Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-05-11
DAGAM1, LEYTE,
MONDAY, March 10, 1900.


t.rre more have a day to myself hut it
,.itb feelings of sadness that write you
,bi. time will follow my diary from the
time last wrote.
.tsrted into the mountains with Bura-
nam a. an objective point l took but 10
man II, dared not brave Dagami without
force Had hardly gotten out of sight
r. tba church when we struck gang of
uoIst,, They made but a feeble stand
and We killed three. From there worked
what felt sure was the headquarters of
81 Hora and as we worked down to the edge
ofa rice paddy through dense under
,rootb worked ahead, and before l got
fbera could see the "hacel" (house) that
was looking for | discovered, with my
field glass, trenches galore, and what was
more to the point, they were filled with
niygers With the small number of men l
had could not rush them, so, after exam
ming the locality very carefully decided to
sttempt flank movement, but wanted TO
,cste Hora first. | soon discovered the
house and about that time some noise in
the brush alarmed them and they made a
break. about 20 of them. l don't know
how many were killed there, but three new
er got . yards from the house. This had
taken place in plain sight of the trenches
some 500 or 900 yards distant.
/ then hurried to the right front, and
making a circuit Of over a mile came in the
rear of the trenches. | will frankly adj
NIT that had known the extent of them l
should have then and there turned back.
But saw but two trenches, and | did not
think the niggers would stand | deployed
nv few men and started down the rear
trench There were plenty of them there,
but they fired and ran. At that place we
dropped four and took three pieces, a Colt
repeater, Remington and a smooth bore.
Went the full length of this trench and
burned house full of rice and dried meat.
Crossed a small stream to the second trench
and there we caught it hot and heavy.
Thew slipped from this to third trench,
which partially fanked the one we hustled
into. and for the next ten minutes thought
we we're up against the real thing" We
caught it from three sides, front, right and
rear for when we left the first trench
about 200 bolaros and some rihemen came
out Of the woods on the left rear and at
tempted to get into the trench we had just
left If the rebel yell is as bad as the mig
ger yell | hope ! may never hear it. |
wished had an X-ray so that l could see
the rear through the brush rather than
stand erect, for the flank fire kept the dirt
Aying round our feet, so that you wished
them in your pocket, and the fire from the
front that was not caught by the trench
sung and hummed so close to my ears that
did not exactly enjoy it. l may get so |
shall not duck, " but have been a target for
some time and can't yet say am indiffer-
ant to the hum of the bullet.
Finally we drove them off from the flank
and rear and put an extinguisher on the
fire from the front: having discovered their
strength, knowing nothing of the country
beyond and concluding that we had glory
enough for one day, we worked back to
town without losing man. Made re-
port and spent the next three days fixing
bridges and waiting for re6nforcements.
Got a fair idea of the country from prison
ers. aud a week ago today Capt. Beavers,
Lieut.. Powers and myself started to do
What had tried to. We found few Bo-
aros in the vicinity of the trenches and
fixed en-" worked toward Buranen,
met Capt Dow and came into Dagami that
night
Tuesday, the 9th, we went to Buranen,
Found bridges down. Wednesday into the
mountains in rear of Buranen and had small
rout no one on our side injured. Thurs
DAY moved toward La Pass. Had been out
about two hours when we found we were
in the vicinity of trenches on the top Of 6
30-foot bluff l was, as junior officer, II
the lead, and had just deployed two squads
and was crossing the clearing in their real
when zip, zip, zip, a perfect cloud of leat
struck all around me and back down trai
not three feet wide The only thing in tn
clearing was bundle of grass. | had JUS
yelled to my squads to "give 'em h
when We got it again, and the way every
me in sight got cover was caution. The!
kept pumping them right in and made al
attempt to get my 100 pounds behind tina
clump of grass. From the way they con
tnued to kick up the dirt right next to m
concluded that l was playing ostrich an
made break of a few yards to my squads
We soon drove them back, but the onl
trail up the cliff was let right through tn
trench and an occasional shot showed tina
the place was guarded.
1t was the hottest place l have yet see
aud don't care for any more OF the sam
hayor | directed my men to keep cove
and found the captain. But between my
self and him l found a man on the groun
with his head on his arm and pool {
blood under the arm. His hat had talle
over his forehead and face, and though
he was shot through the arm. l lifted n
hat and saw that he never knew wht
had struck him. A Mauser had entere
bis left temple and come out in the rear
his right ear. He was a Vermonter-"oI
OF those who were destined to do no hgh
ing Michael f. Corley from Burlington
and right here let me saw that there al
many from our state here, some ten IN O.
cry company, and if the euphonlous II
singer from Burlington thinks they are d
ing no fighting he should come out into u
brush for a week.
1t was decided that it would be htt
snort of murder to attempt to take men !
from that side, and we had not enough Il
nank movements there, so we went ba'
70 Buranen, made coffin and buried 20
ley in the church, and the next day we
70 headquarters in Tacloban, finding tn
al the rebuilt bridges had been destroye
We are to have more troops here soon al
make trip through the mountains to Z
coast. There are, so far as l can ascerta
from prisoners, some 1000 in the vicinity
Ia Pass, strongly entrenched and with SOL
neld artillery old style but terribly ettctl
al snort range down a narrow tran, a
certain 1t is that some will go into Z
mountains that will never walk out. ~
erday some 300 waylaid a squad betwe
ueTe and Tananan. The squad became
''ued and three were missing; this mol
Ig TWO came in after day and night
tue rice paddy and jungle completely
uau'ted, and report that the third one v
'ul OIL from than and VOnn0eus