The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-28

worked at the Manufacturing Co.'S.
plant, is reprinted from the Manhat-
tan Nationalist. The letter is an ex-
ceedingly interesting one on it's own
account and doubly E. as it tells |
strictly abont our lola boys.
In THE TRENCHES, NORTH OF CALICO
CAN, Feb, 20, 1899.
Dear Father and Home Folke:-I
will now try to tell you about this !
scrap as we saw it up to the present
time. On the night of the 4th Of Feb
rusry we had gone to bed, all but a
few who had gone to the show or the
alter, and were not expecting any
trouble whatever, when In rushed the
boys from the show with the news
that our outposts had been driven in
and fight was expected. Some one
ran into the show in the midst of an
act and shouted, "Soldiers, all to your
quarters Our outposts are driven in
and battle is sure to follow Take
any rig that is handy and get to your
companies as quick as you can ~
Well they were but short time get
ting in. l didn't believe there would
be anything more than scare as it
had been before so l lay still until |
heard heavy firing to the east oftown,
then | jumped into my clothes in
double time and filled my canteen
with water and my haversack with
ammunition-my belt already had
fifty rounds in it. Hardly had we
finished that when the Top Sergeant
sang out, Go. /, fall in :" We went
into our places on run and were the
first company of our battalion in line.
Company c came next and then COM
pany d. The command, "Fours
right Column right March," was
given by Mai. Metcalf and we broke
into columns of tours and marched
down the street as orderly as though
we were on drill.
When we passed in front OF the
guard house of the Minnesota soldier
police we got three hearty cheers from
the boys from the north. All this
time the firing had been getting
heavier in our front in fact all around
the city, On the corner, where we
turned north, we passed number of
our boys who were on guard and
could not go with US. Their throats
seemed full and they could not say a
word, but touched as many of us as
they could as we swung 10y almost at
double time. One boy told me since,
that he didn't know he was "booby'
before that but after we passed he
cried like baby. We had gone out
almost mile toward one outpost
guard house when we heard our first
Mauser bullets. There is something
peculiar about them. They sound
like a small fire cracker exploding
lust over your head We can't make
out what causes it. Then came the
zip and whine of the brass balled Re-
mlngton. | will acknowledge made
a bow that made up in promptness
what it lacked in elegance. The far
ther we went the more continuous was
the pop, pop, of the Mauser and the
whine of the Remington. We passed
our guard house. There was one gun
of the Utah battery already there
waiting for orders to 60 into action
The gunners were lying fiat on theil
stomachs and called to us. "Look
out boys, they have our range down
n l,n hal Z
went high. We swung in on the left
of the road and lay down to wait fol
our places to be assigned, Just in
front of us was bridge, held by oul
outpost guard who had already free
fifty rounds of ammunition up thu
road with the effect of checking tn,
advance of the insurgents. That wal
good piece of work. 1t was done by
Captain Clark of Co. II. and the out
post guard. He got the persona
thanks from Maj. Gen. Otis for tn,
neree and GOODNESS he showed there
When we crossed that bridge the al
seemed to be full OF bullets and HOY
we got over without losing man /
mystery to me. After we crosse'
thu bridge we deployed to the RICH
along dixie in a rice swamp and la
down i'm support of the colors, wher
we stayed all night under heavy fir
from the insurgent earthworks in tn
front. Co. NJ has the coors. That
the company Phil Fox is in. Durin
a lull in the firing | asked If Sergeau
Fox was there and he answered, ago
bet Is that you Me? " Said his GU
was pretty hot, but it was working a
O. X. About this time Co. M, ha
her first man wounded and thin
one man was killed that night. 70