Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-04-12

MdulSOn relatives OF William Abel
now in the Philippines with the 46th
regiment, have received an interest
ing letter from him dated at Silan. II
was written at various times and ex-
tracts from the same follow:
We don't get much time to write
here as this village is right on the
south firing line and the 'niggers
Keep us busy watching them. l was
pleased to see that Wisconsin beat
Michigan and also hope it beat Chi
cago as well and got the champion
ship of the west. We have baseball
games here also, when not on duty.
II is too late to hope that | will see nc
fighting as | have been in one great
battle already, the battle of the Mon
fabian mountains, five miles the other
side of San Mateo, where Gen. Lawton
was killed. Christmas l was on the
hike for the place of battle The 9th
OF December was the day of the fight
and New Years l was out on outpost
in place they call Death Valley on
account of the number of Spaniards
that were killed in trying to take the
place. Some 1000 were killed but still
they coud not take it, but the gallant
46th regiment, U. S. ", took the place
in nine hours and fifteen minutes of
fighting. have been through some
more skirmishes which l will tell you
about later.
On Christmas day Gen. Schwan
asked for two battalions of the 46th
regiment to join him on an expedition
against the insurgents in the San
Mateo province, the insurgents being
commanded by Gen. Geronimo Reverb
Just as the boys were about to set
down to the Xmas dinner the order
came to prepare to march in 10 min
utes. Instantly there was hustle and
hustle in the 1st and Sd battalion bar
racks. Two days rations were issued
to each man. There were three cem-
panies in the first. Cos. B, c and D,
Co. A having been selected to act as
guard of honor over the bier of Gen.
Lawton. About l o'clock the bugler
sounded Forward and the command
mached out the gate. and along the
road leading to the waterworks, Col.
Pratt being in command with Major
Miller in command of the LIST battery
marching the waterworks were
reached as night was closing in. When
we reached the San Mateo river,
orders were given to strip and ford
the river, where in some places the
water was up to the waist. Some OF
the boys forded it with all their
clothes on. The river was forded
without accident and orders were
given to camp on the banks alongside
the water for the night. Guards were
put out. and camp fires started, and
soon the place was aglow with the
lights of a hundred bonfires. with the
soldiers crowded about, some cooking
their supper and some drying their
clothes. At O'Clock We were all
asleep, as the boys were all tired oul
from the days marching in the hot
sun.
cat ) O'Clock the next morning the
command moved forward on its jour-
ney. Col. Lockett of the 18th cavalry
here took charge of the expedition
The command marched all that day
across rice fields, banana orchards and
bamboo fields, through the burning
sun till they reached the village OF
San Mateo, having forded two more
rivers before getting there. The town
was reached in the afternoon. We
were put in bamboo huts for the night
as we expected hard fight the next
day. Away to the northeast stretched
the MontaIban huts. Beyond the
town we're the mountains with their
peaks reaching into the clouds. We
couId see the enemy in the distance
with the aid of the field glasses. work
ing on their intrenchments, and many
of the officers spent the afternoon
training their glasses on the trenches
OF the Insurgents anu H@tShHo NN
moyemeI 5 of the Whitehead outpost'
of the enemy. At the foot OF the
mountains stretched one of the mosl
fertile valleys in the province Of
Manila. It had been called by tbs
Standards the Valley of Death, as II
was claimed that here some 2,OOC
Standards we're killed by the insur
gents in different engagements.
Late in the afternoon the Officers
we're called to Col Lockett and were
informed that the command would
move upon the enemy at Z O'CLOCK
the next morning. Assembly was
sounded early in the morning, and
hasty meal disposed of, and prompt!
at 7 o'clock, Dec. q, the troops
marched out of San Mateo. A De
tachment Of the 18th cavalry moVe'
nm to the foot Of the hill on the lei
dank Of the enemy, ready to move at
sigral from thsNfrst gun Of the bat
terry. The third battery Of the 4etl
vas in advance with two guns 0>4R
9Th artillery. They were followe'
closely by the 1st battery. The Is
battery of the Goth regulars had gon
out the night before so as to get o.