The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-04


ing out of Jaro, one on the right of the
river, which was not fordable for artil-
lery at Jaro, and the other leading straight
north of Pavia, Santa Barbara and Caoa-
tuan. General Hughes decided on hank
attack instead of having the attack made
in front of Jaro-the attack the rebels had
evidently expected, as they had spent the
entire five months of the rainy season dig
ging trenches and throwing up earth
works along the two roads
So General Hughes decided TO
advance from Molo, away of TO the lett OF
Jaro. and General Carpenter was TO ad-
vance in the same direction, his force uIti-
mately fetching up with General hughes
On the morning OF Nov. 10, In accordance
with this plan, reveille went at O'Clock
and every man of the first and second bat
talions fell out. There was breakfast OF
hot coffee and cold beef sandwiches in the
dark kitchen shacks, lighted only by the
glare from the outdoor fires. When the
companies were formed it was pitch dark
and a drizzling rain was falling. The men,
with blanket rolls. haversacks with two
days rations and hundred rounds OF am
munition in addition 10 the hundred In the
belts, canteens filled and the cups jangiing
against them like cow bells, lined up In
the darkness. while the voice of Adjutant
Evans split the murky, damp-laden air
with shouts OF commanding officers or
derlyr' or the shrill piping voice of some
staff officer transmitted some final order
while trying to keep his impatient horse in
hand After what seemed would be an in
terminable delay all was in readiness and
the column was on its way. or rather the
hot ton, fha g.
layed to escort the wagon train. The col
umn advanced out of Jaro on the left over
a road that seemed TO grow worse and
worse with each step. The plans
for this advance had been made
after fortnight OF bright, dry
weather, but three days before the
hour set it came on to rain again and the
road was like ditch. After passing the
last outpost on the road the men were on
unfamiliar ground and there was halt OF
perhaps half hour until it began to get
light. The rain ceased. The approaching
sun cast a bright glow in the rear of the
marching column, and the level stretch OF
rice lands off to the left of the road were
tinted with an exquisite purple that ended
in blurr half mile away at the edge
of line of tall cocoanut palms. AS the
passed through a scene of rare beauty. But
there was not much time permitted for
noting the panorama Each man was too
busy avoiding mud holes and In comment
ing on the difficult time the company bull
carts, with the reserve food and Kitchen
camp outfits, as well as the heavy ar
tillery, would have in getting forward.
Passing a small village In an hour road
to the north was taken, and after march
ing an hour or so over it it was seen that
it would be impossible for the artillery TO
come up. The Khakiaks had dug great
pits clear across 1t, and these were fuil Oh
water from the rains of the last three days.
while the approaching thoroughfare was
knee deep in a Shiny, ciinging mud that
soon besmeared the soldiers to the thighs
At some places the Khakiaks had laid foot
| logs at the edges of the pools and placed
| a hand rail or bamboo poles AT such
places the advance was exceedingly slow
Long sections of the column were brought
| to a standstill while single file picked
| its way across with difficulty. AS soon as
| a man was over he had to double quick
several minutes to regain his place in the
| column, so that in an hour the men were
painting and exhausted.
THE ENEMY ENCOUNTERED.
l. All at once a mounted scout on horse
back came riding back with the informa-
| ton that the Khakiaks had been located a
quarter OF mile ahead, and almost stimuli
| taneously word came back from the COM
manding officer, Bring up your company
| at once" Then there was some double
| quick marching until a bend of the road
was reached. By this time rifles were heard
| cracking out just ahead of the soldiers, but
| owing to the thicket that skirted the road
| nothing of what was doing could be seen
| by the excited men.
| Colonel Carpenter directed that Com
pany deploy to the right
Fright by file!' sang out Lieutenant
| Baldwin, and the men passed from the
| thicket out into the open and were at once
under fire. Two or three hundred yards
ahead B Company was down on its knees.
| with puffs Of pale blue smoke circling over
| it as the wicked crack of the Krag-Jorgen-
| sen volleys rang out And just above the
| heads of Company bullets from Khakiak
| Springfelds whirred and swIshed and every
man bent low as he fell into his place in
] the file that was rapidly pushing out into
[ that rice field. Then followed as rough an
| hour as any man who was there will ever
| experience The rice fields of this country
are low, fiat plains extending on either
| side of the roads for miles. They are di-
| vided off every twenty-five or thirty yards
by ridges two or three feet high and broad
| enough on top for a man to walk. Inter
secting ridges running at right angles at
| equal distances divide the fields into square
| plots. These ridges retain the rain tnat
| falls and the water that otherwise would
drain off into the rivers is held in the
| soil for the nourishment of the
| rank growing stalks in this field the
| rice stalks, much heavier and ranker than
| wheat, was up to the cartridge belts and
the ridges were rank, almost impossible
| weeds. 1t was terrible exertion TO ad-
vance Often men would slide over a ridge
| only to find a deep ditch beyond it into
which they would founder hands down into
| water two or three feet deep, the muzzles
| of their rifles blowing up the mud and
| clogging for two or three inches. One man
| lost his ramrod, but even in the excite
| ment knew that TO load and discharge his
gun without swabbing out the mud would
! cause 1t TO burst and begged me for my
| ram-rod, which / rather unwillingly un-
screwed from its socket and passed TO him
| as we surged on. Excited officers behind US
kept shouting to men that were painting