Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-05
ALONG THE FIRING LINE
Experiences of the American Troops in War
With the Tagals.
Washington Boy Gives Incidents Of
the Campaign-Chase Through
the Jungle Grass.

The following graphic account of the ex-
periences of the American soldiers In the
Philippines during the present campaign is
from Charles F. Leonard. late a member
of the list District of Columbia Regiment of
Volunteers. to one Of his comrades In TINS
city After Mr.. Leonard received his
honorable discharge and medal from the
District regiment he enlisted in the regu-
lar army and was assigned to Company X,
DIST Infantry and soon thereafter went
with his command to the Philippines and
into active service, as evidenced by his
letter
The letter is written from 1.-The firing line,
near Calamba," under date of August Is,
and is as follows:
Il wrote YOU some time in June. l think,
Of our former movements, so will merely
state that we landed May II and were i'm
mediately sent QUITO hold block house No.
4 and the trenches there five miles from
Manila). There was no danger whatever
there, as most of the enemy were at san
Fernando south of Manila, near Cavite
We had the usual outpost duty until June
o. when we received orders to join General
Iawton at San Pedro Macati. We camped
there that night and next morning at dawn
the two brgades moved against Paranaque-
Our six companies of the list were on
posts and presently there was a merry
scrap, but drove the enemy from one
set of trenches to another, and after an
hour and a half of running in jungle grass
over ones head. and nearly dead for want
of water, we were halted
Weary and Footsore.
After twenty minutes of rest we went
ahead, and the ensuing hours will always
live vividy in my memory. Through the
Jungle we advanced-parched, tired and
footsore. Men were dropping on all sides.
not from bullets. for the enemy were shoot
ing high and retreating, but from the in
| tense heat. Where got the strength God
| only knows, for you know how sick and
| frail | was but when we stopped at 1870
| l was of thirty of our company who
| finished. out of ninety eight men who
| started. 1t goes down in history the
| hardest march ever made in the Philip
pines
AT 2:3O the skirmish line moved again
and kept up a desutory fire while advance
! ing, all the afternoon Night caught US
| before we could corral the Fflipinos, and
| they managed to get through to Bacoor
| We lay right where we stopped in the rice
! fields and a beautiful tropical rain came
| along and drenched us, lasting all night.
! l slept in water which half covered me-
| but / was too tired and hungry (no dinner
| or supper that day. to mind it:
Next morning we entered Las Pinaa.
, We rested there two days, and the 18th
ran into the enemy at Bacoor. on Zapote
river. There was a hot fight here, lasting
| all day, the gunboats participating About
| 4 pm. we got them on the run and cap
| tured two 6-inch guns they had guarding
| the bridge. We had just made up our minds
| to rest when they opened upon US again.
| We were formed into skirmishers at once,
| under a hot fire, and started In to give
| them another run. We drove them back
| nearly two miles. We gave them a thor
| ough drubbing that day. I saw, myself,
! s.xty-seven dead in the trenches, and they
| had 300 wounded.
I'VE did outpost duty until the 18th,
| when we were relieved by the LIST Wyo-
| where we stayed until June "a, when we
| went to Caloocan. We were ordered from
| there July 6 to Morong, on Laguna de
| Bay. We had a scrap near there July L.
! One man of my company was killed.
I'VE left there July 10 to take three
| towns, marching over the mountains and