Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-06-15
THE TWENTIETH IN ACTION,
Ed Welsh Of Banner Received a Let
ter From His Brother of Co. H.

Malolos Il little more than a week ago
and the first stop was before the in.
surgent trenches in front Of Calumpit.
Here the insurgents were well forti.
fled on the opposite side of large
river and had destroyed one span Of
the railroad bridge. The infantry
waited in creek until the armored
car containing several cannon and a
rapid fire gun was run up within
range OF the trenches and opened fire
on them. The fire was kept up for
an hour and a half when the "Um.
bries" were on the run, After that it
was easy sailing for our regiment
only three Of our men were wounded,
none seriously. That night we camp.
ed on the river bank while the bridge
was being prepared for crossing in
the morning.
The next morning we crossed over
and marched forward without any op.
position until we reached another
large river, the Rio Grande. Here
the insurgents were finely intrenched
better than beforehand opened fire
on us as we went forward butwe sue
ceedeed in reaching a good position
on the opposite bank from their
trenches. We were not able to drive
them from their position with the in
fantry so waited until the artillery
was brought up. The artillery in
conjunction with the infantry opened
fire which was kept up steadily for
several hours and was returned by
the cannon and infantry Of the insur.
gents.
There was a cessation Of the firing
in the evening and when all was quiet
Col. Funston with two companies at
tempted to cross the bridge. 1t was
about u o'clock. When the Kansas
men popped up their heads over the
embankment at the bridge the cannon
opened and 1t seemed to be the signal
for the whole insurgent line to begin
firing. The colonel concluded it was
not time to cross.
The next day there were bamboo
RATS built and the colonel selected 10
men from each Of several companies.
| was one from H and was glad to
have chance to try my new krag.
Before crossing a heavy fire was
opened on the trenches on the oppo.
site side SO there wasn't Niger in
front Of us when we crossed.
After crossing we went by the
right flank toward the railroad. The
fun soon began, and as usual the
"Umbries" we're soon on the run in
front and on the left Of us, but in a
short time were we directly in front
of a rapid-fre that made the colonel
and the rest Of US "cuss" a little for
we thought the fire was from our
rapid-fre gun on the.other side Of the
river. We all double timed out OF
there and crossed another stream
which was between us and the rail.
road. After the insurgents who
we're guarding the bridge ran, we
saw that the fire we were under while
in the cornfeld was from rapid.fre
Maxim gun which they escaped with,
but we captured one OF the cannon
they had on the bridge. Companies
] and X were across the bridge when
we got there and followed the "nig-
gers" short distance up the track
when we were surprised to see a per-
feet skirmish line two miles long in
front OF us.
1t was the prettiest line ever saw
the insurgents put. We thought it
was some OF our own men who got In
the rear Of the insurgents. At 1900
yards the order to begin firing
was given. The commander Of the
insurgents rode up and down the line
trying to make his men advance but
they would not respond. Had they
advanced quickly they could have