Evening star., 1900-02-05
FIERCE BATTLE AND A SAD ENDING
First Cavalry Charge Ever Made on
the Island.
FOUR DAYS IN THE SADDLE


days of our first real fight the terrible loss
to our army in the death of the gallant
Lawton, who died as he wished. soldiers
death. at the head of the soldiers he led
so well and so braveIy. Last Monday, on
the 18th, our troop. NJ was ordered to Ma
Mia in my charge to get fifty of its horses
shod, which took all day. We left town at
8 Pm. in driving rain, returning to Camp
Alva, which we reached at Z, my men wet
to the skin. At 10 o'clock the same night
we received orders to be ready to move at
midnight on San Mateo. 1t was still rain
ing heavily, the wind blowing fiercely. Or
ders had been given at o'clock the same
evening for a dismounted squadron Of the
11th Cavalry to start from this camp for
San Mateo. At the same time battalion
of the 9th Infantry left Deposito and a bat
talon of the Doth Infantry left camp near
Marauuina, all going over the foothills and
mountains toward Mateo. Our troop was
the last to start-seventy strong, including
two officers. We were riding through a
binding rain, pitch dark. over a new trail.
Long stops of ten and fifteen minutes
would be followed by stiff trots of the
same time, to catch the column-slipping
and sliding down muddy hills and crossing
paddles at a gallop in two feet Of water
and foot or more of mud; flying through
bamboo thickets with our heads down on
the horses necks to keep from being torn
off by projecting limbs-a helter-skelter-
every man for himself and the devil hard
after the hindmost. To get left meant
death, for we were in the enemy's coun-
try. and life depended solely in keeping in
touch with the vanishing column. We ford
ed creeks and streams with precipitous,
muddy banks, where the horses simply fell
in. and only their good sense and the grace
Cf God saved them. After two hours ride
we finally came up with Gen. Lawton, ac-
companied by Troop 1 of the 4th Cavalry,
mounted on their diminutive ponies. could
not see the generals features then, but did
later in the day. He was dressed in brown
fhaki, with dark brown leggings. He wore
over all his clothes long double breasted
yellow slicker, somewhat like those the
sailors wear; it covered him from neck to
foot. His helmet was white, and stained
by many a ride and contact with the yell
low dirt up in the north. He had grown
beard, rather short, and snow white. He
merciless chase after Aguinaldo on the
north line, and though he looked gaunt and
tired, kept us moving at a lively pace. We
rode with him for three hours, finally COM
ing up to the infantry column They were
Testing in the grass, tired and covered with
mud from the long and tiresome walk. We
passed them at a trot and went on couple
of miles, when a dispute arose between the
general and the Filipino guide. They said
we took the trail the general wanted US to.
After an hours riding We had to retrace
our steps and start all over again.
The Last, Rest.
We finally rested in some foothills behind
San Mateo, and 1 started back at the head
of the troop to instruct the men about
"dismounting to fight on foot" The infan-
try and dismounted cavalry had come up,
and the general was standing in the center
of his little staff. He happened to pass by
me, and, looking up, saw me. To my "How
how are you?" I said, ''Fine." He said.
Well. goodbye. K: wish you good luck
In your first big fight" And, shaking my
hand he strobe on slowly toward a hill
where no had good view of the enemy
and city.
Our mounted squadron moved on to the
left and in a short half hours ride over a
few foothills we arrived opposite our po-
sit.on for the fight. On the left is a cane
held-C and l troops were sent there to
clear the river my troop (M) and F troop
being reserve. When we reached the river
fighting through the cane field, where we
lost one and had one wounded, the bail
opened on our right by those two dismo1nt-
ed troops of the 11th Cavalry, who were to
connect with our right. We finally got C
and l across the river in the face of a ter
rihle fire. Just before my troop started an
orderly came up and said the general was
dangerously wounded, and that Col. Lock-
EFT was in command The colonel decided
to follow his instructions, viz, to force an
entrance on the left of the town. My troop
went across the river mounted
AVenSlnS His LOSS.
The major took me and five men and
sent us ahead past the trenches and
through the road. When we got there we
were met by a perfect shower of bullets.
dismounted my men and asked the major
for orders. He said. Flight them like HI
until they can be charged" l grabbed the
carbine of the man who was holding the
horses. and we five men knelt down in the
rice field and shot away for our lives. The
enemy were about three hundred yards
away. While we were holding them off
the troop charged along the bamboos on
the edge of the rice field. 1t was the
island. 1t was certainly fine. The horses
stumbled and tore across the watery fields,
the troopers yelling like wild and firing
their pistols at every jump The enemy were
but two hundred yards away. They only
killed three of our horses, none Of our men
being wounded.
The colonel then ordered me and my five
men to proceed up toward the mountain
and "to draw fire, as you seem successful
at it,
While we were clearing the left the dis
mounted squadron had crossed the river
and charged into the city, which was de-
serted. Twenty minutes after they had en-
tered the city the 9th Infantry came charg-
ing up, all yelling at the top of their voices
As far as 1 can find out Gen. Lawton
was killed somewhere between the infantry
and the dismounted squadron of cavalry.
He was talking to one of his staff when he
saw Breckenridge fall. and had just started
over to him when a Remington hit him
just about the heart. He clinched his
teeth and with great effort turned around.
holding himself erect, and said, II am done
for" and as he was sinking to the ground
was shot again in the chin. My little squad
and, in fact, the entire command were
wild The men had ridden hard all night
and their tempers were in pretty bad shape.
We followed the F'llipi1os clean to the hill,
killing every one we saw. The official list
OF the dead Filipinos is twenty-six, but
many and many a "Gugu'> bit the mud
that day who was never numbered. They
brought the generals body across the river,
and on Wednesday our squadron started
for Camp Alva as an escort. We brought
the body as far as Santolar (across the
river from the. pumping station) and then
ferried it across. Four troops of the 4th
Cavalry escorted the body back to Ma
nila.
To Duty Again.
We went back that night at a trot to
San Mateo to stand off the enemy who had
forced the outposts and killed one of the
9th The next morning, Thursday. We rode
back to Santolar, then to Maraquina, then
to Santolar, and returned here that night.
From Monday morning to Thursday even
ing. in the saddle almost all the time. liv-