The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-01-16


pursuing Agulnabdo through the noun
rains which spanish soldiers and writ
ers have said were impossible - "'ii'0
man aends from Bontoc, the follo"ins
.ccount OF the fight of December
,,,tore General Gregory Pillar was XIII
ed:
,,1.be ntire march OF March's bat
Gallon. pursuing the thtrty-third lrtah-
a., from Ca.ndon 20 Cervantes mas oeen
q remarkable exploit with four oe-
-,iotod cornpanies and Cunningham
handful OF scouts. The corliiauu '0s
Youngs headquarters at CANTON y"
the afternoon Of November 80 March
having received information on MS
tourney up the coast which led 70 'he
beiief that Aguinaldo had left the coast
road AT Candan for the mountains IN
stead Of going further north as had
been supposed This Information was
,conftaaned by General Young who re-
nained at Candon with one troop Oh
tho thlrd cavalry. sent two other troops
10 occupy Santiago and then ordered
Nrarch's battalion into the mountains
after Aguinaldo
The men had only fourteen ROUNDS ol
ammunition, no rations and had 10
live on the country. The four companies
were commanded by Captain Jenkinson
and Davis and Lieut. Tompkins and
white. After two days hard climbing
the command reached a point two
miles beyond the village Of Lingai,
where the fight occurred. There was
snake ike trail leading up the precipl-
tous mountain side and half way up,
the insurgents had constructed their
trenches from which they could pour
deadly fire down upon the troops ad-
vancing up the lower reaches Of the
trail or in the valley below. Cunning
hams scouts with Davis company
were in advance and were fired upon
first. jenkins company went no their
support and after exchanging a few
shots these troops waited in the shell
ter of the hill. The enemy continued
their fire and Jenkins ordered a charge
around a bend in the aroll. Capt. Cum
ningham and Lieut.. Mcclellan led the
charge and as the men rushed around
the bend they came into a full view OF
the insurgents a hundred yards above
who opened a well directed fire from
trenches and from behind rocks.
Half dozen of Jenkins men fell,
killed or wounded, within few feet
OF each other, some hit in several
places. Their comrades dragged them
behind shelter and March, with the re-
lnainder Of the battalion coming up,
the troops sought what shelter they
could, whh March sent twelve tharp-
shooters to the top Of the knoll on the
opposite side of the valley overlooking
the trenches.
These men made the ascent OF tine
knoll under a heavy fire, bur when they
reached the top their well directed
shots soon had the effect of making the
insurgents careful not to expose them
eelves. March then directed Tompkins
90 execute a flank movement with his
company by climbing THE side OF the
hill a thousand feet high on the insur
gents left. Tompkins with Lieut.. True
and fifty men made the ascent of the
hill, by dragging themselves up, with
the aid OF bushes and punches Of grass
and reaching the rocks above. found
several insurgents there, who fired on
them, but were soon put TO flight.
looking the entire insurgent force and
took them completely by surprise, as
they evidently never supposed that the
Americans could climb the hill, and
flank them out OF their position. The
company on the hill and the sharp
shooters on the knoll poured in a muir
derous fire and at the same time March.
with three companies below charged up
the hill shouting and yelling. The in
surgents broke from behind the rocks
and trenches and every other position
and fed up the trail and into the thick
underbrush and the fight was over.
Their forces was not large, probab-
ly not over POO but only twenty five
passed in retreat over the erail through
Augagui to Cervantes The remainder
were killed and wounded or escaped in
90 the brush. General Pillars body was
found in the road where his men had
been compelled 20 abandon 1t
THE bodies of six others, including a
lieutenant, were found but this was
only a small proportion OF their loss,
for a number were seen 10 fall from
rocks and the mountain side into an
inaccessible abyss below and bloody
trails led In every direction. showing
where the dead and wounded had been
carried into the brush The American
losg was two killed and nine wounded.
Part OF the battle was fought IN the
clouds, as a heavy mist settled over
the mountains c0ncealing the trails
Two American dead were buried where
they fell and the remainder Of the col
f. .F