Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-17
"Manila. PI. Feb 10. 1900.

manila, +. L., FEB. III, l9OO.
Dear Uncle-I suppose you have
long ago given me up for dead, but if
you could see me at meal time you
would certainly be compelled to admit
that am a very lively corpse. I sup
pose you want to know OF my wander
ings since I left good old America. 1
shall try to give you an account of
where have been and that which aas
occupied my time.
II left San Francisco on the trans
port, Warren, September 2, and arrived
in the harbor Of Yokohama, Japan, on
the 21st of the same month. We stay
ed at this place two days and left, for
Nagasaki, arriving there on the 25th.1
Four days after we again sailed, this
time for Manila, which was reached
October S. Altogether it was a very
pleasant trip, but awfully tiresome
when it is considered that we saw
nothing but water, water, for nine
teen days at stretch. I said more
than once that would. stay in the
Philippines until Uncle Sam built a
bridge from here to the states, but
since I have been here and seen the;
country, l would be willing to go back,
in a cattle boat if they would turn me
loose, ,'1
eve arrived in Manila bay at o'clock
in the evening and each man was armed
with a rifle and 100 cartridges. The
authorities expected an outbreak in
the city and we, We're there for. any
emergency. Everything passed, off
smoothly. however, and we left Manila
October 8 for the purpose of joining,
my troop at San; Fernando. Here the.
real life of a soldier began. We left
San Fernando on the 11th and passed
thru Mexico and Santa Anna, until we
came to place called Arayat. We had
no idea that we would hear the crack
of rifles or the cries and groans of the
wounded, but such was to be the case.
My troop was the advance guard of
the column and l was on the point.
This put me at the very front and
about 400 yards in, front of the main
body. We marched for about four aud
half miles, which brought US within
5threezquarters of mile of the town,
when we We're greeted by a volley
from Remington rifles. We halted and
received the order to lie down, which
we were not long in obeying. We hug
ged the ground for about ten minutes
when the infantry went by us on the
run. shortly after forming a skirmisli
line, and the. fun began, All this time
the bullets Were dropping, around JUS,
we not being allowed to- fire a shot.
After our boys began pumping the old
Krag (Krag-Jorgensen) into them, the
music was something fine. 1t can never
be explained how it sounded and the
only way a person could have any idea
of it would be to hear it himself.
This fight lasted about two hours. At
last the Filipinos brake and ran, leav-
ing the field to us. In the trenches we
found sixty-three dead and over 100
wounded rebels, while our loss was
one man wounded. This does not
seem possible, but it is nevertheless
true - .,,s !
"After this I was in four more skir-
mishes and came out lucky every time.
was with General, .Lawton's column
until he was killed, and since then /
have been with General eSchwan.
sAt present We are in quarters and
/ do not know when we will be put on
the firing line; / hope it will be soon
asI am tired of doing nothing" III