The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-12
OUR SPLENDID AR
T|LLERY At WORK
Special Correspondence of the Standard.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Manila, P. l., Aug. 2.-Tons of in
surgent lead find their way into the
earth again after being discharged
from the barrels of insurgent rifles,
but occasionally a bullet aimed at
something else finds it's way by an un-
fortunate accident into the heart or
brain of an American officer or soldier.
l have somewhere seen a diagram
showing how many bullets it took to
kill one man in the Franco-Prussian
war. If a similar diagram showing
how many Mauser bullets fired by the
insurgents 1T takes to lay low one
American were made it would probably
be found that for each killed or wound
ed man on our side the Filipinos fire
many tons of lead. But let me tell you
| about the enclosed sketches.
1t was after the Nebra skans had been
| lying in the sun-scorched rice fields for
an hour or more, sheltered as well as
| could be behind a rice dyke which Of
| fered the only protection against the
| whistling bullets that were tearing
overhead and clipping the bamboo
| thickets in the rear. General Hale was
near the batteries to the left, where
| they were gradually demoralizing the
| enemy in the trenches. The general
| knew it was hot out in the field and he
sent an order to Major milford to re-
tire the Nebraskans to the shade.
While the major was reluctantly get
| ting his men up for a retreat by alter
| nate companies the colonel came sud
denly upon the field hurrying from the
| Manila train. Forward is the order"
he shouted. 'the Nebraskans don't go
back" and drawing his revolver and
swinging it in his right hand while he
| nervously tugged at his mustache with
the other, he advanced in the rear of
the line of men, who went bravely for
| ward in the face of a cutting stream of
bullets. The Nebraskans didn't "go
| back" Instead they cleaned out the
trenches But they left Colonel Stot-
senburg dead, with AZ others dead or
wounded, In the rear, to be carried off
by the frightened Chinese litter-bear-
ers. The colonel fell just as had fin
| ished my preliminary sketch, and the
incident of his death was the last thing
| l filled in on the picture.
OF the work of the artillerymen |
| have spoken before, but too much can
| not be said of the dash and bravery Of
| this branch of the service. The Fill
| pions have come to entertain a whole
| some fear of the artillery, for their
| aim with the field guns is so accurate
| that trenches cease to become the com
| Portable quarters they appear when
| the artillery music begins. 1t is inspir-
| ing to listen to the crash of the Hotch-
|
| the artilerymen cut loose with every
| thing they own and blaze away at the
| insurgents. With the big guns drop
ping shells into the eneny's midst and
the Gatlings pouring in hot shot at the
| rate of four hundred minute it is as
tonishing that anything that faces such
| a hell of fire can live. They stick at
| nothing. these artillerymen-scorn to
| look for shelter, just plant their guns
| in the most advantageous spot and
| send their awful fire crashing into the
| trenches until the Filipinos find 1t too
| hot for them and scuttIe out.
| In the sketch where a battery Is seen
| at work the artillerymen have selected
a spot on one side of a river, on the OPP
| posite side of which are the trenches
of the insurgents. The only protection
the battery had was that afforded by
the stumps of banana trees which had
been purposely cut down by the in
surgents to give their rifles clean
sweep to the lines of the Americans.
From the rooted trenches the insurg-
ents poured in tremendous fire which
lasted all day and from which it would
have been thought nothing could come
alive but at the close of the fight only
three dead artillerymen bore mute tes-
timony to the enormous number of in
| surgent bullets it takes to Kill one
man. WILLIAM BENGOuGH.