The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-06-27
A Voice from the Far Away Philippines
San Fernado de Union,
Tn1on p T Nav 13 1900.

San Fernado de Union,
Luzon, P. l., May l3, 1900.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
You no doubt will be surprised to
receive a letter from the far away
Philippine isles. I have been think
ing for sometime Of my old Lex!ng-
ton friends.
I enlisted in the 3cd cavalry in
January, 1899. We were then in
camp near Augusta, g.. From there
we were ordered to Fort Myer, Va,
to be stationed at that post. On the
7th day of August of the same year,
we were ordered to Seattle, Wash.
We left Seattle, Wash, August 25th,
aboard the Steamer St. Paul-eight
troops, of sed cavalry, 1,l27 privates
and "a officers. We stopped five
days at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. 1t
was very cold, We nearly froze. We
proceeded from there to Kobe, Ja-
pan. There. of course, We came
upon the little Jap, and. a good ma
tured little fellow be was, too. We
stayed seven days in Japan. We
went ashore and took in the city,
which has, I believe, probably $4,000
inhabitants. They have no such q
thing as horse. They have what We
call a one-seated caraton. It has
short straps and man pulls it. I
borrowed Is cents to get ride in
one and took in the city.
We reached Manila October 1st,
and on the night of the I'd, we
were taken ashore at half past II
o'clock and lay out on street called
the Lunetta all night, and it out
rained Noah's food. The next morn
ing wet, hungry and broken down
from being on the boat 80 long, we
marched six miles to San Pedro
Mcartie.
Let me ask before I go any fur
ther, were you ever on the high seas?
Oh, ye of little faith, everybody was
sick. That is certainly one trip I
shall ever remember.
We camped at the latter place
about seven days, and then went
back to Manila, boarded the little
train for San Fernando, Chere are
two San Fernandos), which is IS
miles from Manila, and stopped
there five days, then We struck out
across the muddy rice paddles for
the interior. the horses up to their
bellies in. mud; oh, it was frightful.
We would 60 into camp at 9 p. m.,
then it would be to go about a mile
to some rice field aud cut q big arm
full of green rice for our horses, then
come back and use the currycomb
aud brush for one hour. Then We
had chance to cook our suppers
and dinners, for We never stopped to
cook dinner. We struck the Insur-
gents first at San Qainbin. I was in
the advance guard going in this
town, and We were not expecting to
find them there although there had
never been an American in the place.
There were four of US riding along
eating some cocoanuts We had taken
from poor old humbrey, and all at
once boom-and then pop pop-pop.
We dismounted at once and COM
menced the bloody work, but it is
truly a wonder We did, for all four of
US were young boys and never knew
what a bullet was hardly. Well, I
tell you it amszed me, but when I
heard one nearly clip my ear I wasn't
amazed very long. The troops came
up promptly and we routed them,
getting scme guns and ammunition
and killing several. The fight lasted
IS minutes.
The next day We started for Tying,
where it was reported there were a
lot of Spanish prisoners. We went
into Tying on the charge and they
were just leaving there. We charged
into them, recaptured ffty-nine Span
ish and three American prisoners
We also captured the wardrobe Of
Sonora Aguinaldo and out Of which
I have some very nice relics to show
when I get back. The next day We
took San Nicholas with about Is, 900
bushels of rice. There We captured
Aggie's wagon train-38 bull carts
full of provisions and medical sup
plies, and the next day, four miles
from San Nicholas, we had one of the
very hardest fights we have had
since We have been over here. We
lost three men and four horses. I
was laying fiat and the bullets few
90 tbiok es hail T liked IN have