Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-06-19
FIERCE
BATTLE
Gen. Lawton Stirs Up
Liyeliest Engagement
of the War.
Rebels Hem In Two COM
panies of American
Soldiers.
Terrible Slaughter on Both
SideS===Ren1arkable
Bravery Shown.

! Manila, June 14.-6 p. m. Tuesday,
Gen. Lawton unexpectedly stirred up
one of the liveliest engagements of the
war, south of Las Pinas Tuesday morn
ing upon which occasion the American
field guns engaged in their first artil-
1ery duel against a Filipino battery
| concealed in jungle. Companies f
and I, list infantry, were surrounded
by large body of insurgens but the
Americans cut their way out with a
heavy loss. The monitor Monadnock
and the gunboats Helena and ZafirO
trained their batteries on Bacoor and
the rebel trenches near Las Pinas all
the morning. BacoOr was once on fire
but the natives stopped the spread of
the flames.
During the night the insurgent can
non fired three times at the Americans
on the outskirts of Las Pinas. Law
ton in the morning took a battalion of
the 14th and two companies of the
! 21st to locate the rebel battery. They
took two guns and planted them
against the rebel guns at 600 yards dis
lance. The rebels had large gun
from which they were firing home
made canister loaded with nails, and
two smaller guns. Their shooting was
most accurate. The first lot of CAMS
ter burst directly in front of Scott's
guns; another shattered the legs of a
private in the 14th infantry. Several
shots struck the edge of the town.
The country traversed was as bad as it
is possible to imagine. being mainly
1agoons, mud and water, fringed with
! bamboos. AS soon as the fighting
opened the Americans were attacked
by hidden rifemen on all sides, even
the Amigos, or ''friendless'' in the
houses of the town shooting into their
rear.
The companies of the 21st, skirmish-
ing along the beach, with Amigo
guides, found, apparently handful of
rebels, who retreated. The men of
the 21st followed. Suddenly the rebels
opened terrific fire on the troops
from the sides and rear. The soldiers
withdrew to the waters edge, finding
what shelter they could and were
picked off rapidly. After their ammu-
milton was nearly exhausted, the COM
| panies of the 21st retreated, but Gen.
Lawton dashed down and rallied them
The little group made desperate
stand, Gen. Lawton, Maj. Starr and
Lieuts. Donovan and Sonnelly taking
rifles from wounded men and firing
the enemy, bringing down some of the
rebel sharpshooters from the
trees. Finally their cartridges were
| to break through the enemy's
flank, carrying the wounded to the
main body of the troops. Lieut..
Donovan, whose leg was broken,
foundered for a mile through the bog
after leading his men in the face of
a greatly superior force. Gen. Law
ton ceased fighting until reinforce
ments could be brought up. Two bat
talions of the 14th and one battalion
of the 9th hurried to the front, and in
the afternoon the battle was resumed.
The Monadnock anchored close to
shore and her heavy guns pounded the
rebels continuously, while the smaller
warships, steaming along the shore,
poured bullets from rapid fire guns at
the enemy. The Filipino force en-
gagged appears to have been the largest
and best organized body which has
met our troops.
The Americans were compelled to
advance along narrow roads and over
small bridges commanded by earth