The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-12-20
The Battle of San Fabian

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: After n
| rest of some two weeks in Manila, we re.
| celved orders Nov. ), 1899, to move, the
| object being to clear the northern part OF
Lhzoh OF insurgents, who were becoming
| very bold, and apparently were quite
| anxious to engage in a little picnic with
| the Americans. The same day we boarded
the transport Sheridan. as did also the
33d L. $. V. The glnboats Manila and
Princeton and several of the Mosquito feet
accompanied us to Lingayen Gulf, $50
miles due north of Manila. We arrived in
the Gulf Nov. Z, at ] o'clock p. M, and
anchored off the shore of San Fabian,
| two miles out. Gen. Wheaton was in com
mand, and Mt o'clock p. m. sharp we re-
celved orders to prepare TO go ashore. We
did not know what we were going into.
No American had been here before.
The gunboats opened the ball with g.
pound, 4-pound and 2-pound shots, and the
smaller boats Joined in with their 1-pOund
guns and Colts rapid-fire guns. Co.'S A,
Il, X, and l. were ordered off first. We
were towed ashore by little steam
launch, the Sheridan.
The gunboats Kept up hot fire all the
time we We're going toward the shore The
insurgents had two cannon, both old. OBJ
solete affairs. They did not do us any
damage, and if any was done it was to
the insurgents themselves, as both guns
bursted. However, there was hot fire
from the shore OF Mausers and Reming-
tons. The Co. Il boys were the first to
land. The first man landed was hit by
an insurgeht bullet. The remainder of us
came up together, and there was much
scrambling to reach shore The waves
were so high that they washed over us and
it was all we could do to keep our feet
We had to fire while standing in water up
to our armpits. While themselves hidden
by the underground. the insurgents kept
up rapid fire at us. We were good marks
But we kept up our fire, and it was only
few minutes before we had the enemy
in full retreat for the mountains, five miles
away. That night we camped in the town
Of San Fabian. We released 10 Span-
iards who had been prisoners II months,
and had received very rough treatment at
the hands of their jailOrs. They had been
forced to dig the intrenchments around
the town. When the insurgents retreated
these prisoners ran for the shore and were
welcomed by our boys. There were two
commissioned officers among the Span
iards, one Captain and the other Lieu
tenant. They were all ragged, hungry
and sick.
The next day the LIST Battalion marched
into Dagupan, the terminus of the rail
road running to Manila, without firing
shot. Go. A was left at San Fabian for
guard duty, while the rest of our regi-
mcnt went north to Santa Tomas, and the
33d q. S. V. went east TO San Jacinto,
where they fought one OF the hardest
battles of the war. The 18th Z. $. cap
tured all towns along the coast of San
Fernando. The 18th U. S. lost four men
killed and seven wounded. The 33d e. S.
lost eight killed and 16 wounded.
Co. A has been at San Fabian ever
since, doing provost duty, sometimes 60
ing a short distance into the mountains,
but finding but few ladrones. We are at
this writing quartered in brick-and-stone
convent. The natives are very friendly,
often inviting us to their homes. They
are very religious.-R. l. PROCTOR, Co.
\, 18th Z. S., San Fabian, p. |.