The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-05-19
An Olympia Boy Writes Home.

| OLYMPIA, May 13.-Under date of
March 26, Ralph Eastman, member
of Company G, of the First Washing
ton Regiment, writes his parents of
this city letter that gives interesting
matter concerning our boys at the
front.
sour regiment" he writes, "has
| done more work and covered more
ground than any three regiments or
regulars in the islands, as attested by
Gen. King, in command of our bri-
gade. Our regimental headquarters
are at Pasig. When we wee in the
trenches our lines extended from
Paranque, on the south coast OF Manila
Bay, to San Pedro Macati, on the
Pasig River. When the order came
to advance, the end of the line at San
Pedro Macati pushed ahead to point
between Guadaloupe and the south
fork of the Pisig, where we stayed over
night. In the morning the Washing
ton Regiment pushed on to the bank
of the river opposite Pateros, where
we got hot fire from the insurgents,
with only the width of a narrow stream
between us. The insurgents had
breastworks and we didn't At this
place Company E lost man, Ralph
Van Buskirk, fine young fellow, an
ordained minister.
"Toward Evening Gen. Wheaton
ordered two companies OF the Twenty
second regulars to cross the river and
take Pateros, cut tho Colonel of the
Twenty said he would not send
his men into that death-trap.
"Then COL Wholly spoke up and
said that he had two companies that
would take it. Consequently D and
E companies, supported bv G and G,
crossed the river and took the place
without losing man. Pateros, is
what is known as Duck Island as is
also Taguig, which we took the next
morning without any trouble.
"Out in the swamps is where you
get your sport, wading sloughs up to
your waist and going a day with wet
clothes on. The day after taking Pa
sig we went to the lake, being the first
| troops to get there. We slept at Ta-
guig that night, and the next day
went to Pasig and relieved the Twen-
tieth, as they were done up. While
we were located hero. the Twenty
second went after body of insurgents
and had complete rout, leaving their
dead and wounded on the field, which
the First Washington will never do.
The next day we were sent after the
same body of insurgents, and chased
them clear around the end Of the lake,
killing about 100, with a loss to us Of
| two men. On that day we covered
more ground than has ever been cover
ed in one day on the islands. making
distance of thirty-two miles-sixteen
out and the same back. The next
day the troops were all taken away
from our end of the line and moved to
Calocan, leaving us alone with 5000
insurgents in front of us, with Mon
tenegro in command but we are good
for any six regiments Of insurgents
that ever lived. The insurgents have
no use for the First Washington at all.
They say there are three kinds of
American soldiers Regulars, Volun-
teers and Washington Devils. We
burn everything as we go, and it leaves
desolate track The troops attacked
Malabon aud Malolos yesterday, and
hear that we suffered quite . loss, but
Mal0los will fall in couple of days.,
and then it will be practically over
The officers say We will be on our way
home in sixty days, and I hope 50. !"