The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
THE FIGHTING AT MANILA.
tn MILLING DASH or TOLUNTEERS on
THE BLOCkHoUSES.

NN'" y" "O u" wv hHe
Put Out by the Natives-Care of the
Enemy'swounded-Capture ofthe Water.
w-rIs - Postum Playing by Filipinos.
MANILA. Feb. S.-"Let us 60. too. Captain
orders. my hoy"
"Oh. damn tho orders. Those fellows are
Of arging end why can't we ?"
Look at EN- runl Look at 'em run! Give
II to them! Give 1t TO them"
Tho men Of Company f.. First Regiment OF
Colorado Volunteers. stood clear out OF the
bushes. and even piled on tor OF the little nat
ural mounds behind which they had been lying
all night and from which they had been pump
Ing Springfield lead at flashes from insurgent
rifles across the little rice valley. Even Capt.
Rucker forgot to shelter his ribs from the
scratching. singing Mauscrs and rose straight
up to witness tho charge Of the three COM
panics to the left on Blorkhouse No. >. the first
charge Of the Filipino-American war. and the
charge which scattered its enthusiasm. like fire
in a haystack. down along the firing line of the
Eighth Army Corps the charge which bred
cha scs and resulted in victory after victory
against the insurgents throughout that event
ful day.
Look there! Look there! There are a
hundred OF those black lewis trying TO cut
OF this way"
First platoon, forward to the char-o!"
sang out CAPT Rurker.
There was a rusl and scramble. and they
we're of. The Captain devoted his energies 10
convincing the men OF the second platoon that
they did not belong to the first and that II was
their duty to cover the advance with plenty of
fire. The lucky men Of the first platoon
bounded like greyhounds toward the strong
holds OF the insurgents. Bullets from block
houses on the right and left popped and
chuaged In the earth around them.
The men of Companies Il. X and l. advanced
by rushes. firing as they went and Yelling like
6ends. The tiny village OF Bale Balic stood In
tho way to the sombre blockhouse on the ridge.
A ripping fire zane from the windows Of the
ruined stone chapel and from the dense
bushes. Carlson Of accompany l. pitched heavily
forward. shot through the head. Weaver OF
Company b.. a moment later. dropped and
grabbed his leg. Closer and closer they came
TO the very entrance of the lions den, and an
other Company L man dropped. but his COM
rades had seen two sombreros. which had
been reeping for an instant around Il mound OF
earth. topple suspiciously over.
Down from the right came the chargers OF
Company T.. 1t was a three-sided hell for the
Filipinos. One by one they lost heart. dropped
their guns and broke for the blockhouse. 200
yards away. Not a Filipino from Balic Balic
ever got there. Like II pigeon released from
the trap one bounded with all his barefooted
energy for twenty feet. and rolled over at the
crack Of half a dozen rifles. Another tried 1t.
and got a few feet further. Another reached a
shallow rice ridge. He poked up his head to
wrisglr further. and of went its top.
1t was desperate bravery which made the
concealed sharpshoot"rs hold out to the last.
but they finally realized that their cause was
lost and broke across the omen like frightened
sheer. The Company Z men were there to
meet them. and the other companies closed up
so fast that there was for a moment danger of
one United States soldier shooting another.
Occasionally a Filipino would fall forward ap-
parently dead. wait until he was fairly under
the heels OF the Americans. and then foolishly
rise and attempt to gain safety. To shoot a
man at six feet range with a Springfield rifle is
a hard thing to do. but the orders were to let
no insurgent live. and off would go the whole
side OF his head. or he would fall with a wound
through his abdomen large enough to drop a
potato through.
Look out for those dsvils in tho top OF the
blockhouse." warned the men coming upon the
left who perhaps had fingered a little long to
enjoy the rabbit hunt at the village.
why. those are our men. ye chump. Don't
shoot at 'em."
1t was indeed a fact. The blockhouse had
already been occupied and shots we're rip
ping their way through the cupola at the very
Filipinos who had defended the place q few
moments before.
The charge had been a distinct success and
had been seen down along the line. And look
1t is being initiated. A long wavering line OF
skirmishers is pitching and tumblinR along IN
the hill into the very teeth OF Blockhouse No. u.
and as the men who charged No. > rest on their
laurels for n moment and look off towacd the
smoke and early morning mist. a sound of
men leap over the earthworks in front OF tho
fort. lind them empty. and dive on into the
house to shoot from there the scores OF insur-
gents scattering in terror for the hills. Like
wildfre the fun spread. Nebraska swarmed all
around the strongest blockhouse on the line.
saw II occupied. and proceeded to clean up q
village nearby.
South Dakota. on the left OF Colorado. made
an impetuous sweep for No. 4, which had been
Irritating them throughout the night. and
drove the Filipinos not only from it but almost
a mile beyond before the charge could he
stopped. A regular describes the South Da-
kota charge as the most reckless and daring
thing he ever saw. why. those Fellows do
not know any better than to walk right into
an enemy" said he. He spoke the truth. for
the volunteers. in the enthusiasm OF the mo-
ment. discarded all the formalities OF war. such
as rushing from one vantage point to another
and lying down for "A few shots. and dashed
at the enemy from the open pretty much as
tigers DO for their prey.
The advance once started 1t had never been
stopped. Monuments were raised at each
point taken. in the shape OF pillars OF smoke.
The successes on the line east Of the city were
first heraldcd in the bright morning air. and
then they followed along the entire line. VIII
lage after village and hut after hut was burned
20 preclude trickery by lurking foes. They
burned all through the day.
While Companies | and d OF the Colorado
regiment forged their way toward tho water
works with the Sebraskans during the day.
the other companies cleared the country In
front OF them and gathered breath for another
grand advance.
The Hospital Corps consigned three Colorado
volunteers TO the dcadhouse at the military
hospital and took five men in charge to nurse
their wounds. Burying details gathered up
the bodies OF Filipinos which lay about the rice
pastures In groups of twos and threes TWEEN
ty-four were buried in one long trench. Some
one posted over the spot the placard; Tween
ty-four good F%ilipinos lie here"
M m