Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-22
FOUR TIMES UNDER FIRE.
Former Newfane Boy Writes of Ser.
vice in the Philippines.

Men In His COmpsny---On the whole
Army Life Is Agreeable.
The following letter was written from
Angeles in the Philippines Oct. II by
Park I. Winslow of Amherst, Mass, a son
of the late Lemuel Winslow of Newfane and
nephew of the late Samuel Winslow,
I'd, of Townshend Young Winsow grad
uated from Amherst college last June and
Is now a private in company L, 18th
United States infantry. His mother lives
in Amherst.
l wrote you last from Frisco and since
then my career has been checkered with
large checks. We sailed August 30 on the
City of Puebla and of course Faneuf and /
were seasick. For a day or two life was
hardly success, but shortly we came out
into a realization of the trip in store for us
across the beautiful Pacific. After seven
days we stopped at Honolulu, which is the
most beautiful place have ever seen, with
its broad, shaded streets, droll street rail
way, banana and cocoanut trees, green
rice and sugar cane fields queer little
houses and busy cosmopolitan inhabitants
We stopped there three days, and again
we steamed out of sight of land for long
15-days' trip. Ten days out we passed an
active volcano, all alone in the middle of
the Pacific. Three days later we sighted
Luzon, and skirting the China sea, we ar
rived in the harbor September 25. We
we're glad to get off from the boat, for it
was very monotonous and we were poorly
fed on the trip. We were at once sent out
here ON the firing line and assigned to our
companies. Faneuf went to G, l think,
and to L. 1 have fine company here
all young fellows with a Lafayette man,
'93 and Yale law '96, for top sergeant and
b. U. man is also in the company. We
take all the leading United States papers
and magazines and eat very well indeed.
We really have pie and pudding three or
four times week out here, only few
hundred yards from the creamery, and we
have roast beef and potatoes, bread aud
coffee every day. l find no fault with the
food only, of course, the cooks sometimes
make mistakes and the food is plain but
substantial.
We are halfway along the railroad from
Manila to Dagupan and right in the centre
of action. This is a peculiar country
There are banana and cocoanut trees
everywhere and the air is heavy with a
tropical SMELL The railroad is narrow
gauge, six-miles an hour affair, and would
make you laugh. We chew sugar cane and
eat raw sugar right along. We stopped in
San Fernando one night and l slept in
what was once grand old Spanish house,
later Aguinaldo's headquarters and now
headquarters for troops. 1t was grand
with its broad stone stairs placed all about,
alcoves, large rooms, wide balconies over
| looking the street, towers and ruined
furniture. Most of the houses are made of
bamboo and nipa Ia grass tied together.
The first floor is untenanted and people live
on the second. We live in these houses
| here, as the natives have left. They have
| in these 'shacksn tarantulas, centipedes,
lizards, ants, mosquitoes and other family
pets which become real tame. The beasts
| of burden are Cinnamon and water
buffalo, or caribou, as they are called.
| The natives, hired for 90 cents per diem,
are driven about in flocks and beaten like
slaves. Tobacco is, of course, very cheap
here. Good cigars six for nickel and
ciearetts 90 for a nickel. We have a good
deal of time to ourselves and write letters
and read ancient history in American
newspapers We retire a little after dark
and rise at light, which is a nice thing
here and l enjoy it. The days are gener.
ally hotter than hell at Santiago, but the
nights are quite chilly. There are some
disagreeable things in the army, but, on
the whole, like it very much.
| have been four times under fire and
had a bad feeling when my heart sank
The last time was day before yesterday
before light in the morning. The com
panies chosen stay on outpost some BOZ
wards from the enemy-24 hours-and art
then relieved. Co. l. happened to be OF
outpost and each man is on watch some
where two hours out of every six-eigh'
out of "a. was asleep when the shooting
began, but soon was in a trench. The fir
ing was all to the left, and an occasiona
shot sung over us. Co. ii OF the 18th came
out beside us and the whole of the 9th
10Th and most of the 18th were on thu
other side of the town. Cos. L and A wer'
on our right flank. The natives evidentl!
knew this, for they struck for this veal
spot with Aguinaldo's picked regiments, in
tending to take the town. By the way, mos
of the natives have Remingtons similar T.
the old Springfelds or Japanese Mausers
and explosive bullets. Those who attack
ed us had all Mausers and they opened u
all at once about $50 yards away, sdvanc
ing double-time and yelling like fendf
Nv heart truly almost stopped beating, bu
we loaded, aimed and fired by comman
and then how things camel The troop
kept filing in to resist the attack. Cos.
and 1, 900 men, poured in horrible cross
FIRE and Cos. H and L, with our heads eve
with the ground, let them have it in from
Then the big guns started in and it wa
booml smash! dash through the banan
grove. where the natives were. 1t wa
/ horrible, awful, hellish. 1t made me fe'
sick and weak and don't want any NOR
of it. Our loss was slight, owing to tn
J trenches. One Co. l. man was killed
: quarters. sick and half a mile from tn
fight. Our loss (American) was six kille
and some wounded. l don't know no
: many. When got home found MAJ
, ser in my blanket which had called duriu
. NV absence. Battles are thrilling and e.
citing enough for any one and | am thanl
full that l escaped, first, and, second,
i that the natives were defeated in their a
tempt to take the town.