The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-01-12
FROM QUE NEW rossEssIoNs.
An Interesting letter From n Bel Air
BOY I'm the philippines.

An Interesting letter From Bel Air
BOY i'm the philippines.
| MAElouINNA ROAD, LuzoN ISLAND.
November II, 1899.
CAPT. THuMAs G. FoRwHop,
Dear Sir:
In redemption of
my promi o to write you on the first cppor
| tunity,l viii give you an account OF my move
ments si;.r., ! lett Bel Air. We left Camp
Meade on August 3D. far Preside, San Fran
| cisco, and after Al very pleasant seven-duy trip.
! reached the shores Of the Pacific. The frcSil!
| is II government reservation on the outskirts
| of San Francisco, embracing 1900 acres and
| IL especially adapted for training ground.
| The entire reservation s nothing but hills, and
| after an hours extended order dril,a cot is an
| extremely welcome sight and, as yon may
| Imagine, eagerly sought. We put i'll two weeks
| mt this place and embarked on September 81,
| on the transport, George Wcider. Although Il
small Sseiicarrying ouly o e company bt sides
nIi" battatIsl ! it was the contest and most com
| Portable boat that ever carried soldiers. 1t was
her first trip in the government service ana
everything was done to make the trip pleasant.
| Tie balance OF the regiment ssied ut the same
| time on the transport Tacoma" She had
been considered, the best of the two, and the
regImental staff engaged passage on her. The
two boats started together, but We arrived at
Honolulu Fl. l., fifteen hours ahead III seven
day trip. The only trouble we experienced
was with the drinking water 1t was almost
impossible to get ice uaf i we were about ten
day journey from Mauila, but after that il
was furnished lis as pentifully as If we had an
ice plant ON board. Our food was very good
and sleeping accommodation's comfortable,
anchored i'll Manila Bay at 8 Z. NJ. on the 2lst.
We dSembarked on lighters and hand ID on
Philippine ground on sunday. October 22d.
About coon we started for our first quarters,
known as Block House No IS" on the Norh
side OF the island, and about five miles IRON
he city, where We relieved Co. Il, 10Th U. $.
Infantry. Just as we arrived it began to rain
and we welcomed it gladly. Alter having dOrc
nothing t eat and sleep for thirty days, the
march fatigued us greatly. There was but
little sleep for any one that night. The ground |
was low and nearly every one had a pool OF
water to lie in, and the mosquitoes were simply |
packed up and left and we ok possession OF |
Then quarters This suited us O.. 4. % there
werr -Ots !0r each Cne OF us aud the camp was |
III" and ii, good IOTGitiOE.
Cur iiisT ,.fSH. rest was broken by cali |
ito 1ri5S, aud Va went 10 bed "in the |
trenches the alarm WIS due 20 the nervous |
E"sS Of our itu.t. firing started ON the 2ith
Ini. line ana our 0utposts took it up, and fired |
without sceiu:s or knowing what they We're |
:.lrther trouble. Phc country here is very |
cluoa, Astounding in thick undcrbrEsh and |
numerous streams, which swell into torrents |
during the rainy season. Our CAMPS are so |
situate thai, onc company's Outrosts connects |
with the other, but we are in reality, by ourselves
and actindepGndcntly in nearly every instance.
We do not have fatigue work OF any kind.
Chinese are employed in carrying water and
all labor. Each company is also furnished |
with two or three caraboa drivers. These are
manner of hauling. The army mule is not in
nee here, its place being well filled by the
carahOa. or water buffalo. They are real
"ncauts," moving like unto snail, and when
near any water. it is next to impossible to ill.,
duce them to move without allowing them to
have a plunge. We were only at the block
house one week, when an order ceme at P.
