The Press., 1900-04-19
LETTER FROM THE PHIL IPPINEs


noilO, Panay, P. l., Feb. z, 1900.
] will try and give you my experience
In the Orient, and an account of our
movements as near as can remember
We landed at 1loilo, Island of Panay, on
the 26th of October, 1899, and marched
three and one-half miles to Jaro and went
into garrison duty until Nov, when we
started into an active campaign. We
marched through Molo and captured On
ton. was with the wagon train, which
was about nine hours behind the main
column. The rain was coming down In
torrents, and the mud was knee deep all
the way. The city of Molo was taken
without resistance, and the wagon train
was half way between Molo and Onton,
when they we're fired on by insurgent
sharpshooters from the tops of cocoa
nut trees. The main column was at a
church at Onton, and we sent ahead for
endorsements, which came to our relief
In an hour. In the meantime, with the
wagon train stuck In the mud, we held
the insurgents off until the reinforcements
came. Then we gave them a good thrash
Ing and pulled into Onton, with all hands
present or accounted for. We left twelve
dead insurgents to mark the scene of our
first scrap.
The next day we marched from Onton
to Zig Bonan, eight miles, and took the
place with feeble resistance. The reb-
els had this town we'll fortified, and ought
to have held it against twice the number
of troops we had, but after we had sent a
few volleys into their midst they fed like
chaff before the wind. We marched In
and took the city and remained there six
days, as we were overtaken by typhoon
from the China Seas, and the roads were
simply impossible. We finally moved
from Tig Bonan to Leon, and laid there
two days, then started on the march
again. When we arrived at San Bias,
about three miles from Leon, we encoun-
tered the enemy, about 5000 strong, and
had fierce fight of eight hours, which
resulted in clean victory for us, with
only one man killed and thirty wounded
Dead insurgents were scattered all over
the battlefield. This scrap reminded me
Of the charge of San Juan hill in Cuba,
as we had to charge steep hill at the
point of the bayonet. The infantry would
never have been able to have taken the
hill without the assistance of the noun
tain battery, which wac pouring the shells
over our heads in great shape. We had
the enemy flanked on three sides, and
were trying to surround them, when they
beat hasty retreat, and we picked up
the dead and took the wounded to our
hospitals. They were very much sur
lprised at the treatment they received.
We remained at San Bias two days
building bridges for the wagon train. and
| then we started for Santa Barbaria, which
was supposed to be walled city and one
of the great strongholds OF the rebels.
We had hard fight here, and lost about
thirty men from the 10Th infantry, the
18th infantry, the 26th vol. infantry and a
detachment Of the 9th artillery. The
fighting began about four miles out oi
Jaro, at Paria, and lasted until after We
got through Santa Barbara, distance
of ten miles, and we fought every inch oil
the way, as the insurgents were very
heavily intrenched. At Paria they hao
trenches built of cocoanut trees driven ir
the ground, then banked with dirt and
rocks about ten feet thick, to say the
least. The infantry never could have
moved che rebels without the assistance
of the heavy artillery, which was pouring
volley after volley over our heads into
the rebel lines, and driving them back al
the infantry charged on their trenches
The rebels were simply slaughtered ant
driven to the mountains completely dis
organized. We had two or three small
scraps after that, then pulled back to ou1
barracks at Jaro, after marching on,
hundred and thirty-six miles and captur
Ing thirty-six pieces of field guns, which
were after the pattern used before tn,
civil war, and no earthly use any way
We also captured a large number of rifles
spears and bows and arrows.
| We were settled in Jaro, and though
we were going to get rest, when revol
broke out on the Island of Negros, which
was supposed to be under civil govern
ment. We were ordered over there, ant
went in small sail boat. and sayl it wal
something terrible to see us fellows try
Ing to throw our stomachs into the sea
We ran on sand bar and got stuck, ant
to top off with the boat got afire. tel
you it looked pretty bad for us for
while, but we all jumped overheard ant
threw water on to the fire with buckets
and finally put it out. The flood It'd,
foated us off the sand bar, and we finall,
landed at San Enrique and took the tram
way from there to La Carlota. From
there we marched to Granghai, and ha.
short skirmish with the rebels, march
Ing from there to La Casalana, where W
found detachment of K Co., 9th In
fantry. From there we moved to Ysabal
Ia, and found more American troops W.
were about discouraged, when news wa
sent in that reinforcements were needle,
at Moow, and we were sent. We cap
tured a few rebels and spears and small
town on the way, and burned the town t,
the ground. 1 tell you it was gloriou
sight to see the bamboo shacks burnin,
just at sunrise. We marched on to tn
next town, which was supposed to be
rebel stronghold, and were deployed a
skirmishers and ready for an attack, bu
were disappointed when we marched int
the town, and never saw Niger or fire.
a gun. We made march of 1914 mile
on Negros Island and then returned t.