Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-02-09

aIdo's ROdy Guard Captured.
MANILA, p l., Dec 81, 80.
have been through my first fight and
come out of it sound and we'll. You prob
ably have seen something in the papers
about it before now, but | will tell you
about it as it seemed to me.
We had just finished our Christmas din
ner when our battalion and three companies
of the LIST battalion received orders TO be
ready to start in one hour with 140 rounds
of ammunition, two days ratons, and
rubber blanket, for nobody knows where.
We started at o'clock and marched out
to the river, eight miles, which we waded
with the water up under our armpits, and
laid down on the other bank just as we
were, TO sleep.
The next day, Tuesday, we marched
nine miles, wading two more rivers, to San
Mateo, where Gen. Lawton was killed, and
stayed over night in the deserted
native huts. Wednesday we made an early
start and five miles out came TO Montallon,
and there were the insurgents very strong
ly intrenched in three lines, one above the
other, on the side of a mountain, sleeper
than Wantastquet, and just as high.
Our battalion deployed as skirmishers in
the village street and breaking through the
bamboo fences rushed into an open rice
field in the rear and there they opened on
us. At first they were so far off that af-
ter we saw puff of smoke we had time to
lie down before the bullets reached us, but
they were singing like lot of bees over
our heads
We kept advancing by rushes and living
down to fire a volley after each rush until
we were within 400 wards of the first
tHba ha 81 -.
the second trenches During this time we
had crossed through a river swamp where
the mud was up TO our hips and also
through an acre of sugar cane
When we reached the foot of the mount
ain the fun began. We had to lift and pull
each other up to get ahead at all. The
bamboo thicket was so dense you could not
see foot ahead, and all the time they were
banging away at us. At noon there were
| five companies of us on the top of the
mountain and as we learned from prisoners
and ''amigoes" or friends that Aguinaldo.
with 100 men, had gone over the top, we
took their trail and followed it for 10 miles,
sleeping in the woods Wednesday night
with no supper nor breakfast.
Thursday we returned to the battlefie Id
and stayed till o'clock Friday night, when
we returned to San Mateo and had our
first square meal for two days.
Saturday we started at Z in the morn
ing from San Mateo and marched through
the whole 10 miles to Manila, getting into
the barracks at o'clock in the afternoon,
the dirtiest and tiredest lot Of men you
ever saw. Our loss was two killed and
five wounded, none out of our company
the Filpinos 10 killed and wounded and 25
captured, including two officers of Agun-
81 ,f. 10 II.
cannon, a ton of powder, %, 900 rounds of
ammunition and lot Of rice
did not feel any fear during the fight,
but a sort of curideity when we were break
ing through the fence and into the rice field
as to what it was 70 be like The nearest
came TO getting hit was a bullet which
struck in front of me and threw mud into
my eyes.
| don't know whether killed any one or
not, but | saw one sharp shooter take a
tumble out of tree Just after fred into it
When you can find fighting like that
within % miles of Manila the war isn't
finished yet
The report is that we are to go TO linus,
Il town which the insurgents hold about
30 miles out, and try to capture it this
week
One thing is sure, the Filpinos are no
fighters. One company of our men in the
position they were in could have stood of
a regiment.
The Spaniards lost 1000 men in one fight
trying to capture this same place and it
only took US three hours to do the job
1t was great surprise to every one to
find Aguinaldo there as he was supposed
to be 100 miles away on the north line.
l am feeling fine only my feet are a little
/ Il / he, .f.,1
CoRP'L A. V. ID. PIPER.