Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-06-15
BATTLE OF BAG BAG.
CARL FRY WRITES OF THE
00TH'S FIGHT.
An Interesting Epistle From the
Seat Of War Written to E. B.
Malott Of This City.

ohAy Ao'Ou ~" Huuuioo oAuo CIV
there awaited orders all day and
night and the next morning about 9
O'Clock we moved forward about three
miles where we marched into a long
deep gully and then moved by the
left flank until our left struck the
railroad. On the railroad we're two
armored cars. On one of them was a
6-pounder off the Oregon and rapid
fire Calling and on the other two
rapid fire Gatlings.
The insurgent trenches were just
across the Bag Bag river and the cars
! were pushed by hand until within
good range Of the trenches. After
bombarding the trenches for awhile
K company of our regiment was sent
up on the left of the railroad and two
companies of the Montanas on the
right. Our company was in the open
nearly all the time and had three
men wounded but the Montanas were
in the wood and not exposed.
X Co. advanced to the rivers bank
and after firing fer few minutes the
niggers yamoosed and Col. Funston
with q few men crossed the bridge.
Gen. Hale's brigade then crossed the
river up where they could wade and
drove the niggers almost to Calumpit.
The niggers had cut the last span
Of the railroad bridge out SO the ar
mored cars and our trains have not
been able to come any farther. Our
regiment moved up to the river and
went into camp for the night. The
next morning we again advanced and
when we reached the Rio Grande we
found we could never cross it in force
without thanking the niggers for they
had perfect network of trenches
about 10 feet thick covered with iron
boiler casing and railroad iron so that
the artillery was Of no use at all ex-
cept when they could throw a shell
through the'port holes in the trenches.
1t is not known how many cannon
the niggers had here but the general
thinks they had three cannon and q
rapid fire Maxim gun.
This day we stayed in one Of the
trenches that the niggers had left.
There was nothing done except lit
tie sharpshooting and few shots
from 'our artillery trying to locate
their cannon. While lying here
Menchen OF Company A was killed
and Lieutenant Ball and three men
wounded.
In the evening Col. Funston asked
for 120 volunteers to cross the river
with him and beside the 1920 were the
following officers; Col. Funston, Adj.
Walker, Capt. Scott, Capt. Smith.
Capt. Bishop, Lieuts. Whisner, Kregg,
Dodge, Hall and Fry, also Steward
Chastain and four privates of the hos
pital corps. We marched down the
river about u miles to where our
scouts had reported the trenches were
empty but when we got there the
niggers had returned and opened fire
on US and as the river was about 80
yards wide, very deep and as luck
would have it the moon was very
bright and we would have to go
across on bamboo RATS the colonel
decided it was too risky so we went
back to camp.
The next morning Col. Funston
took some men and a piece Of artil-
lery, five barrel, one pound revolv-
ing Hotchkiss cannon and with these
covered the niger trenches while
White and Tremble Of Co. B swan
the river with a rope, one end of
which on our side was fastened to a
tree. They then fastened the other
end to tree and brought part of an
old bamboo bridge across Ito use as a
raft.
When the boys stepped on the OPP
posite side of the river several mig
gers stuck their heads up over the
trenches and just as the boys threw
the rope around the tree our boys on
the other side opened on the niggers
who then ducked their heads and ran
like deer.
There was no danger Of hitting our
two boys for the bank was sloping
and the top of the trenches about Is
feet above the edge Of the water.
The colonel crossed on the first
IA Il 4.