The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-03
IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Our Asiatic Possessions.
 MT. John R Bowen of Hartford has
 received a letter from Joseph Riley,
 who is fighting with regiment in the
 Philippines. The writer of the letter
 was formerly sergeant in Company A,
 First Regiment, c. N. G., (Germanla
 Guard). He first enlisted in a Massa-
 chusetts Regiment for the war with
 Spain. His letter is as follows:
 Guimba Panay, January 3. 1900.
 Dear Brother: Your letter received
 some time ago, but I have been very
 busy, and neglected to write sooner I
 have had two postal cards from Joe,
 but he does not say much. l don't
 think he has been in any fights for he
 is only a few miles out of Manila. The
 last heard his company was guarding
 hospital. I have written Pop two or
 three times and never received an
 answer. Is he dead or has he forgotten Jus? I am sorry to hear that Tom has
 lost another child. He has had hard
 luck the past year. I would like to be
 back in the old shop for a few days
 just to see the boys. The boss am
 sure would say here Is that fool back again.
 have had a great many experiences since I wrote you last Our trip across | the Pacific was a fine one-only two | days that the water was rough, then
 not very bad. We had four (D days
 stop in Honolulu, and we found that | city one of the prettiest ones that have
 ever seen or expect to see. Every thing | is up to date, the streets, stores, horse
 cars, police and fire departments The | private houses are all built on spacious
 grounds surrounded by groves of palms and tropical fruit trees. On arriving at Manila our regiment was ordered to go
 to 1loilo, Island of Panay, to reinforce
 the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Regi- ments. After landing there we took up quarters in Jaro a town three miles in- land from Iloilo and only few hum
 dred yards from the insurgent trenches.
 The first two weeks were spent in doing
 outpost duty etc., our outposts
 were so close to the enemy's that we
 coud hear their bugle calls or any
 lou noise that was made.
 Our first skirmfsh was had on the
 morning of November IS. General
 Hughes had started to open the cam- paign November 9, by taking two
 battallons Nineteenth and one of the Twenty-sixth, and starting to surround them The principal Notifications of
 the insurgents were on the Santa Bar bara road about one-half mile from Jaro and at Camp Balangtang bout the same distance across the river.
 Company M" left St. Augustine Barracks at g. A sM on the morning to see where the ihsurgent outposts were located on the point below Balangtang We waded the river which was about waist deep, and at that hour in the morning company crossing in silence the way we did made a very imposing sight. On gaining the other shore we struck into a canefeld, marching through to the open field.
 We then started across the field at right angles from the way we entered. sneaking along in single file and halt ing at frequent intervals and lying flat 0 our stomachs in mud and water It had become light enough to distinguish objects in the distance well; in fact 1t was daylight when we arrived near some woods. We had been lying down ! about ten minutes waiting for some thing to show up when the order was passed back along the line to change l direction to the left. The company l had swung about half way l around when we received | a volley from the woods. The captain then "'holered' to keep low. Several more more volleys were fired at us, We | received two from another clump on | the left flank, Every one was waiting for the order to load but instead the captain shouted to fix sbayonets to the charge and we started on double | time When the command charge | came yell went up in their first skir- mish that will long be remembered by all that were there. Instead of a charge on a run as it should be we were barely able to walk and the next step | took us in mud and water to our knees and in some places to our waists. Not l a shot was fired by us until within ten | yards of the woods, when three volleys | were fired in, I had taken my section around and through an opening of [ the left of the company, and as we dashed through we could see I<haliialSs running in all directions Here the | was divided in platoons the captain going to the right and the lieu tenant with the second platoon to small village on the sea coast Here after several volleys were fired at re- treating we searched the shacks and brought away four prisoners While here we could hear firing further inland and were informed that two more were on the same errand as we were. The Concord" one of the gunboats in the harbor, threw sev- eral shells at small blockhouse and scattered it's occupants in all directions.
 We set out to rejoin the captain and then the company having accomplished all that was required set out for home and breakfast On the way we set fire to several shacks, captured nine more prisoners and fifteen head of caribou 
 The boys had not forgotten their first experienced when on the eve of Noven- per 20 we were informed to be ready Q leave the barracks with 120 rounds If ammunition at a. m. This time 'our companies set out under command of Lieutenant-C Colonel Dickman. We 'rossed the river at the same point only liter getting through the canefeld we turned in the opposite direction from 'ur first trip and were trudging along Or two hours in mud and water