The record-union., 1899-03-27
Insurgents Rapidly Fleeing Before Us at
all Points.
Gunboats Shel1ed Ma1abon and the
Rebels Set Fire to It and Re
treated, General Wheaton's Bril-
gade Being Unable to Prevent
Them-Splendid Fighting Done
by Both Regulars and Volun-
teers.

MANILA, March 26.-7:30 p. m.-The
United States troops under Brigadler
Generals Hall and Wheaton, captured
the town of Malinta, beyond the Tulia-
han River, to-day after sharp hght.
Colonel Harry c. Egbert of the Twenty
second Regular Infantry was killed.
Price Loewenstein, formerly Aide-de-
Camp on the staff of Brigadier General
Miller at Iloilo, somehow got in front OF
the firing line and was shot in the
side, dying almost instantly. A German
who accompanied him was wounded
The American casualties to-day were
much lighter than those of yesterday,
the total losses thus far reported since
the engagement commenced being 10
killed and 145 wounded.
General Wheaton entered Malinta,
which is small village of huts, at L
o'clock this afternoon.
The United States gunboat Helena
and other gunboats have been shelling
Malabon, about mile northwest OF
Caloocan, for several hours.
The insurgents made fierce opposi-
ton to the American advance up the
railroad at Malinta. In addition to the
fatal wounding of Colonel Egbert sew
eral men of the Twenty-second Infantry
and several men of the Oregon and
Kansas Regiments were killed.
Evidently anticipating a lombard
ment the rebels vacated Malabon last
night, leaving a few to burn the town.
General Wheaton's brigade, composed
of the Second Oregon Regiment and the
Twenty and Twenty third In
90, 1I< l.
from Caloocan to the Tuliahan River
was powerless to prevent the with
drawal, owing to the natural obstacles
end to the strong opposition. column
- smoke at daybreak was the first in
tlmation of the enemy's intentions, but
others followed at various points. all
soon blending in dense balloon shaped
cloud. The flames of the burning rice
mills and large buildings could be
plainly seen from Caloocan despite the
strong sunlight.
BY IL o'clock in the morning the only
building of importance not destroyed in
the center Of the town was large
stone church, but even at noon fresh
fires were started among the native
huts in the outskirts of Malabon al
though the general exodus took place
much earlier. Many of the rebels
sought refuge in the suburbs Navotas
and Casag, or were driven inland by
the shells of the Helena, Callao, Ming
dapan and Laguna de Bay.
In the meantime General Wheaton's
brigade held the railroad to the river
but was unable either to repair the
bridge which had been destroyed by
the enemy, or to advance, owing to the
opposition and the hills on the other
side.
The calculations of both General Hale
and General Harrison Gray Otis, whose
brigadeS constituted General Mac
Arthur's division, were much inter
fered with by the character of the
country in front of both and the enemy
was able to take advantage of this, so
that the operations against Novaliches
and Polo were delayed, though the right
wing of the division swung out, sweep
ing the enemy in a northwesterly direc-
tion.-
General Wheaton's headquarters last
night was half mile south Of the
river on the railroad The opposite
bank was protected yesterday by block
houses and intrenchments. Occasionally
the stream.
Finally the engineers moved con-
struction train up to the bridge, the
iron frame work of which remained,
and began to replace the floor
While this was going on, the Second
Oregon Regiment crossed the river on
the left and the Twenty on the
right with four companies of the Twen-
ty-third Infantry supporting the latter
regiment. A rising clear ground
stretched away distance of half
mile to Malinta. situated on its crest
In front of the village We're strong
Filipino intrenchments, but no Filipi-
nos were to be seen. Apparently they
han. fed The Twenty Regiment
approached diagonaly, with General
Wheaton and his staff close behind and
scouts closely observing the ground.
When the Americans We're within
about 300 yards of the intrenchments
the Filipinos suddenly volleyed heavily.
The Twenty second, which was holding
the center suffered considerably, but
with the Oregons on the left and the
Kansans on the right in the woods, the
fighting was kept up for half an hour,
the Twenty-second Infantry advancing
up the slope through the thick grass
under the hottest fire.
General Wheaton and staff were all
the time under a. rain of bullets. Colo
mel Egbert, who was in the thickest of
the fighting, was shot in the abdomen.
He was placed on sretcher and an at
tempt was made to carry him to the
cars, but he died on the way.
1t was most affecting scene. Cen
eral Wheaton, barring his head, said:
You have done nobly'' Colonel Eg
bert gasped in reply: II must die;
am too DID,"
No Filipinos were found in the
trenches.
Though apparently their force was
much smaller than that of the Ameri-
cans, they had an immense advantage
in position and opportunity to retreat.
General MacArthur's advance guard,
the Third Artillery and the Twentieth
Kansas Regiment, joined General
Wheaton's brigade shortly after Ma
linta was taken, approaching along the
Novaleches road westerly.