Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-06-08
A LETTER FROM THE FIGHTING LINE
VIII Wilson Tells OF the Movements
of Halls Brigade.
Battlefield near Clauml.it.
April q, 1899.

| Aprll ~, 1917.
Dear Parents and all:
We received mail last night and |
got fine lot of letters. You can
imagine that they were welcome, for it
has been some time since getting mail
l got letter from Mother, Julia,
Gladys, Bertha, Geo. Brayton, Chef
Caldwell, and from Miss Bilharz, but
of course l cannot answer them now.
l can only write you line. The Maui
sers are popping and the cannon are
booming ut Claumpit now, but
no definite action will be made to
take the city until some field guns ar
rive. We are now on the opposite side
of the river from Claumpit, and right
upon the bank where the South Dakota
regiment did such hard fighting Tues
day. The Nebraskans also had hard
fight that day. Also Wheaton's bri-
gade which came up on the other side
of the railroad from Malolos. Our
regiment had an easier fight that last
day than any time before. But the
first day, Sunday, we got it proper.
| was lying by the side of Carl Gard
i
not stop to help him. l told him to
roll over behind tree, which he did
and stayed there until the end of the
fight which lasted for four hours. Bill
Brock was also close to me and he got
two bullet holes in his hat. But we
took that town all right and our regi-
ment was in two hard fights the next
day. That night we slept on the field
where "niggers' lay all around dead or
wounded. That day We had an awful
hard march. Only eleven of our com
pany stayed in the line until we stop
ped to rest at four that afternoon. We
hadn't had any thing to eat all day. |
stayed in the line all right but had
stopped under q shady spot and just
said l could 60 no farther, when the
long column which reached for four
miles was ordered to stop and rest.
The next day we started at day break
again but we did not have such hard
march. We had to go through three
rivers but we don't mind that. think
that day there were only three or four
of our regiment wounded. We met DR..
McKray after the fight and he said that
God must be on our side that day
for the other regiments We're slaughter
ed. The insurgents here have torn
down the railroad bridges and they
have some large cannon. That is why
we are waiting now. We have to have
some field pieces. The Kansas and
Montana regiments fought all day yes
terday and are fighting now. Hale's
hrITr 10 xxhs n1, 10 thA l,,,n 10
long to, rested yesterday, but we are
expecting orders any moment to flank
the insurgents, but this must be firing
you. Don't worry about me for | am
no better than any of the other boys
and if l go the trip all right You
must not think too much about that.
We counted over three hundred dead
"niggers" after the fight day before
yesterday.
Krell is n corporal now. He took
our pictures while ago. / saw him
yesterday and he said the fight the day
before was awful. His company was
in the rear of ours-they formed the
reserve and we the fighting line The
bullets that went over our heads were
dead sure to light among the men in
the rear. Clyde was on guard at NAL
olos on the day that we left and he las
not been able to join us yet. | sent
him note yesterday and he answered
it by one of our boys who was coming
up. Clyde sent me some things | ask
ed him for. l had to throw away my
poncho the other day as the heat was
so terrible. Lots of the boys were
sunstruck. We expect to be on the
move again by this afternoon and by
tomorrow night the city of Claumpit
will fall. Our captain gave out in the
Sundays fight.
Just few days before we started
last Sunday, we received mail and l
have forgotten whether I answered or
not. That is the time l got 50 many
pictures from home and so many pa
pers from Mr.. Cole thank him for us.
Yesterday was my birthday
and the anniversary of Co. LIS enlist
ment. We had nice time for we re-
ceived mail, and while some of us were
frying bacon at the campfire others
were singing some good old songs we
used to sing before the war Burglar
Hawarth caught calf the other day
and we had a fine supper of veal that
night.
l can pick up all kinds of relics,
such as Mausers and Remington rifles,
manchets, knives, etc, but | have no
way to handle them. You must tell