The Van Buren press., 1899-06-17
MOST DESPERATE BATTLE.
The American Troops in the Philip
pines Encounter Real War
at Last.
A STRONGLY-POSTEO BUT UNSEEN Foe
Gods Providence and the Natives
Had craftsmanship Only saNed
Our ReckIessIy Brave Troops
from Heavy Losses-A Field OFT
Drenched in blood.

|
Manila, June 14.-AmericHn field
guns were engaged, yesterday, in the
first artillery duel against a Filipino
battery, concealed in the jungle.
During the night an insurcent can
| non was fired three times at the Amer
leans on the outskirts Of Las Pinas.
Advanced to the Attack.
| Gen. Lawton, in the morning, took a
| battalion of the Fourteenth regiment
and two companies of the Twenty-t!rst
regiment TO locate the rebel battery,
and then two guns of the Sixth artil-
| lery and four mountain guns were
| planted against it at 500 yards dir
| tance. The rebels had Il large gun,
from which they were firing home
made canister, loaded with nails, and
two smaller guns.
| Rebels Learning to shoot.
| Their shooting was most accurate.
| The first lot of canister burst directly
in front of Scott's guns, and another
shattered the leg of private in the
Fourteenth infantry. Several shots
struck the edge of the town.
| Attacked by Hidden Rifemen.
As soon as the fighting opened, the
| Americans were attacked by hidden
riflemen on all sides. even the ami
| gos," or friendly natives, in the
houses of the town, shooting in their
| rear.
| Deluded by "a Decoy.
The companies of the Twenty-first
| regiment, ,skirmishing along the beach,
with amigo guides, found, apparent
| ", handful of rebels, who retreated.
| The men of the Twenty-first & lowed,
and suddenly the rebels opened ter
rife fire on the troops from the sides
| and rear. The soldiers withdrew to
the waters edge, finding what shelter
they could, and We're picked off rapid
| ly. After their ammunition was near
| ly exhausted the companies of the
| Twenty-first retreated.
| Officers Fought with Rifles.
| Gen. Lawton dashed down and raj
| lied the men. The little group made
| desperate stand. Gen. LawtOn, Maj.
| Starr, and Lieutenants Donovan and
/ SoIHoll1 tanning iiobi NouhuNA
! men, fired at the enemy. bringing
down some of the rebel sharpshooters
from tree. Finally, their cartridges
were all gone, and they were forced
| to break through the enemy's flank,
carrying the wounded to the main
body of the troops.
| The Fighting Resumed.
| l~a% = h, Nd 4,
| regiment and one battalion of the
| Ninth regiment were hurried to the
| front, and in the afternoon the battle
| was resumed.
| Against an Unseen Foe.
The only means of crossing the Zeo-
pote was by small bridge, which the
Filipinos commanded with trenches
spread in 'N" shape, whence they
| could concentrate their fire on the
bridge. They also had the advantage
of the trees and jungle, SO the Ameri-
cans could hardly see ahead.
| Fighting Wnist-Deep I'm Mud.
When the battle was resumed at one
o'clock, with the reinforcements, our
battery having silenced the enemy's
| guns, the Americans, wading waist
| deep in the mud of the salt flats, slow
| ly and steadily pouring volleys OF mus
| kerry at the rebels, drove their OPP
ponents beyond the river. Then the
two armies lay facing each other
| across the deep stream, the enemy
practically out of sight, while the men
in blue and Khaki lay in the
| bushes, many of them without any
| shelter, for three hours, without "A
moments cessation in the firing, pour
ing bullets at the enemy as fast as
| they could load.
The thousand rifles. blended into a
continuous roar, was vastly different
| from the intermittent skirmish-like
rattle of most of the engagements.
| All Available ReinfOrcements.
One battalion after another Gen.
Lawton summoned from Las Pinas un-
| til only enough troops of reserves were
left in the town to prevent the Fill
pinos from attacking the Americans in
the rear, which was feared, as they
were creeping around our left through
the woods, delivering a fianking fire
| which put great strain upon the en-
durance of the Americans, who We're
| fioundering in the mud across the
river, while on the right the Filipino
sharpshooters, hidden in the trees,
were peppering our men. But, thanks
to the poor craftsmanship of the reb-
els, our loss was not as great as it
would have been if the Filipinos had
shot straight.
Tried to the Limit and True.
An army, however, has seldom
fought under greater handicap or
more courageously than did our regu-
lars, majority of whom were, COM
paratively speaking, !ecruits, who
could have been pardoned for retiring
in the face of such a fierce fire, from
their exposed positions.
Disposition of the Troops.
The Fourteenth regiment lay to the
right of the bridge, and in front of
them was the Twelfth regiment, with
the Ninth on the right and the Twen-
ty-first up the road, facing the bridge
which was the key to the situation.
On the bridge were the bodies of two
Americans, who had attempted to
rush across, and many wounded men
were carried from the open ground be-
fore the bridge.
When You See n Head. Hit 1t.
After firing in volleys for a short
time. the Americans were ordered to
fire when and where they could see
the enemy. 1t was every man for him
self, and the best our men could do
WIS to aim at the faint mists arising