The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-03-31
LETTER FROM ERIE TAYLOR
How the TenneSseanS Fought During
n Battle ut Manila.
Company -, with II "R.bpi Yell" Cap
ture Bridge aud Drive the Insur-
gents Before Them.

HuInu:-In ne lneVlthDle mas come, Inc
battle has been raging ever since last
Saturday night. Feb. 1. The lst Ten
nessee was called to arms about g:30,
and was marched through the walled
city to the bridge. We were held there
until about half past ! o'clock in the
morning, then marched back to camp
and were given orders to sleep in our
clothes and be in readiness for "call to
arms"
At a. M, we were again called ont.
marched to the same place and were
held there until daylight. The boys
We're badly disappointed and wished
the insurgents would get into the city,
so we could fight.
Gen. Hughes was with us all the time.
He il little skinny man, with nous
tache, very grey. When we came up
with him at the bridge he was sitting
on his horse aud calmly smoking a
cigar. He was just that quiet and un-
concerned in everything. and many re-
marked that he looked like Methodist
circuit rider on horse.
Firing was very heavy at about 4
O'Clock. In fact the guns kept mp a CON
tinual roar until the Charleston, sta
toned near by in the bay, began to
send shells into the rebels lines, and
then the fire grew less furious.
| suppose You can imagine how the
lines ran. Well they ran several hun
dred yards from the city and circled
from the bay on one side of Manila to
the bay on the other side.
The insurgents attacked our lines all
around, hut could not break them
Furious firing was kept up all the time
at different places, but the heaviest was
where the Kansas and Nebraska boys
were stationed.
At 6 O'Clock we were given our break
fast and kept in readiness. Soon after
the Monandnock began firing, and we
boys took great delight in watching the
six and ten-inch guns shoot, and then
see the shells explode miles from the
ship.
Dewey then moved his flag ship mp
near reak-waters, and took his place
between German and English war
ships, his other vessels drawing nearer
also.
We were taken ont again about 8
o'clock and marched to our former
place, while the 2nd Battalion was or
dered on with Maj. Cheatham, and Col.
Smith in command. They had to take
a bridge that the insurgents held, and
Just as the Colonel was ready to give
the command to charge, he fell dead
from his horse. He died of apoplexy.
Co. B. charged across the bridge in
column of tours, and with n rebel veil
drove the insurgents in front of them.
The Second Battalion hasn't come
back vet, AMI it j. about O'clOck Tues
day night. Report has just been
brought in that they are about miles
out in an open rice field, fighting and
driving the enemy before them
Soon after the Second Battalion left
us an orderly came dashing by going
tn Nan II,o hoS h n
ly the General and orderly came hack,
called up Maj Ravless and told him to
fall in his battalion and go with orr er-
ly. On the way the Major said !:
"BOys, we are going to take n trench
shat the Regulars can't take" We
BOYS yelled and cried Ready" Lieut.
Col. Childers, Maj. Bayless and Chap
lain Leland went with US.
After march of about five miles in
the heat and dust we arrived at the
edge of the ring line. We had to go
down narrow road, and on each side
bamboo and shrubherv were so thick
we could not see the insurgents, who
were back in this jungle on both sides.
Their Mausers were keeping Upa con-
tinual roar, and the bullets were whist
ling dangerously near our heads
The 14th Infantry were firing on
them. One of the Regulars went up to
the Commander of the 18th and told
him that reinforce ments had arrived,
and he said, keep mp the fire."
We were then marched back apiece
through another narrow road that led
into an open rice-tied, through which
we had to go in order to reach the
block house. Bullets zizzed over our
heads as we marched one at time
across the open space. One came pretty
near my head and inst at that time my
cigars had fallen out OF my shirt pocket
(for we stooped) and l stopped to pick
them up. We safel v reached the block
house, and Maj. Bayless ordered Co. ".
to go out and fall in skirmish line on
the left, lying down as we got our pO-
sitions.
The officer in command of the block
house said, "Major, you are not going to
attempt to go across that cetield, are
you?" and to the Majors "yesw he said
"you are going to do something no
other men ever have done or ever win
do. You will never get back alive"
About two or three hundred yards in
front of us was dense wood, and a
short time before thousands of the
enemy were seen in it. AS | said, the
open space was rice. field and at every
step we sank to our knees in the black,
sticky mud. Yet we made the advance