Evening star., 1900-09-28
A SERIOUS REVERSE
Detachment Of the Twenty-Ninth
Infantry Captured.
COL. ANDERSON sent TO RESCUE
Details of the Disaster Not Yet
ObtainabIe.
EXPEDIENTS OF FILIPINOS

According to cable message from Gen.
Macarthur received at the War Depart
ment this morning the United States forces
in the Philippines have sustained a serious
disaster, being the capture and possible an
Inhalation of ffty-one men of the 10Th Vol
unteer Infantry, in command of Capt.
Shields. Gen. MacArthurs dispatch is as
follows:
MANILA.
Adjutant General, Washington:
September H. Capt. Devereaux Shields,
fifty-one men, Company F. Goth Regiment,
United States Volunteer Infantry, and
hospital corps man, left Santa Cruz, Marin
duque, by gunboat Vilalobos for Torrijos,
intending to return overland to Santa Cruz.
Have heard nothing since from Shields.
Scarcely any doubt that the entire party
has been captured, with many killed and
wounded, Shields among the latter. Infor
nation sent by letter from Commanding
Officer Boac dated September 20. was re
celVed September n, consisted of rumorS
through natives. The Yorktown and two
gunboats, George S. Anderson colonel, 3Sth
Volunteer Infantry, two companies 3Sth
Volunteer Infantry, were sent to Marin
duque Immediately. Anderson confirms the
first report to capture. but was unable
September % to give details of the present
whereabouts of Shields and party, names
ol killed ana wounded In1S information
will probably be available soon. Anderson
has orders to commence operations imme-
diately and to move relentlessly until
Shields and his party are rescued. All
troops expected soon. Logan will be sent
to Martinique, If necessary, to clear up
the situation. MACARTHUR.
Scene of the Disaster.
The scene of this latest reverse is small
island lying due south of the southern coast
of Luzon and about 300 miles from Manila
Martinique Is only about twenty-four miles
In diameter and is garrisoned by two small
detachments Of United States troops. One
OF these was at Boag, on the west coast of
the island, and the other was at Santa
Cruz, the principal port, on the mort" side.
Captain Shields appears to have started
from Santa Cruz on gunboat for Torrijos,
small coast port and 1t Is inferred that
the boat. as well as the body Of troops un-
der that officer, has been captured, for the
dispatch makes no reference to her return.
The 18th Volunteer Infantry was organ
lied at Fort Mcpherson, near Atlanta Ga,
in September, 1899, and many Of the MEM
bers were recruited from that neighbor-
hood. Company F., the one reported cap
tured, was almost entirely recruited at At
lanta.
Capt. Devereaux Shields, who commanded
the captured detachment, was a resident Of
Natchez, Miss. and during the Spanish war
was lieutenant colonel of the I'd Mississippi
volunteer infantry lie was appointed cap
tain OF the 29th Volunteer Infantry July B.
1893, and accompanied that regiment to the
Philippines In the following September.
Expedients of the FfIipinos
Col. Clarence K. Edwards, chief of the
insular division in the War Department. has
received letter from an officer In the Phil
lppines which shows the righteousness Of
the F1lipinos and the manner In which they
take advantage Of everything in the way of
materials for carrying on the war. He says:
Il have sent you a couple of rounds of
ammunition that 1 captured in trench the
other day. AT first glance it looks like Maus-
er ammunition, but if you will notice the
markings on the base you will see that one
Is *. G. and the other U. s. A ammuni-
t1on both 80 caliber. One is a cartridge
that some soldier dropped and the other is
a reloaded shell. Both are filed off so that
they will go into a clip. l tried them in a
captured Mauser rifle and 1t works finely.
The ammunition that Is used In the Rem
ington is just as ingenious. They any
thing, from an old .45 pistol shell the
shell of a 80 caliber to a homemade shell
which they have only few, they use black
powder. and not very good at that
The officer also relates some of his ex-
periences with the Filipinos. He says they
are great on getting on a hill, firing a few
shots and then getting away. The country
about him is full of decayed hemp making
1t very difficult for him to get through with
his men. Pursuit of the Filpinos in small
bands is thus very unsatisfactory. They are
able to annoy without doing very much
damage.
Cutting the Telegraph Lines.
Lieut.. Col. James Allen, chief signal
officer In the Philippines, in submitting his
report of the operations of the Signal Corps
during the month of July, tells of a number
of interesting experiences of his men. He
has charge of 800 men available for duty,
and 5000 miles of telegraph lines and
cable. During the month 2Os,0 messages
were sent and received on the Island of
Luzon, besides a large amount Of business
transacted exclusively by telephone.
The most notable feature of the month
was the increased amount of line cutting,
which kept many men employed In repair
work. Communication on the eastern por-
ton of the Island of Panay has been aban-
doned, but it Is expected the line will be
rebuilt. Twenty miles on the west coast
have been destroyed. On Leyte much of
the wire put up has been torn down.
Many encounters with the insurgents re-
suited seriously, and linemen are often
times picked off by the Filipinos.
Owing to the fact that so much rebuild
ing and repairs have been necessary very
little new line has been constructed.
Ambushed by Filipinos.
Col. Allen tells the following interesting
story of work of the Signal Corps in south
ern LuZon:
"On July 1S Corporal James, lineman at
Santa Cruz, went out with a detachment
repairing near Magdalena. He had with
him field telephone. The detachment
was attacked by much larger force of
insurgents in ambush. The sound of the
firing brought troops from the south. At
this time Corporal James attached his
field telephone and got word to the COM
manding officer at Santa Cruz, he in turn
telephonng to PagsanjanA This brought
out cavalry detachment promptly, who
fell upon the retreating insurgents from
the east. The insurgents were SO surprised
they fell an easy prey and were almost an
initiated. This is cited as a very pretty
practical application of the telegraph in
war, even Of the guerrilla variety"