The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-18
"A CAMPAIGN in PANAY
WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
THERE SINCE LAST NOVEMBER.
An Indiana Soldier Reviews Part
Taken by Eighteenth Infantry, I'm
which Are Many Hoosfers-

the first time? That's a hard question.
How does ii feel when a man suddenly
finds the earth crumbling under his feet
he walks beside chasm. TO be cast into
which means swift death? How does II feel
for a man 10 be warned by sudden cry
OF fright that the end OF a live, deadly
electric wire is dangling i'm his face? Al
most every ore has experienced the reac-
ton after some sudden and deadly peril
is pasta feeling I'm which the sensations
are akin TO popping eyes a cessation OF
breath and a numbing feeling that para
lyzes sight, thought, speech and action.
but at the same moment leaves the mind
more keenly alive TO what confronts him
than Il ever has been before, that probably
describes the sensation as nearly may
be. And yet IL is but a faint expression
of the reality. 1t is under the influence OF
that first wild. frenzied moment that some
men have been known to fiatten down out
of sight and then TO stink away behind the
bushes out of harms way-a few men, but
not many. On this occasion after that SUI
preme first moment there were too many
things demanding immediate attention for
any man to think of personal danger. The
painting, sweating, exhausted soldiers STUN
bling ahead. wondering how il would be
possible to advance another yard. at each
halt uncorking canteens with trembling
haste, had no time to think about the bull
lets. the only evidence OF which was a
slight whir. when there before them
the palpable rice ridges to scale, and while
reed birds whirled about their heads and
singing little black flies stung and wiry
rice blades cut into their hands Blanket
rolls, too, were a source OF anxiety. Ii was
supposed that Jaro would be seen no more.
Days before company lockers had been
packed and stored away. Every man had
all his belongings on his back and wished
himself well rid of the load In the rolls
were one large blanket, half shelter tent
of heavy canvas eight feet square. extra
suit of underclothing, socks. towels, soap.
and, most important of all, I'm some cases.
two or three pounds of smoking and
chewing" things TO be held TO the last
moment, as nobody but the commanding
general OF the islands knew how long IL
would be until more were in reach, and he
wouldn't tell. But at the risk OF sleeping
out in the cold night air without shelter
and of having to be in a state OF the al
together long enough to wash the clothes
for weeks without enjoying the comfort
of pipe or cigarette many a man ditched
his blanket roll rather than stumble along
under its weight, with the prospect OF final
ly having to abandon it after himself fall
ing down by the road a subject for the
| hospital men and the Chinese coolies who
| followed behind with stretchers TO pick up
the dead and wounded. For about an hour
=.
ever seen a squealing, frantic hog baited
| over a forty-acre field on hot summer
| day by pack Of vicious dogs until he sank
down exhausted can form some idea OF the
| terrible condition OF some OF the men.
Looking back on Il nov, after having
passed through hard campaign. they
sert that first experience was the worst.
| The sun was not shining. But the air was
humid. A sitting vapor arose from the
suffocating rice fields as the blue-shirted
| line advanced. 1t seemed when the rebels
| finally broke i'm rout and fed and the re-
| call was sounded that IL 1t had been neces-
sary TO advance another fifty yards that
half the company must have sunk down
unable to go farther.
THE SIGHTS OF WAR.
| Coming back with weary, tagging feet to
the road. the company found that IL and
two or three others were a mile or so In
| advance Of where they deployed. and were
| in the rear of the splendid Notifications be-
hind which the Khaliaks had been en-
sconced. Nobody knew why the column
was ordered back, unless because IL WAS
| that the artillery and wagon trains found
| 1t impossible to come up. but as the sol.
| diers returned over the road they passed
| great Notifications built across IL, with
wings extending to the right and left fifty
yards, but none on the sides next the rice
fields The Khakiaks had imagined that
I, the troops could advance only down the
roads, and had never expected flank
movement to attack them from the sides.
| Behind the Notifications were few small
shacks. In an old well near one OF them
| two women and four or five children were
| found huddled down to escape the shots
| fired across the breastworks. Beside the
road dead Khakiaks wearing the rebel uni
form OF blue and white striped cotton
trousers and blue shirts. worn Filipino
fashion, with the tails outside, instead OF
coats. were found. blood forming in pools
| on the ground beneath them or oozing out
| of great wounds While some could not re-
press feeling OF awe IN the presence o.
these grim trophies of the expedition. 9TH
| ers laughed and cast fiippant remarks at
! the dumb victims of a misplaced cause and
paraphrased the old remark that 1.-THE only
| good Indian is a dead Indian"
THAT is the first good Khakiak / have
| ever seen," was a remark that made a hit
! and was passed down the line I'm many
variations as the column OF fours struggled
by in the rout step.
| Except for a narrow path down the cen
ter the Khaklaks had INSTRUCTED the road
| in a way that only savage ingenuity could
suggest Strips OF bamboo two inches wide
| and two feet long. with the upper end
| pointed TO a sharp barb. were planted In
the road at an angle Of say, sixty degrees,
| the dangerous barrier extending I'm the d.
| rection we would have had 10 advance for
| a half mile or more. In addition bamboo
trees, with their wiry limbs and sharp
thorns. had been banked up on either side
OF the formidable barbs. An advance AZ
night must have worked great havoc on
foot soldiers, as the bamboo points were
strong enough 20 impale horse. A num-
| Der OF dead Khakiaks were buried and