The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-25
OUR SOLDIERS in LUZON.
A Stirring Picture of Their Spirit and
Bearing in the Stress Of War.
Springfield Republican.

Bearing in the Stress Of War.
Springfield Republican.
Here is a private letter written to a New
England man by a member of Battery A,
Utah Light Artillery, United States Volun-
teers. 1t comes from the convalescent hos
pital, Corregidor island, Philippine islands,
under date Of April 9. There is In 1t a
revelation of the spirit and quality of the
volunteer soldiers of the United States that
will move every reader. No army in the
world contains better material than this
country has sent to fight this war in the
distant East. We quote:
Dear Ralph-A letter written in such kind.
generous words as yours, and breathing so
loyal and earnest a spirit would have
touched me deeply at any time, anywhere;
but to-day with bodily weakness, in this
far country, with the sound of battle hardly
yet died away Ii cones with a peculiar
force. You have been very gracious, Ralph.
Through the years you have been very
mindful of the good you found in others.
and in your clarity overlooked all else. You
have struggled hard yourself-I saw the be-
surmounted much since then and are faith
fully getting up somewhere near your work,
yet you pause to-day to wreathe laurel for
another. 1t is your heart-offering, and as
such / take it, not to myself, or any man
alone, but as your tribute to the whole
Eighth Army Corps-to those men who on
the Manila roads and in the LuZon rice
fields fought a desperate fight, asking no
why's Or wherefores; who shook out the old
flag further from home than 1t had ever
been before. performing a thankless duty,
knowing full well the reward:
The blame of those We better:
The hate of those We guard.
You say you are proud of being an Ameri-
can. How well / know your patriotism and
enthusiasm of old. 1t was not mere sol
diery out here; 1t was i~ncarnate American
Sweep all these regiments away. and at
random, blindly, You could have gathered
the same sort, the same spirits, in any State
in the Union. Not picked-common, every
day sort of boys. with no peculiar virtue
over others: 1t was SIMPLY bneips h 20 nave nav
at home. often by force of circumstances.
had missed or been denied.
i would like to draw those men Tor you;
not as individuals, but as a type, a kind OF
composite. 1t would be from my recollec-
ton of many regiments as l saw them come
The common ideal of a soldier would be de
stroyed by a mere glimpse or him as he
was-a gray slouch hat shading the grimy;
shirt and web cartridge belt, greasy field
pants and dirt-brown leggins.
L would draw him when the hrst nervous
flush had passed away, when the face grew
stole. rigid and set, when the click-clack
of gunlocks became a clear, steady under
tone amid all the deeper dir, when he threw
and became Indifferent to all things save
the one thing.
All hell couldn't conquer him then. I
mention the infantryman-he would per-
haps best serve as a type. for, as always.
he formed the bulk of the army; he made
up the long, thin skirmish lines that swayed
forward, Topped and crouched and laid
down to escape the terrific fire, leaped,
rushed. fell, leaped again. forward. some
times slowly and doggedly-always surely.
If, however, my personal experiences and
the thought of comrades were to influence
me 1 would more readily select an artillery
n q for nnrfrox va not fhot ha uyaC lu-oxrc
nearest at hand, for at the crisis of the bat
tie of Feb. 5 infantrymen were lying in the
road dust at our very gun wheels, but the
battery boys were the ones | knew best,
with shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow and
skin blackened with powder. looking half
iend and half man. Death was among them
mel TO the gunner and on the instant falls
face forward, he is rolled over. a pallor is
on the face, a blood blotch on the forehead
dead, so quickly does the call come to
some.
A man staggers from the piece and
Only a 1eshwound." he answers. and dies
after a whole day of pain-so do some men
suffer. A cannoneer steps aside, unbuttons
red furrow across the chest, laughs and
returns 10 his post-so close do some men
come and escape. ! have seen many make
the last sacrifice; and sometimes. looking
down into a familiar face, have for the mo-
'ment felt that glory was a hideous thing,
and yet, Ralph. II is a great privilege to
nave Sccn iucn UIt So III lcIlOI OF II
will make one stronger and better. You
are, of course. interested In knowing what
part of the field 1 was on. / served on one of
the two Nordenfelt guns that took the San
Juan bridge and held open the road to the
water works. 1t was one of the hell spots.
The First Nebraska Infantry supported us
splendid. resolute fellows they were. Utah
and Nebraska went up the slope together,
took the Deposito and rested that. night
the extreme advance. On the next after
noon they captured the pumping station and
went into camp. The day after / was one
of the many victims of sunstroke. and was
taken back 10 the division hospital. Went
back to battery. and after three weeks
desultory fighting had a relapse, was again
taken back TO Manila, and thence down
here 10 Corregidor, where the sea breeze
and salt air promise to do more than medi-
cine.
1t IS a pleasant thought that just at this
time, after an interval OF years, a letter
should come from one who knew me In stu
Yes. and you received your best inspiration
life more deeply than any other man has
done. To have known him at the same
time and place Is to have had considerable
I'm common. aside from anything else we
experienced together. You have met many
men since then. some Of the worlds great
men perhaps. and yet not 50 great as he
was You say respectfully that you now
have nothing In common with me as a SOL
der. You are mistaken. There IL no COM
munity OF deed, but certainly community
OF spirit. otherwise you could not have
written as earnestly as you have. And In
many cases the spirit - everything.