The Red Cloud chief., 1900-01-26
THE ISLAND CAMPAIGN
Some Extracts from the Report Of General
Otis.
PART the NfBRAskANs PLAYED
Detail Of Col. stotssnberg to the Pump
ting station and The Fight that Soon
oiiowed-aood Insight Into the work
that Our Troops Done.

htHitVOtt VI othVto ONsos
the administration OF military and
civil affairs in. the philippines up to
August 81, o. last year, has been
printed in pamphlet form by the gov
eminent OF the island campaign. The
full details OF the irritating conduct of
the insurgents is given and the CORE
spondence with Aguinaldo had prior to
the outbreak OF hostilities is printed In
full in the report.
That part of the report which refers
to the Nebraska regiment Is CT spec.
ial interest. The first mention OF the
regiment is made in the copy Of the
general order of October IA. which des-
ignates the Nebraskans as part of the
guard and police force, to be Sta
toned with the Second division north
of the Pasig river. The next mention
Is on the 18th of december. where he
notes that one.third of the Nebraska
regiment had just sailed for home. The
commanding general here says that the
applications for discharge had become
so numerous that he forwarded to the
adJutant general of the army the fol
lowing communication.
81 have the honor to forward here
with APT applications from enlisted
men Of this command Tor their as
charge from the service. some on spec.
tally stated grounds which require con-
~sideration. but for the most part OH the
plea that war department orders en-
title them to 1t. They refer to para
graph 2, general orders No. 40. current
series, and think that the present ces-
sation of active hostilities between the
United States and Spain Is the close
of the war within the meaning of that
paragraph; hence these numerous In
dividual applications which they con-
slider the paragraph invited them to
make.
Doubtless the end of the war awaits
the proclamation Of peace, and In
these islands that day may be some.
what deferred.
81 ne number OF these applications
indicates the desire of the enlisted men
of the command to escape h coun-
try, and shows low difficult IL Is to
hold them in conditions Of c%ontentef
discipline. Much of this desire to es-
cape their military obligations at n
time wnen their services are especially
demanded arises from Inconsistencies,
and that fact accounts largely for the
heavy percentum OF sickness with
which we have beer afflicted.
Under present ~exigencies l am
obliged to disapprove all OF these ap'
pncati6ns."
| STATION OF THE NEBRASKANS.
Passing over the accounts OF the
events leading up to the commence
ment the next mention of the Nebras.
ka regiment Is found on page 90 of the
report, relating to February 4 as fol.
lows:
Several weeks previous TO this date
we mad moved .he Nebraska regiment
from it's barracks in the tnicniy set.
tied Binondo district to the high, un-
occupied ground at Santa Mesa, the
most eastern suberb OF the city, where
1t was placed in camp. This change
was made for sanitary reasons solely,
as the regiment had been suffering
from a very high rate Of sickness,
caused by unhealthy locality. The new
location was within the view and the
range of the Mauser rifles of the in.
surgents along the San Juan river por-
ton Of their line. During the latter
part of January | was informed by
good Filipino authoritysthat the insur-
gents meditated an attach on these
troops and was advised to remove
them or, in their exposed place, the
insurgents would kill them all. Gen.
raj Macarthur, who commanded north
" the Passig, warned Colonel Stotsen.
,urg, who commaned that regiment
nd camp, and placed two gun OF the
Ttah artillery in position a short dis.
.ance removed therefrom. 1t was ex.
pected that insurgents would make the
initiative at this point and they acted
strictly in accordance with u antic.
ipations."
STOTSENBURG 10 COMMAND.
After describing the beginning of
the fight the report continues:
Our immediate interests lay to thu
northeast and comprised the pumping
station and deposito OF the water.
works which II was necessary to Sc
cure, although we had provided for
their loss, insofar as the army was
concerned. by erecting a number OF
distilling plants along the river banks,
by. which good water could be obtained
Stotsenburg had attacked early In. the
morning, drove the enemy from the
blockhouses in his front, and reported
that he could capture the powder mag
zine and waterworks ~(deposito mean.
ing, though pumping station under,
stood at the time) II desired. MacAr.
thur had been pressing back the enemy
in his entire front, indicting heavy
loss. He had called for troops to Al
a gap on Stotsenburg's left. and q bat
talon of the First Tennessee regiment
OF the provost, guard, under the com.
mand OF Its colonel, was sent him, and
the following correspondence by tele.
graph ensued:
,"General Macarthur: Stotsenburl
reports: Have captured blockhousei
6 and Z; burned 6. Can capture pow
der magazine and waterworks II de-
sired. Battalion First Tennessee hal
passed to report to you. Let Stotsen'
burg 90 ahead with aid of Tennessee
n conditions permit, and capture mag
asine. Waterworks must wait. No
prudent to advance small force so fal
out. OTIS"
General Otis: Am making inquir
les at various parts of line to deter
mine expediency of moving Stotsen
burg as yOu suggest. so as to exten(