The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-11-14

Mania, November 10.-The landing of
the American troops at San Fabian
Tuesday, was the most spectacular af-
fair of the kind since General Skaters
Decentralization at Daiquiri. The CO.
operation Of the troops and the navy
was complete. The gunboalts maintain
ed a terrific b~ombardment 70 an hour,
while the troops rushed waist deep
trough the surf, under a heavy, but
badly aimed, rife fire from the insur-
gent trenches, and charged right and
left, pouring vOlley after volley at the
fleeing rebels. Forty Filipinos were
captured, mostly nOn-commissioned Of
fcers. Several insurgent dead and five
wounded were found in a building
which had suffered considerably from
the bombardment. The town was we'll
fortified. The sand dunes were rivited
with bamboo twenty feet thick, which
afforded a fine cover.
When h transports arrived in the
gulf they found the gunboats Prince
ton, Bennington, and others waiting.
After consultation with General Whea-
ton, Commander Knox, of the Prince
ton, and Commander Sheridan, Of tt c
Bennington, anchored two miles off
shore. The gunboats formed a line in
side, the Helena, Callao and Manila
close in shore. With the first gun of
the b~Ombardment the small boats were
filled rapidly, without confusion, oy
Major CrOnite's battalion Of the TWen-
ty-third Infantry, and Captain Bucks
battalion Of the Thirteenth infantry.
While the lines of boats moved shore
ward the gunboats poured the full
force of their batteries into the
trenches, sOOn forcing the insurgents
to flee through the burrows dug back
e 81 - nnn I-J1
their places until the keels of the boats
grated on the shore, when their Mauser
bullets commenced TO sing overhead.
The battaliOns formed in good order.
Captain tuck, with Pierce'S and Pat
toms companies, pursued the insur-
gents on the left into the bamboo
thickets. On the right was a frail foot
bridge across the river, leading to the
towns. General Wheaton, personally
commanding, ordered a charge across
the ridge, and Captain Rowland, of
his staff, led COleman's and Elliott's
companies of Thirteenth and Shields
company of the Twenty-third, who be-
haved s~plendidly under their first fire,
into the town which was found to be
nearly deserted, except by the aged
and some Spaniards who had hidden
in the Buffalo WalloWs and who came
shouting delightedly toward the Ameri-
cans. Two companies of the Twenty
third had a skirmish along the Dagu-
a road with the retreating FilipinOs.
The troops camped in the rain dur
ing the night and in the morning Gen
eral Wheaton established his head
quarters in a church, CHARTERED his
men in the houses and sent the cap
tured %Filipinos beyond the outposts,
with orders not to return.
A~GUINALDO PREPARED FOR
FLIGHT.
The inhabitants describe all the
roads as practically impossible, and
say they believe Aguinaldo has secret
ed a yacht in the river Longapo, near
Subiga for use in his flight when he
finds his capture inevitable.
Wednesday was devoted to
sances. Major Logan went nOrthward
to Santo Thomas and burned the Fill
Pine barracks. Captain Bucks went to
San Jacinto and disposed Of small
bands. Marsh's T~wenty-third went to-
ward Magdelen on the Dagupan road
small parties. They killed eight men,
brought in twenty prisoners, and had
five men ounde
The Santo Thomas o seems to be
the only possible means of retreat for
a large body north from Tarlac, and
General Wheaton it. The
insurgents of this section are going to
i'll On LII Wv
gon has arrived here from Hong Kong.
Captain Chenoweth and Lieutenants
Davis, VanHorne n Bradford, with
two companies of the Seventeenth reg
iment, accommodating northeast of Ma
balacal, attacked and routed a battal-
ion of insurgents, killing Twenty-Five
of them. Three Americans were
wounded.
General Wheaton reports, by the
Bennington, thai when the landing was
made at San Fabian the insurgents en-
countered were 800 recruits who were
on their way to Dagupan, where they
expected the expedition to land. They
retreated to the mountains. Twenty
eight Spanish prisoners were rescued.
1t has been raining hard throughout
the week, handicapping Gems. Lawton
and Macarthur. The transportation is
the chief difficulty. In the advance
General Lawtton depended on the river
to get supplies. The San Isidro river
is fed by mountain streams, and is al
~ternately too shallow for navigation or
too swift. Two and three launches
were necessary to pull the caScoeS
moving supplies from San Isidro and
the mule trains moving supplies from
San Isidro over the muddy roads made
only two or three miles a day. The
troops were on short rations most of
the time. The only provisions the
country yields are rice, a few chick
ems and buffalo. The officers carry a
supply Of cash to pay the natives liber-
ally for all they take.
The highlands are cool and the
health of the troops is good.
General Young has captured another
large store of i~nsurgent ammunition
and munitions of war which they were
obliged to cave in their hurried re-
treat.
General Macarthur is bringing sup
49, ~o,,1N
and carabao teams.
"Reminiscences along the front have
discovered the Insurgents strongly in
trenched before Bamban, with several
cannon and a rapid fire gun, but they
are short of ammunition.
Major Bell has been engaged in an
other daring exploit. While scouting
with five officers and two men of the
ThiIty-sixth infantry and Lieutenant
Hawkins and ten men of the Fourth
cavalry, he crept behind a trench con-
tanning 100 Filipinos, rode them down
and killed and wounded twenty men