NJ, for US to pack up and leave; We were
given one hours time and you might know we
had 10 hustle. We went to Ell peposito, relev-
ing Co. B, 18th Inf, who were sent in to Manila
to recuperate. About two-thIrds of their COM
pauy was down with fever. due no doubt to the
nr,nr in yuh in "a
occupied that sile fer about two weeks, when
we moved to our present situation. near Mare
quinna.
the 18th Cavalry en- our right and the 9Th
Artillery adjoining them. Company L, 9th
Inf. is with us. The next nearest company of |
our regiment is five miles nearer Manila.
Guard duty here is somewhat heavy. We can
not get over one night at a time in camp, and
when we have day OFF, there is probability
that we will have to patrol the Pasig river |
front. On Wednesday, %, detachment from
this company and Company e, including about
ffty-men, took q stroll toward San Mateo;
They were fired upon by the insurgents and
there was lively exchange of shots for
while At rol!-call one man was missing from
our company aud two from company Z. The
latter made their appearance however, next
day.
same point and were to be Joined by two COM
panies from the Thrd battalion near San
Maten. just before we reached the scene OF
the scrimmagc, VIC fired two V0lleys ut a party
who were crossing the river. They had prOba-
bly, discovered US and we're making Tor the
GnhsT sde os F We we're aseonshed to dis
cover cur missing comr.de, safe and sound;
Becoming parated from the command ana
finding himself lost IN the enenys country, ne
had iudieiCusy remained in cOncealment all
that time. We closed upon them as well as
we could, cur orders not permitting us to cross
the river snd poured lead into their vicinity
by the wholesale. They returned the eompi-
mcnt, and had our range down pretty hne.
Ruli1ts that whiz overhead are q. X. Gnd make
fine music but, when they cut grass or pillow
up the ground around you they give one sort
OF uncomfortable feeling. When we became
tired of Hiring, we uadertn0k to hnd the other
two companies ana OF all the routes ever
travelled over, that one certainly took the
cake" We went down hill that know was
$50 feet high and u most perpendicular. the
side was covered with u species OF grass, which
was about five feet tail. We crouched. and,
grasping that grass would lower ourselves as
far as it was possible, tnen, supporting our
selves upon our guns would take fresh hold.
IL took us All hour and forty minutes to descend
one side and climb the other aud when We |
SIGHTED our comrades it WAS fully o.3O 7. NJ.
l had a parting shot with Filipino just be-
fore We reached the other companies. sighted |
him and pointed him out to our lieutenant;
He found by his glass that he was soldier and |
told me to let him have one. drew bead at |
900 yards and pulled on him. He dropped but |
rcgaiuing his feet hobbled into the woods. We |
had not the time to hunt him up and am not |
sire whether he was wounded, or only scared. |
We lost cur way upon our return ana were |
compelled to CAMP out Tor the night. Our trip |
covered at least % miles and Al more weary |
crowd YOU never sav. The experiences related |
by sUIlo of the pcn are very amusing. One |
claims TO have had the figure shot III his rat |
mother had spent bullet TO hit him as we |
were refreshing across rice field, and SO on. |
party went out this afternoon merely Tor |
reconnaissance, and have not yet returned.
Bernard Dunnigan is here with Co. a, goth |
Inf. I have not seen him, icing unable to re- |
turn TO Manila since we moved here. One Cf |
Tie boys OF MY company met him in Manila |
IL eaIhc Gus 90 our C,,Elput vi Oepostu about |
IN hour before We moved, but owing to tie
ndtiDu O. Inc reads was unable 10 get farther
dian E: GapoSi:u. l rect Steve Lee, Of Old II |
Co. in Man!la. He is III the heavy artillery |
ana dyivg CUSTOM house duty in Manila. | |
Il. We met quite y nu!a5cr O. men from Fort |
MJa.ua. Capta,f. do.urf i here. You would |
Ike Il here | know. | have not had aGy |
s;yt.acss 90 far Hud am much st"utcr than when |
left ice United States. Remember me TO the |
boys Of old -" Yours truly sc,
w. WALTER LEE,
Co. F. 9th Inf. U. :. A.