The age-herald., 1900-03-12
BIRMINGHAM BOY
 SAW LAYTON FALL Claudius D. Ashmore Writes h.
 tereStingIy of the Fight WITH THE FOURTH CAVALRY Pays High Tribute to the Dead Soldier and Describes Hardships of Cam
 paign That Ended So Tragi- cally for Commander -
WITH THE FOURTH CAVALRY

l 0lduuluS U. ASuHlOISt iS VI t4AtS city, now a member of 1T, Troop, Fourth | United States Cavalry on duty in the
 Philippines, was participant in the bat l tic in which General Lawton was killed
 and was an eyewitness to Ghe tragedy. He writes interestingly of the stirring events
 that took place during the campaign. His
 letter ito The Age-Herald is as follows:
 "In order to tell the story of General
 Baw1ton's last fight and the incidents that 1 led up to it, it is necessary to go back to the
 campaign in the northern part of the island of Luzon, beginning in October, 1899, when LawIton with General Young attempted to surround Agusnaldo and bring that willy 1 Fugitive to task.
 Troop l, Fourth United States Cavalry, | Of which I member, was the body | guard for General Lawton during all his | campaigns in the Philippines, and on hhe northern trip we were with him every day.
 1.-The troop left San Fernando, on the railroad line, on the 11th day of October, to go to Arayat, where it was ordered to meet General Lawpon. We arrived at Ara vat two days later, and five days later General BaWlton, who had come by way of Calumpit and the Pampanga river to Ara yait, joined his headquarters, to which Troop l was attached as guard. 4 few days later the field headquarters were moved north to San Isidro, and it was from that point that the real operations began, and where General Young's com mand consisting mainly of the Third Unlted States Cavalry and couple of vol- unteer infantry regiments, began its chase after Aguinaldo, which terminated in the mountains of northern Luzon.
 Would Take Whole Edit'on
 It would take nearly whole edition of The Age-Herald to tell about the forced marches through swamps, rice fields and tropical undergrowth with General Lawton after he left San Isdro on the campaign which terminated in Manila on the after noon of Saturday. December 16 1S99
 During the last week of the march we understood that we were after Pillar del Pillar, who was supposed to be leading a force of insurgents to the southern part of the island. And after we had arrived in Manila. it was learned that Pilar's force was concentrating in the Mariquina valley, and consequently General Lawton decided to attack this force at San Mateo on the morning of December 19.
 '"The might before the Eleventh volunteer cavalry was ordered to march from it's camp at La Loma church and strike San Mateo early the following morning; while the Twenty ninth regiment of volunteer infantry received similar orders to attack the place from the west General Lawton was to leave Manila the same night with his staff and T. troop of the Fourth cavalry and take charge of the fight in person.
 "I troop left its barracks in Pasay, three miles south of Manila, and reached General Lawton's residence at about S45 o'clock the evening of December 1S A heavy rainstorm had set in late that after noon, and every man of us was drenched a few minutes after we set out, and by the | time we reached the generals house it is not a betrayal of any secret to say that not a man of us but who was in anything but a pleasant frame of mind But when the general appeared and swung himself into the saddle with cheery word to the troop, | our spirits rose, and we went out into that driving rain and upon one of the most try | ing marches that has taken place during the present insurrection, with a maximum amount of cheer and courage in our hearts. We all loved Uawton the man. we adored Lawlton the soldier.
 Terrible Night
 ..No soldier who went on that march the night of December 18th likes to even think of it. It will ever stand out as one of lifes nightmares to every one of us. We took a very narrow trail, and several times dur ing the night the trail was lost, and con- sequently precious time was lost, because we had to be at San Mateo by daylight in order to surprise the enemy.
 'fEarly the next morning we reached the summit of a mountain overlooking the Mariquina valley~> Here we halted, while the general, with his staff, moved on a short distance ahead, and taking his field glasses from their case he watched the movements of the Eleventh cavalry and the foot troops as they got into battle for ma ton away down below us. That was a sight never to be forgotten, sight that would inspire any man to noble thought and deed. I have pictures of great battle scenes, and of many great soldiers upon various occasions, but never was there a grander sight than that of Gen
 eral Henry Ware Lawton as he stood in the early morning light his massive figure outlined against the carry morning miStS, | watching his troops prepare for what was | to be his last battle. Little did we think l that within one short hour-only a period 1 of sixty minutes-that that grand frame I would be cold in death. It seemed to us
 that Lawton could not die.
 | ''We mounted again and marched on l down the mountain. The firing had begun, l and Gawton was restless to get in the l thickest of it. He could never be satisfied with being merely in the fight, but always I had to get into the very warmest, the most l dangerous part of the battle. Soon we got within range of the enemys fire, and Law ] ton took position in the most exposed place 1 that could possibly have been selected | a Conspicuous Mark
 ''Ie was covered With a light rain-coat ] and wore a white helmet, and consequent 1 ly was a very conspicuous mark for the l enemy who did yot hesitat h fake ad-