certain they intended
to swoop down on my company
and either kill or capture every
one of US and then 60 into the
city. But they we're disappointed.
With their first shot the whole
regiment raised up and began
firing at them thick and fast. We
poured a couple Of vollsys at them
and then advanced.
They lay in cornneld behind a
ridge and kept firing on as until
we were within seventy-fve yards
Of them, when they broke and ran.
Some of them stayed right where
they were until our men got SO
close to them that the exploding
powder from our rifles burned
them as we shot II they had
kept cool and not shot 80 high, we
would have lost very heavily, but
as it was we only lost one man
(poor Dsn) and four slightly
! wounded.
We drove them out and came
back, as ID was then dark. This
morning they were out Of our way.
1 figure at least two hundred Of
them killed and wounded, besides
a number of prisoners.
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