The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-14

roar, but vastly different from the In
termittent skirmish-lIke rattle OF most
OF the engagements. Y
One battalion after another General
Lawton summoned. the reserves from
Las Pinas, until only enough troops
We're left in the town to prevent the FIJI.
ipinos from attacking the Americans In
the rear. which was feared. rs they were
creeping around our LETT through the
woods, delivering Aanklng fire, which
put great strain upon the endurance
OF the Americans who were 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 marksmanship
OF the rebels our loss was not as great
as It would have been II the Filipinos
had shot straight. An army, however,
has seldom fought under n greater
handicap or more courageously than did
our regulars, majority Of whom were.
comparatively speaking, recruits who
could have been pardoned for retiring
in the face OF such n fierce fire from
their exposed positions.
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 Twenty-first
upon the road facing the bridge, which
was the key to the situation. On the
bridge were the bodies OF two Ameri-
cans who had attempted to rush across,
and many wounded men were carried
from the open ground before the bridge,
After firing in volleys for short
time the Americans were ordered to fire
when and where they could see the enc
my. 1t was every man for himself and
the best our men could do was to aim
at the faint msts arising from the
rebels smokeless powder.
Generals on Fighting Line.
General Lawton though exhausted by
the mornings fight rallied by sheer will
power and was the commanding figure
in the battle. He went along the lines
directing and encouraging the troops.
General Wheaton and General Oven
shine were equally courageous. In fact
the generals We're among the few men
on the battlefield who refused to take
shelter under the hottest fire.
The only approach TO the fighting
ground was by narrow and winding
road which the rebel bullets dropped
thickly. woundng several OF our men.
AT 4 o'clock there was an hours lull
IN the fighting and an artillery sergeant
galloped back to where two guns OF the
mountain battery were waiting in re-
serve and shouted: Bring up those
guns" The sergeant then tumbled eH-
hausted from his horse.
Twenty men were carried to Il cascoe
(native boaU waiting on the beach,
which was rowed to ParanaGue.
1t is impossible at present to estimate
the number of Filipino dead. There ore
many dead bodies In the fields the
Americans traversed. This battlefield
Incidentally was formerly the scene OF
several of the greatest struggles be-
tween the Spaninrds and the Filipinos.
The Zapote was considered impregna-
BILE and hundreds of Spanlards and FIN
pinos have been killed while fighting
over the same bridg, In former contests
for It's possession. In June. 1897. Cen
eral Pio del Pillar and General Trias
turned the scals of war on the side OF
the Filipinos by desert!ng the Spanish
tie, carrying the native militia with
them and thereby breaking the chain Of
defenceS around Manila.