Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-03-21
FRED M. JENNEWINE.
Letter Telling of Early Expert
ences in Manila.


the City Weakened, Force Attacked
but Calamity Defeats the Enemy
Interesting Account from the Dead
Hero of His army Life.
The following letter from Fred NJ.
Jennewine was written shortly after
the Tenth regiment landed In Manila
and is interesting at this time on &C
count of the shipment of his remains
| home. Nothing has as yet been heard
OF them but they are expected at any
time The letter was handed MS for
publication. 1t is as follows:
MANILA, T. |.
Nov. 10, '9S
| My Dearest Cousin | received
1 your very kind ana welcome letter and
was glad, yes more than glad, to hear
I from you as | scarcely ever hear a
/ kind word in this land of heather
and soldiers. Some of the latter are O
disgrace TO the uniform they wear.
| am sorry to say this, but never
theless 1t is too true, some Of them
will never be fit to enter the good and
pure homes they have left.
Well you have asked me to tell you
all | knew Of this country. That
would take long time for what /
have seen would make a history but /
will give you some idea OF what have
gone through since | left my beloved
country.
First our voyage across the ocean.
1t was long. dreary ride of 80 days
in which for the first time In my life
| was hungry and could not get what
| wanted to eat. We were not given
enough and what we got was not fit
/ to eat.
What do you think OF men whose
/ government trust them with food for
the soldiers and then they not give It
but sell it and spend the money for
luxuries while the soldiers suffer for
same. And if we live until our dis
charge gives us liberty we intend To
show these men to the public in such
a way that they will regret it bitterly
Then comes our landing on Spanish
soil. On bright sun shiny morn we
sailed into the harbor of Manila. and
beheld the proud fleet of Admiral
Dewey floating gracefully at anchor
while the fleet Spain in mangled
wreck marked the watery graves of
her thousand sailors.
The next day we commenced to dis
embark on small boats which ran as
near shore as possible when we all
plunged into the boiling surf and
walled out carrying our rifles and
knapsacks above our heads.
While the half naked natives flock
ed around to see the soldiers who had
come IL, 900 miles to break the bonds
of slavery which Spanish tyrants had
placed them under.
That night we pitched our tents on
low sandy plain about miles from
Manila. We had no way to cook any
thing SO few hard crackers better
known as hard tack constituted our
supper and breakfast. We soon had
a place to cook and we Jared little
better, but it rained day and night
and for two weeks our clothes and
blankets were never dry. Our tents
protected us but very little in the rain
storms that continually beat the earth
through the rainy season which lasts
about four months.
Then came the advance on the city
and day and night work in the
trenches. You see our camp lay out
of range Of the cannon at Manila so
we advanced one regiment at time
to work on the Notifications which
we made by piling up clay and sacks
filled with sand.
The Spanish were also building forts
and we could see each other all day so
on the 31st OF July our little regi-
ment which is only 658 strong was in
the trenches with two batteries of
Utah artillery. The Spanish being
Informed of our weakness through a
spy thought it would be good time
tn make an attack but as the world
knows to their intense sorrow.
In the evening a line OF vigilant
pickets were placed out in front (the
writer being one of these) 10 Keep from
icing surprised while the rest of the
boys lay down to sleep, as our WORK
was nearly done, when about ten
O'Clock, three of my comrades on the
right Of the line perceived what they
thought was a Spanish accommodating
party which they found was SO. They
lay still until they were given the or
der to fire which they did, the Span
iards returning the fire killing two
out of the three then the firing be-
came general all along the line which
lasted about fifteen minutes then the
firing ceased and we were ordered
back to the main line to prepare for
battle.
We got in readiness for the final en-
gagement. We had not long to wait
until we were attacked all along the
line by their army of over 8, 900 strong
but we were ready when the order was
given TO fire. A sheet of flame burst
from our line and the battle was on
! in all its fury.
To make it worse, terrible rain
h s.,r "a