Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-04-12
CAPT. BR0WNELL AT WORK.
Two Reports of Expeditions Made in the
Philippines BY His Command

] by his SO1D1nAnu.
Adj. Gen. T. S. Peck has received for
! preservation in the adjutant's office two
letters written by Capt. G. NJ. Brownel,
of Company d, 26th infantry, L. S. V.
to the adjutant at Sara, Philippine Is
lands describing two expeditions in search
of the enemy. Extracts from them are
printed below
Sara. Panay. p. t. Jan. Is, 1900.
The Adjutant Sir: / have the honor to
inform you that in obedience to verbal
orders from the commanding officer Sara.
+. l., l proceeded on the 9th instant to
reconnoitre the country northea t of this
place, with the purpose Of locating the
enemy and if possible bringing on AN en-
gagement. My command consisted of
| Company G., 18th and Con pany l.. 18th
L. s. V. infantry. Tho command carried
rations for two days and | was instructed
to obtain further supplies in the country
If the occasion demanded.
From Sara the country is mountainous
and the roads very poor amounting i'll
fact to a trail only with here and there
almost impossible hogs and streams.
There are few inhabitants along he route
Batad is a town of about 400 inhabitants
and the buildings are all very poor. Most
If not all the inhabitants in this locality
are in active sympathy with the insur-
gents. Very little information could be
gained.
From here I marched to Baasan, a town
of about 1000 inhabitants Here are store
houses containing considerable quantities
of supplies which appear to be private
property and have no relation to the in
surgtnt government. 1t Is apparent,
however, that the taxes of supplies and
money are levied on these people for the
support of the inSurgent troops in the
vicinity.
Information obtained here and elsewhere
leads to the belief that there are in the
province of Conception between go and
500 insurgents, principally armed with
bolos operating in small bands and having
their places of meeting in the mountains
Leaving here 30 men of Company and
50 men of Company G | pushed on to Car
les with the remainder of the battalion.
The road from Batad to CafIl5 is good.
, Tho governor of this proV.nre, Ysidor
Garcia, left the town the night previous
to our arrival. escaping TO the mountains
taking with him William Jurasky. the
/, American boatswain captured from the
gunboat Marivelles and an escort of five
rificmen only. No other insurgent troops
had apparently occupied the town for
| some time. Here was found the remain
der of the apparatus of the Calahazas
lighthouse. a part having been found in
Sara in December and sent by the direc-
ton of Gen. Hughes to Ioilo. l brought
l the apparatus with me to Sara and had IL
sent to Adult. 1t is row under charge of
the guard at that point. From Cares the
d return trip was uneventful the only in
formation of value obtained being that a
small force had rctreated to Iating aud
thrown up iutrenchments. This is a small
u barrio in the mountains about five or six
miles from Batad. No movement was
; made against this place owing to the fact
u that the mountains were nearly inacces-
{ sible and II seemed more than probable
that the enemy would make no stand and
: the march would be useless. AS our two
I days ration were exhausted the day pre-
r vious feared it might be difficult to OBJ
tain subsistence in the mountains as tho
II forces can only operate with success in
= that vicinity accompanied by a pack
train. There seems to be no further dis
position to oppose the movements of our
troops.
on arriving at San Dioniso | found the
: presdente of the town ready to welcome
u us and every evidence of friendly feeling
IL on the part of the people. This was III
& STRIKING contrast to the action Of the presi-
dents Of the other towns, none of whom
We had found. and shows that the friend
ly feeling of presidente does much to-
$ ward pacifying his people. The presldente
V of San DioniSio has but lately been one
Il OF the leaders of the instruction in this
II vicinity He has now almost cleared his
!, town of insurgents and ladrones The
9 fact that our troops were able to recon-
/. .notre this region without opposition from
n the insurgents cannot fail to discrt dit
l. them in the eyes OF their own people.
|
h their troops in the field The health of
the command was excellent there being
no sick. To Lieut., o. Il. Hunt, 18th |. $.
infantry. much Of the credit for the sue
cess Of this expedition il due.
| ON January % Capt. Brownell reported
to the adjutant on another expedition His
report was In part as follows;
Il marched by company to AJui for the
purpose of proceeding by night march
!, against Pill and Colosi at which places
d were supposed to be bands of ladrones
e and insurrectos. En- route to Fiji small
. launch was discovered loaded with palay,
II the boat was awaiting high tide and doubt
i less ready to sail TO Calabazas islands
where the adrones have accumulated vast
e supplies of rice and other plunder. one
n prisoner was taken from the boat and he
e admitted that the rice was intended for
y Capt. Pablo, commander of the ladrones
r In that region. Owing to our close proX-
L. unity to PHI | did not deem 1t best to
II burn the boat and the tide being out it
- was impossible to destroy the rice by spill
ing Ii in the water. however, large pieces
y were cut from the shrouds and several
> large holes were made In the nun under
IT the water line, hoping thereby to prevent
II its being transported to Calaba 1os Island
Previous to entering Pill Lieut.. Hunt and
his company made a junction with my
command squad of my company un-
II der Sergeant Hoyt was sent into the town
- to surround the house of Capt. Pablo and
e were fired upon by the sentinel nosted at
If the house. Thus alarmed the soldiers
o within fed to the shore in the rear OF tho
# house where they were followed by the
r attacking party, who returned tho hre,
= killing i've of them after they entered
Ell the water and were swimming toward a
l. small boat
Al After searching the more important
L. houses and capturing several bolo men
q and ladroness with bolos and daggers
lie pushed on with tho balance OF my com
- mand toward Colosi, My company APP
III Droache the town completely surprising
N the inhabitants and took possession OF
m every house Al the house Of Capt. Pin.
4 | recovered n great quantity OF what APP
e. pearcd tn be and without doubt was stol,
,g IN clothing. A considerable number OF
le bolos and daggers were also taken from
re tho house and about $3.50 Mexican silver
=. all OF which sent to the commanding OF
So hcer at Sara, with capt, Pablo, Capt
SIS Pine. ono lieutenant and u other prison
10 ers taken at the two towns, This oxpsdi
d. ton completely routed the lsdronss from
NJ Ajui to Colosi and 81 prisoners In all wer'
in Ia