Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-19
BROKE AGG|E'S CAMP
Harmonious for Cannon Balls
Couldn't Stop 46th.
Glimpse Of Soldier Life in the Phil
ippine Islands.
vividIy Pictured by Lawrence W. Spear, Form.
erIy Of Manchester.

| A vivid account of the manner in
| which Aguinaldo's camp at the Philip
pines was broken UP is given by Law
renee W. Spear. who is serving in the
10Th Regiment The letter to his father.
Fred Spear Of Manchester. is as follows:
My Dear Father:
! received your letter AL right. ana will
| Try and answer it now. | have not writ
| ten line since We lett Manila as | have
not had much time We have been pretty
busy most Of the time. owe about q
| letters. ana | guess | Will Get a chance to
| write them now. ts am marked sick in
quarters and have nothing to 40. 1t is
nothing serious have got tropical Ill
ana five On my right. The doctor dresses
| them every morning ana they will be All
right III i little while
| We left Manila Jan. 3. ana on the Sth
we got into small skirmish No one
| got hurt bur three or four ''nggerS" The
9TH, we "hiked' y miles the IN. 10 miles
and TIE Nth, 70 mile \ troop Of cavalry
WAS behind ". They passed Us about 2
| o'clock T. NJ. ana said that the only
| time they gained on us was when we
stopped 70 rest, and they We're travelling
us we kent right behind them. until the
| commanding officer sent back word to our
major q halt us, FOR We We're killing his
| horses. little way from there we found
Il number Of horses ana mules dead ana
| played out. by the time we got through
scrappinS, ana our supper cooked ana
eaten. We We're willing 10 70 to bed. but
some Of US didn't get a chance to- AZ we
had to 20 On guard ! forgot ID tell YOU
that 1t was the city or Slang; We stopped
there two days and then came to Indang.
We stopped here two or three DAYS ana
then went TO Alfonso. We stopped there
for dinner and then went on until supper
time, when We halted until 9 O'Clock ana
then we crossed 4 canon ana canned for
.. % hst1 IA IN I.. fa,Ia
Of cliff about 80 feet high that was al
most as steep as the side Of 4 building.
with only small steps cut in the side III
inc rock ~ VA ~ dark we could hard
ly see the man in front Of us. We start
"a the next morning, Juss after daylight.
ana every City Or town that we came to,
the natives had left before we got there
The 18th. We got into TWO small Skin
mishes, and about o'clock We reached
Iemcry. Then the fun commenced and
lasted until the next night Lemery Is
a City on the coast, separated from the
city Of Taal BY large. swifttlowing
river. We We're marching along on
level, with no protection. when We're
fired on from trenches just across the
river. about 400 yards from u.
There We're 30 Of Us ana 1900 ringers"
600 riflemen ana 1000 bolomen. that Is.
men with big knives called bolos They
Use them for fighting, ana choppins
wood, and most everything. When we
Were fired on We We're ordered to liz
down. We had no protection ut all. as it
was q big rice swamp, from the road to
the river. We fired few NOlleyS ana
then advanced ~ rushes. Part Of Us
would advance whiie the rest We're firing.
ana then we would lie down in the mud
ana water. ANA fire while they advanced.
When We got about le1 yards from them
We charged ana drove them out of the
trenches. but when We got most there we
found there was river III the way. and
We had 70 retreat. as it was impossible
into town for the night. one Of the boys
in 90 Il was killed, ana one in 90. III
was wounded. Nobody was hurt in a..
q. 4 scattering fire was kept up all
night ANA the next day. The street We
were on led straight to the bridge. ana
Just across the bridge was a high bluff,
ana up On the bluff tney made their
stand. They had some fine trenches. and
three cannon trained on the bridge. They
had lot Of brush full Of thorns on the
bridge.
They thought We couldn't take Taal.
as there We're only 250 Of us. ana the full
regiment Of the 2uth Kansas tried it
twice last summer, ana they drove them
back. hut we got there Just the same.
hit in the arm. jHst before we charged
the bridge. They had the cannon loaded
with All kinds Of broken iron, and don't
YOU think il wasn't warm around there
before we got across the bridge. for ola
iron ana rifle balls We're kicking W the
dirt All around a. can't see now NC
ever cot across the bridge without being
killed. If American troops mad held the
bluff not one man would have got across
! the bridge alive. The qucereSt thing
! that thry had in one Of the cannon was
Hi ola hlrmunicI, ana when il got to the
bridge ii commenced playing 'lInt Time
| III the Ola Town. Tonight then
Johnny Get Your Gun" then Home
Sweet Home" ana as ii got across the
| bridge it wound up with "WhiStling
| Mike" 50 YOU see ! have heard
:.Whistling Mike" ~ Wen whistlinE
| bullcts
we found 81 dead "nisgers," and WI
| don't know how many they carried off
| with them. They always carry of all
| thcy cam. ! suppose il is - the Amerl-
| clns won't know how many are killed
| We broke IN Aggcs army in that scrap
ana there is nothing now but rowing
bands Of robbers. The natives call them
| 'Iadroncs" | don't think we Will SIS
anv more lighting. ns We have been most
| al over the island. with only one com
u1ny. ana sometimes only i or q men,
| ana we can't find anyone that wants u
tjght. we stayed in Taal three days ana
then started for lndang again. this tlme
| AVER tEp divide The most Of the boys
| didn't have any water with them. rs We
| di1n't have time to get IT before Wt
started ana we didn't get any until alter
| dlrk thc next night. Then we had to 20
| down the side Of the mountain about two
| miles We slept on me mountain that
night ana ii rainci all night. We were
lS WEI AS drowned rats, the next morn
Ing. ana everything was 80 wet we
! rouId not build fire. 50 we had to raj
PAW bacon ana bareback or nothing. we
started again just before daylight and
| mixed until O'Clock that afternoon PSI
fare we got any water. Then we matted
.gl hhp