Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-06-30
SOLDIERS LETTERS.
Being Materials for the History of "A War
of Criminal Aggression.

ourselves. AS for myself, | marched
nto the battle to make them free, not to
make them subjects. | understood our
mission to be one of humanity and for
The cause of freedom, but our Offering on
he altar of liberty has been prostituted."
Theodore Conley, of a Kansas regi-
nent:
"Talk about dead Indians. Why, they
hre lying everywhere. The trenches are
full of them. More narrowing
still think of the brave men from our
country, men who are willing to sacrifice
their lives for the freedom Of Cuba,
dying in battle and from disease, in
war waged for the purpose of conquerlng
people who are fighting against Spanish
tyranny and misrule. There Is not
feature of the whole miserable business
that patriotic American citizen, one
who loves to read of the brave deeds of
the American colonists in the splendid
struggle for American independence,
can look upon with complacency, much
less with pride. This war is reversing
history. 1t places the American people
and the government of the United States
n the position occupied by Great Britain
defenceless war, and it should be
abandoned by this government without
delay. The longer it is continued, the
greater crime it becomes-a crime against
human liberty as well as against
Christianity and civilization. Those
not killed in the trenches were killed
when they tried to come out. No
wonder they can't-shoot, with that light
thrown on them; shells bursting and
infantry pouring in lead all the time.
Honest to God, feel sorry for them"
+. A. Blake of California, in charge of
the Red Cross:
~ never saw such execution in my
life, and hope never to see such sights as
met me on all sides as our little corps
passed over the field, dressing wounded.
Legs and arms nearly demolished; total
decapitation; horrible wounds in chests
and abdomens, showing the determin-
alton of our soldiers to kill every native
in sight. The Filipinos did stand their
ground heroically, contesting every inch,
but proved themselves unable to stand
the deadly fire of our well-trained and
eager boys in blue. ! counted seventy
nine dead natives in one small field. and
learn that on the other side of the river
their bodies were stacked up for breast
works
A Henry County boy in the Wash
ngton Regiment:
at would be novel idea to those who
so strongly favor territorial expansion,
for political reasons only, to make a
Thorough investigation and research of
the land to be so acquired, and especially
estimate its resources, and the eXpend-
itures in maintaining peace with the
hostile and treacherous natives. 1t
would require vast army to keep them
within bounds and it can easily be
foreseen that new difficulties would con-
tinually be arising, for they are almost
unanimous in the determination of
ruling themselves. Why should we
desire to annex revolving and oppressive
people? The expense of maintaining
peace would be enormous, and, taken
from financial standpoint, | fear they
would not prove very remuneratve."
Colonel Funston, Twentieth Kansas
Volunteers:
"The boys 60 for the enemy as if they
were chasing jack-rabbits. /,
for one, hope that Uncle Sam will apply
the Christening rod, good, hard and
plenty, and lay it on until they come
into the reservation and promise to be
good 'Injuns.'
A private from the Miami County
Kansas Regiment:
II suppose the people back home did
not expect us to have any fighting, but
we have already had the greatest land
fight of the war, and it may take great
deal more to finish it yet, for we may
have to kill all the black rascals before
they are conquered. Occasion
ally Filipino would fall forward APP
parently dead, wait until ne was fairly
under the heels of the Americans, and
then foolishly rise and attempt to gain
safety. To shoot man at six feet
range with Springfield rifle is 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 in his abdomen large
enough to drop potato through"
f. ID. Furnam, of the Washington
Regiment, writes of the battles of Feb
4 and 5:
"We burned hundreds of houses and
looted hundreds more. Some of the
boys made good hauls of iewelry aud
clothing. Nearly every man has at least
two suits of clothing, and our quarters
are furnsed in style; fine beds with
sllken drapery, mirrors, chairs, rockers
cushions, pianos, hanging lamps, rugs
pictures, etc. We have horses and
carriages and bull-carts galore, and
enough furniture and other plumber tc
load steamer
n. A. j. Mcdonnell, of the Utah
Battery, Feb. %:
"rhe enemy numbered thousands and
had courage, but could not shoot
straight. People can never tell me any.
thin O. nIIt tho Dcllnl, Didarc nLn