Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-04
BACK FROM PHILIPPINES
Private Smith, Georgetown Boy, Recounts
Experiences Of Years Campaign.
Was on the Firing Line From Febru-
airy Until June-Record of
His Regiment.

Company G, I'd Oregon Volunteers, and
after an absence of twelve years from
Georgetown. Private Smith returns with a
splendid record a soldier. having been
| In forty-two engagements. battles and skir-
mishes. He was only absent from his COM
pany few days. caused by a slight attack
of measles. during his fourteen months
service. He was the firing line nearly
all the time from the 4th Of February until
the 18th day of June. and was in engage
ments three miles south, twenty miles east
| and fifty miles north of Manila
Private Smith served four months after
he was entitled to his discharge. His bat
talon was for a short time attached to the
list Nebraska and he was in two engage
ments under Col Stotsenberg, who. he
says was an able officer and a cool. brave
man. Smiths last service on the firing
line was in Gen. Lawtons Morong expedi-
ton, up the Mariquina valley. and around
Lake Laguna de Bay June 1 to 81.
after all arrangements had been made for
embarking the regiment for home on the
transport Hancock. Many of Gen. Law
tons famous band of scouts We're from
the I'd Oregon One of the chief scouts.
James Harrington of Company G, was
killed near San Isidro the same evening
! that the leader of these daring men, Chief
Scout w. NJ. Yourg died of wounds re-
ceived near San ndefonso. Gen Lawton
,, said Of these men: Il deeply deplore the
| loss Of Chiefs Young and Harrington. two
as brave and fearless men as l ever met"
Private Smith says the highest place he
was in was March Il, near the Manila reser-
voir. His company was ambushed and al
most completely surrounded by the File
pinos. but the men stood them Off until the
| LIST Nebraska and two companies of the I'd
Oregon Regiment reached them, when
grand charge was made, which put the in
surgents on the run. after six hours of
| hard fighting. He gives the following brief
but interesting history of his regiment, Of
whose record he is very proud:
Record of Second Oregon.
The ID Oregon, he stated. was organized
at Portland May Ii. and sailed from San
Francisco for the Philippines May %, 1898;
stayed two days at Honolulu. where its
members were enthusiastically received and
royalty treated; participated in the capture
of Guam. one of the Ladrone Islands; reach
ed Cavite, Manila, June 30; landed July 1, and
the men of the regiment were the first
American soldiers the Philippine Is
lands. 1t was the first regiment to enter
Manila when the city was taken by the
American army and navy, August 13. 1898,
and was present when the American flag
was raised over the city. the band of the
I'd Oregon playing the Star Spangled Ban
ner'' during the lowering of the banner of
Spain and the raising Of the stars and
stripes.
The Oregonians, Private Smith says. re-
ceived the surrender of thousands of Span
1sh soldiers and many stands OF arms, and
held the first parade of American troops on
the Lunetta. the famous Spanish parade
ground in Manila. The regiment in
General Wheaton's flying brigade in the
first expedition to the Laguna de Bay
country, and suffered the greatest losses
of any volunteer regiment in the MalolOS
campaign from Caloocan to Bocave storm
ing and taking five lines of trenches at
Malabon, and swimming under heavy fire
the river at Malinta. At Bocave brigade.
cor sisting of the I'd Oregon, 18th Mime
sofa three troops of the 4th United States
Cavalry and battery of artillery.
formed under command of Colonel Sum-
merS OF the Oregons and marched across
an unknown and mapiess country to join
General Lawtons column at Norzagary
Summers brigade was the first to reach
there, and after sharp fight captured the
place. Under General Lawton >ae COM
ma nd moved out Of San Jose, and, although
cut off from it's source of supplies, pene-
trated a section of Luzop which the feet
of white had never trod before, met
the enemy in twenty-five engagements.
captured Baliuag San Ildefonso, Maasin,
San Miguel San Isidro. the insurgent capt.
tai, and several other towns.
Back to Manila.
At Candaba they were Joined by Maj.
Kolbs supply expedition. and from there
the ID Oregon was ordered back to Manila
to embark for home. The regiment reach
ed Manila about the 26th of May. but June
1 was brigsded with the 1st Colorado, 4th
and 9th United States Infantry and the 4th
dered up the Mariquina valley. For a week.
Until Morong vas taken, the command was
engaged with the enemy. The regiment
had just come out of long and severe
campaign, and was in no condition to go
into another one The heat was intense.
and the sufferngs of the men almost be-
yond endurance. 1t was q long, hard march
and the most trying work they had yet
been engaged in, owing to their weakened
condition. The road lined, Mr.. Smith
says, with hundreds of poor fellows unable
to keep up with their comrades.
The regiment returned to Manila from
Morong June 8 and embarked for home
June Il, the men sailing June IA just as
they were when they came off the firing
line at Moro1g. They reached San Fran
cisco July II in bad condition as to cloth
ing, and suffered greatly from the cold
weather San Francisco was just then ex-
periencing.
In Four Expeditions.
The I'd Oregon was in four separate ex-
petitions or campaigns. and was never
brigaded with the same regiment twice, ex-
cept the 4th United States Cavalry -four
companies) a splendid battalion of troop
ers which everywhere and had seen
the hardest service and been in more en-
gagements than any troops on the islands.
There was not member of the I'd Oregon
dishonorably discharged. and but two (sup-
posed) desertions. While the regiment was
al Nagasaki. Japan. on it's way home, the
men were allowed shore leave from Z am.
to pm. for three days, and not a member
was under police surveillance, nor did any
return to the ship drunk disorderIy. The
regiment participated in six extended cam
paigns. marching 53S miles in three
months.
People Should Own the Water Supply.
From the New York Sun.
Water is a natural product The meth
DDS of impounding and of transporting it
are substantially the same they
were centuries ago. when the aqueductS
of Rome and other ancient cities were
constructed Water works, reservoirs and
dams a permanent investment. Those
constructed by New York are available as
sets of the city, and as the city increases