The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-14
BRISK BUT BRIEF battle
OCCUPATION OF TOWN OF CAT
BALOGAN, SAMAR, BY AMER
ICAN SOLDIERS
FIIIPINos WE'RE OUTFLANKED
Mystified by the, Tactics of the
Americans, They Fled to the
HilIs-Offered Stubborn
Resistance.

Correspondence Of the Associated Pres.
CATBALOGAN, Samar Island, Jan 3d.
Gen Kobbe's expedition for the opening
and garrisonjng of the ports OF Luzon,
Samar and Leyte has come as far as Cat
balogan. The Forty-third regiment ana
part Of the Third artillery was left at six
towns In Southern Luzon, and the Forty-
seventh under Col. Murray, is here to
garrison Samar and Leyte
Early on the morning of IAN. % the
Nashville, the Helena and the Maraveles,
followed by the smaller transports of this
expedition, steamed in toward the town
OF Calbayog. On shore the Visayan SOL
diers and the townspeople were ready TO
surrender, but the night before Miguel
Lukban son OF the general, came over
from Catbalogan and forced the natives
into resisting US. This they did, but very
~feebly. The Helena, Nashville and Mara
veles surveyed the town for some time,
and finally two and a half companies of
the Forty-seventh were landed at a int
on the beach half mile to the south
The practice of hanking these towns il
| always successful. The insurgents spend
months In building elaborate trenches fac
ing the sea, and from which they could
easily prevent a landing # it were made
In front of them. But they don't seem
to consider that the enemy might land
down the beach and march into town, for
they are never prepared for such a move,
and its prompt execution is generally
enough to drive them from their srong
intrenchments.
FILIPINOs FLED.
Maj. Gilmores men, landing south of
Calbayog, had no resistance III entering
the town. The enemy fed to some low
hills in the rear, and from these positions
cur soldiers promptly drove them Their
fire in the beginning was we'll sustained.
and they harmlessly used their quaint ar
tillery. But their rout soon became gen
eral, and our men drove them back into
the hills as far as it pleased US to go
We raised the American flag over the
town, captured some cannon and about
six rifles, and found ten dead natives In
the brush.
AS the three American warshlps steam
ed into Catbalogan on the morning Of
Jan. q the townspeOple could oe seen lice
ing to the woods and along the beach
The trenches were visible, and there were
but few signs of rebels. A British flag
was displayed over the warehouse Of an
English commission firm.
At $40 the order to land was given. At
the same moment smoke was seen rising
over three of the largest buildings of the
town. Our landing parties were not fired
on. In fact, the fighting did not begin
until the Americans reached the outskirts
of the town.
Our first landing party turned it's atten-
ton to putting out the fires. They had
no equipment to do this, and during the
six subsequent hours that our soldiers
worked hard to save the endangered prop
erty their only means of checking the
conflagration was to tear down and gut
the buildings in the path of the flames.
There was strong off-shore breeze blow
ing all the morning, and one-half of the
best portion of Catbalogan was consum-
ed.
ROAR OF BATTLE.
Parts of Companies I and L of the first
landing party were detailed to fight this
fire, while the remainder turned to the
right, down the beach, looking for the
enemy and they found them
Catbalogan Is closely hemmed into the
sea by Gordon of hills. Here the insur-
| gents had taken their position The sound
| of the rifles on the right re-echoed and
rang through the town, and the boom OF
the insurgent artillery from the hilltops
reverberated and shook the houses. Then
| the Nashville and Helena opened. Shrap-
| mel and six-inch shells flew screaming
| over the town, to explode against the low
| hills behind, and filled the air with deaf
| ening sounds. The flames from the burn
| ing houses hared higher and higher, heavy
| columns of smoke poured out to sea,
| burning rafters and red-hot sheets Of
roaring zinc scaled through the streets,
and then the enemy's rifle fire closed up
! the left.
| By II o'clock the actual fighting was
! over, and we had but one man killed and
three wounded. But the town still burned
| fiercely until early in the afternoon.
| We learn that about 200 armed men op-
| posed us here. and that Gen. Lulzban is
4 fugitive in the hills.