Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-01-27
HardShipS Endured by The Men Of
MarCh'S Battalion.
Up Heights FllipiDCS Thought Were I'm
pnsuable How Gen. Pillar Was Killed
LIVED on The Country.

5Otldltu
The correspondent with Marchs
battalian pursuing Aguinaldo through
the mountains which Spanish soldier.
and writer's have said were impassahi'
to white men sends from Bontoc the
following account of the fight of De
cember I'd wherein General GregOri1
Pillar was killed: The entire march
Of Marchs battalion of the Thirty
third Infantry from Candon to Ger
vantes has been remarkable exploit
with four depleted companies AMI
Cunninghams handful of scouts the
command left Young's headquarters nj
Candon on the afternoon OF November
18th. March having received informa-
ton on his journey up. the coast which
led to the belief that Aguinaldo had
left the coast road at Candon for the
mountains instead Of going farther
north, as had been supposed. This in
formation was confirmed by General
Young. eho remained at Candon with
one troop of the Third Cavalry, sent
two other troops to occupy Santiago
and then ordered March's battalion
into the mountains after Aguinaldo
The men had only 1io rounds of am
munition, no rations and had to i've
on the country.
The four companies were command
ed by Captains Jenkinson and Davies
and Lieatcnants Tompitins and White.
After two days of hard climbing the
command reached point two miles
beyond the village of Lingai, where the
fight occurred. There was snake
like trail leading up the precipitous
mountain side, and half way up the in
surgents had constructed trenches,
from which they could pu;ir a deadly
up the lower reaches OF the trail or
in the valley below. Cunningham's
scouts with Dayics' company were in
advance and were fired upon first Jen
kinson's company went to their sup
port, and after exchanging shots these
troops waited in the shelter of a hill
The enemy continued their fire, and
Jenkinson ordered charge around
a bend in the trail. Captain Cunning
ham and Lieutenant McClelland led the
charge. and as the men rushed around
the bend they came in full view OF the
insurgents 200 yards above, who open
ed well directed fire from trenches
and from behind rocks and trees.
Half dozen Of Jenkinson's men fell
killed or wounded within few feet of
each other, some men hit In several
places. Their comrades dragged them
behind shelter, and March, with the
remainder of the battalion coming up.
the troops sought what shelter they
could, while March sent twelve sharp
shooters to the top of knoll on the
opposite side Of the valley overlook
ing the trenches. These men made the
ascent of the knoll under heavy fire,
but when they reached the top their
well directed shots soon had the effect
Of making the insurgents careful not
to expose themselves. March then d.
rected Tompkins' company to execute
a flank movement by climbing the side
of 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 upon them, but were soon put to
flight.
Tompkins then occupied a position
overlooking the entire rebel force and
took them completely by surprise, as
they evidently never supposed that the
Americans could climb an almost ver-
teal hill and flank them out of their
position. The company on the hill and
the sharpshooters on the knoll poured
In a murderous fire, and at the same
time March, with three companies be-
low, charged up the hill, shooting and
yelling. The insurgents 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 force was not large, probably
not over 200 but only twenty-siX pass
ed in retreat over the trail through
Augagui to Cervantes. The remainder
were killed or wounded or escaped
into the brush. Pillars body was found
in the road, where his men had been
compelled to abandon 1t. The bodies of
six others, including a lieutenant, We're