Evening star., 1900-05-09
RAID ON THE FiLiPiNOS
REPORT OF AN EXPEDITION BY
LIEUT.. COFFEY.
Burned Barracks. Gun Racks, Etc.
and Captured Four Horses and
Some Ammunition.

| The war Department has made pubic
| a report from Lieut.. E. N. Cosfey of Com
pany D. 33d Infantry, describing one of the
characteristic raids of the United States
| troops upon one of the Filipino camps near
| Bangued in northern Luzon. early in
| March ,ast.
II left Bangued at 2 o'clock am. Wednes
day. March T." said Lieut.. Coffey, 'in
command of ffty-six men of Company D,
33d Infantry, United States Volunteers. My
orders were to proceed eight miles east into
| the mountains and investigate a rumor to
the effect that insurrectos were operating
! in that locality. / arrived in the vicinity
about daylight and shortly thereafter the
| point, composed of eight men and a
geant, reported that they had discovered
| the enemy'S outpost and that said insurrec-
| tos had disappeared in the woods some dis
tance in their front. I had woods and
houses near by thoroughly searched, but
| discovered nothing. SO proceeded toward
| my destination. and after having gone a
| mile reached the top of very high noun
| tain overlooking a valley below, with a
! river running through same, and which was
| completely surrounded by steep mountains
on every side. l was informed by the Fill
| pino guide that the houses in the valley
were insurrecto barracks.
II had the advance guard, under Ser
geant Scott of Company D, 33d Infantry,
United States Volunteers, to precede me
down the trail toward the barracks, said
barracks being then in view and about 1,oO0
yards away. The point began at once to
| fire upon about thirty insurrectos, who ran
out of barracks and up the trail on the
other side. l brought up the column and
opened fire also and ordered the advance
guard to move on down into the valley,
which they did, and. upon their having
reached open ground in the valley the
enemy opened fire on them from two di-
rections Gn front and on their lefD. said
enemy at the time being well concealed on
side of mountain behind trees and rocks
l then brought up the support, and upon
reaching the foot of the hill 1 had my
hands full directing the fire on the enemy
in the mountains to the left. 1 called for
reserve hillside above me and ordered
them to reinforce the point, and as the
entire company deployed in the open val
ley the enemy commenced for the first time
to shoot from my rear. making four diff
ferent directions that they were shooting
frOm-my right. rear, left and front. /
dered squads to return the fire right.
left and rear, while the main line charged
the barracks. which charge proved sue
cessful, as the enemy scattered in every
direction, except those in the rear, who
continued to fire and succeeded in killing
Private Cress and wounding Corporal Cal
loway, both of Company d, 33d Infantry.
/ at this time had possession of the bar
racks. so ordered Sergeant Scott to take
detachment and return upon the trail by
which / had entered the valley and flank
the enemy.
Il also directed heavy fire on the enemy
who were making it hot for fianking party.
as they ascended the steep trail, and also
shooting at the men who were carrying
the dead and wounded soldiers, and sue
ceeded in very short while in slencing
them. l had barracks searched and found
only a cooked meal of rice and beef, which
the insurrectos had left in their hasty
flight. Sergeant Scott had reached the top
OF the hill at this time and sent me word
that great numbers of the enemy were
cutting me off. so l dispatched a man at
once TO BanSued and instructed him to in
form Capt. Van Way, commanding that
post, that l desired achievements; also
requested that DR.. Hadra post surgeon
come at once, as Corporal Galloway WAS
badly shot.
Il then withdrew on top of the mountain,
the trail over which l had come into the
valley, and upon finding a native hut |
proceeded to make the wounded men rs
comfortable as l could. Capt. Van Way
with the doctor and detachment arrived
much quicker than l anticipated. and upon
their arrival We returned TO the barracks.
Capt Van Way sent patrols in every Oh
rection, and while they discovered no insur-
rectos. they We're successful in finding one
Remington gun and ammunition: also one
L S. canteen. They further discovered
trails of blood around the outpost of the
eremy, but the bodies had been removed
as they had every opportunity to do So
owing TO the steep mountains surrounding
their positions. / am sure that twelve or
more Were killed and wounded.
rms rendezvous was natural ambush
70 ptS'n with, and the inSurrectOs had i'm
proved II very much by having outposs
shacks all around the mountain, which the
main barracks were in instant conmunica-
ton with. by the use of bamboo ropes with
bells attached. running from barracks to
different outposts. Private Hontoon of
Company d, SD Infantry. had his gun
shot into and was slightly wounded in the
face and arm by splnters. / feel sure
that the enemy were Major Juan Vilimor
and his band of ladrcnes, also quite "a large
number OF recruits. / saw possibly 200 in
surrecios, but only about half of them were
armed.
Upon Capt. Van Ways order I burned
all barracks. gun racks, targets. etc. and
took into my possession the four horses
We began the march to Bangued at about
80 o'clock pm, and arrived at about
clock pm"