Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-15


they are doubly so when they are as
delightfully."- full of news and military
chat as the following from II. L.
Strong, of this city, who is now serv-
ing with Company NJ, FiftE-first Iowa,
infLuzon:
San Fernando. Pampanga, P. l.,
Monday, June 10, 1S99.--Dear Mother:
As it has been some time sinceI wrote
you last, guess will drop You a few
lines. have been so busy lately have
not had time before. We have been
having quite a lot of excitement out
here of late. A few days ago the in
surgents surrounded the city aM cut
the telegraph wires. cutting us off
from any communication with Manila.
They had planned to take the town,
and at about $3.50 a. m. a general at
tack was started on all sides. We were
all in bed when ii started, but We're
not long in getting up and out on the
line. Our outpost is about mile and
a half from here and the company
sdouble-timed about all the way. There
were quite number in our front. bnt
the largest force was around behind
the town. The plan was to attract our
y StttShkAoH ~ tihS liSbt, NhllC iAidIti
force was to come up on our rear and
surprise us, hut the surprise was OF
them, as the Seventeenth and Twenty
= second regulars were on the lookout
= for them and gave them warm recep-
ton. The firing lasted on Ill sides for
about five or six hours, but the duslly
foe could no longer stand our fire and
SO fell back, dragging their dead and
. yyCl1niel with them 'Tha ,x'p (
taught quite a severe lesson and I
think will wait while before making
another attack on us. Their loss was
about $50 killed and over 100 wounded
The dead '.niggers' We're brought in
and buried in the CEN ,:ecy here. 1t
was an swful sight to SEE them with
their heads and arms blown off They
were all put into The same hole. The
wounded We're sent to Manila. Ire
Fifty-trst Iowa lost five men wounded
One in Company G, two in Company D
and two men in Company X, only one
bein" serious. The man was shot in
the left breast just over the heart. I
don't know Just how many men The
other regiments lost. but no Americans
We're killed. One Montana man. be-
lieye, afterwards died from his wounds
The iast week we have been sleeping
with our clothes OIL and getting up
and out in formation all ready to go
- O'Clock. Toiporrow the company
goes outpost ana flie start is at 3
y. m This comes every four days
and reserve is every two days. When
Oh reserve. we have to lie ih< readiness
all the time. The Ninth came up from
Manila Yesterday morning. 1t is hoped
they will get a few more, regularly up
here and relieve u.s., as the boys are
about worn ont and need a thorough
rest. 1t is rumored that we are going
back to Cavite again about the FIRST
OF next month and relieve the Tenth
Pennsylvania, who are going home
about that time. The Second Oregon
got off for home on the Newport ana
the First, Nebraska will soon follow. I
suppose we will get out of here some
time in August. There was quite a
hard fight on the south line near Las
Pinasra few days ago. The Twenty
first regulars lost heavily. They had
about twenty killed and hundred
wounded and quite number are miss
ing. The Fifty-first also lost one man
who was with the "Hawthorne Noun
tain Battery" He was detailed from
Company A, Fifty-frst Iowa, with five
Others from the same company. They
We're all from Ames, Iowa, and studied
gun practice under Gen. Lincoln. ]
was down to Manila The other day and
went to the first reserve hospital to
see our wounded men, who were get
ting along finely. John Benin and
Hocllett, both wounded at Quingua
on April 23 and "a. are back with the
company again and we are all glad to
see them once more. Joe Marley, who
was wounded out here, about three
weeks ago, is going home on the hos
pital ship Relief. Three sick men of
our company are also billed to go.
Gen. Luna, the leader of the insur-
rectos in our front, was assassinated
about a week ago by a captain of Ag-
uinaldo's crack regiment. Luna is a
good radiance as he was Il leader
of the insurgents and bad man.
There had been some rivalry between
Aguinaldo and Luna ever since the
fall of Malabon, and it is thought Ag-
ninaldo was afraid Luna would get too
ambitious and go against him. 1t is re-
ported that Aguinaldo and his staff
with his army is at Angeles. the next
town on the railroad and about ten
miles from here. As soon as reinforce
ments arrive 1T is thought that an adj
vance will be made to Angeles and rout
the rebels.
The troops here now are the First
Montana, Twentieth Kansas, Fifty-first
Iowa volunteers, and the Seventeenth
Ninth and one battalion of the Twenty,
=. second regulars, two batteries Of Utah
artillery, one mountain battery, the
arinored car with rapid-fre, solid shot
and gatling guns, and two troops OF
the Fourth cavalry. One is mounted
on American horses and the other OF
native ponies. Ii is estimated thai
about fifteen or twenty thousand in
surrcctos are in our front The gov
eminent is Offering twentyapesosf (iel
American dollars for each gun thu
is brought in and surrendered, ant
protection and liherty'to the insurg
ent, but few guns are coming III.
Mail came in from Hong Kong thu
other days. but there were no letter
for ME. have not heard from any o
the boys since 1 left Frisco i wisl
you would inform me of their where
abouts, as would like to hear fron
one of them IL Sheppard is int o.