Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-03
HAZARDOUS AND HEROIC
DARING COURAGE DISPLAYED ny
CAPT. ASHBURN'S MEN.
Remarkable Bravery of SerSt. Major
Wilson - Gifts of Medal. of
Honor Recommended.

Adjutant General Corbin has received an
interesting account of a hazardous eXpedf-
ton conducted by Captain Thomas .. Ash
burn of the 33d Volunteer Infantry and
forty mounted men. from Bangued 10 Lii
Guam. thirty-five miles northeast of Ban
gued, where an insurgent band was reported
to be levying tribute upon the surrounding
country. Lieutenant S. L. letters. 3:sd In
fantry, was detailed to accompany the ex-
petition. Each man was supplied with 40
rounds of ammunition and two days ra-
tons Seven horses were used packs
and six days extra rations carried.
The expedition was ordered by Colonel
Hare commanding the 33d Volunteer In
fantry, and Captain Ashburn reported the
/ result to that officer. The expedition LETT
Bangued at o'clock January 81. On the
morning of the second day out, as the COM
mand We're emerging from a road cut in the
woods near Bacooc. they came upon small
body OF mounted insurrectos. They fired
upon them and killed a lieutenant, but the
rest of the party escaped. The march was
continued to icuan, which was entered
from two sides, but no evidence OF insur-
rectos was discovered. Continuing, Captain
AShburn says:
Ambushed in River Bed.
1.-THE march was resumed for Doninglay,
WHef6 TIE insurgents were SdIl 10 bt his
portion of the trip was up the bed of the
River Malanas A short distance from
Doninglay the trail led through a canyon
with impossible jungles on the sides. The
only exit was up narrow path. In this
place the insurgents had prepared an am
buscade. Although this was expected, no
other way of passing was possible. The
point, under command of Sergeant Major
Wilson, were fired upon just before they
entered the path. Sergeant Wilson imme-
dtately had the men dismount and seek
cover in the bed Of the river. Colonel Hare
was riding near the point, and Immediately
gave directions for the point to sweep the
edge of the bank, thus drawing the fire
of the insurgents, while Lieutenant Jeffers,
with six or seven men, charged the path.
AS soon as this done, portion Of the
men ran to the other end of the path, where
it re-entered the river bed, and the insur-
gents, caught from both TANKS and the
front, fed, closely pursued. These men
were under Sergeant Major Wilson. who
was shot in the hip and was the only man
hurt side The enemy's casualties
were one lieutenant and nine men killed
and five prisoners captured Twenty Rem
tngton rifles and a large amount of am
munition were captured. One prisoner had
a wound in his back, and a squad Of men
trailed several others by their blood. The
prisoners state that this particular force
consisted Of twenty men, belonging to the
command of one Captain Pavil.
THE command camped that night at IL
Guam, and the next at Bacooc, returning to
Bangued today. The wounded man was
carried on a litter Tor nearly thirty5ire
miles by the Infielos."
Daring Courage.
Brig Gen. Young, military governor CT
Northwest Luzon. forwarded the reports Of
Col Hare and Capt. Ashburn to headquar-
tiers with the comment that the daring
courage exhibited by these men merits the
warmest commendatfon, and 1 fully con-
cur in the recommendation for medals of
honor and certificates of merit made by
Col Hare and Capt. Ashburn.'
Col. Hare, who was an eyewitness of
Capt. Ashburn's engagement, Endorsed the
latter's report as follows:
This scout was organized as a result Of
information brought by Lieut.. Jackson, on
his return from his recent trip into the
mountains. / sent word to Capt. Ashpurn
to have forty men ready to search this
country, as II was thought that possibly the
general reported by Jackson might be Agui-
naldo. who was seeking TO escape from
March by this route. Its results, however,
are valuable in giving a more Intelligent
idea of affairs in this and Bangued districts
which is simply this: Such men as Paval,
who is nothing but well-deVeloped brig
and, organize company Of desperate char
acters, and follow, so far as can learn a
practice in vogue during the Spanish re-
gime, of ravaging the country around their
mountain camps. and indulge themselves in
a generally good time. The Spaniards never
II
they can send their emissaries into Bangued
or any other town in this vicinity and make
their demands for contributions. These
drafts, l believe, are generally honored. 1t
is the problem of this district TO smoke out
and destroy these individuals. Ashburn's
beginning promises success.
The Heroic Sergeant Major.
II hope Major Ashburn's recommended
tons for medals will be approved, and, as
I witnessed 1t all, 1 want to say that Ser
geant Major Wilson's act was one that SIM
ply exhausts the imagination. He was rid
ing into this rocky gorge mot over fifty
feet wide), when he was fired upon (at not
more than thirty YARDS by the three men
who covered the trail over the bank How
they missed him l don't know. His mag
niicent GOODNESS. courage and lightning ac-
ton saved the eight men on the point. He
dashed up the gorge about forty yards
followed by the others, and all were off
their horses and behind rocks in such in
credibly short time that the thirteen BAN
dts who were concealed along the bank
were evidently SO confused that their fire
did no damage Wilson's men rushed by,
although they kept up a rapid FIRE. While
in this position he exhausted the magazine
of his Krag. and then saw man not
naively said to me, He was too far on
to be sure Of his aim with his pistol, and he
had no time to reload, so he made dash
for the man with his revolver Wilson
was shot in the hip at this time. AS soon
as the point were in position behind rocks
they opened up on the brush in their front,
although they could see no one. and then
called to Ashburn to rush the trail. Ash
burn had gone up the side of the noun
tain and opened a fire from there, but Lieut..
LETTERS, with seven men, jumped into and
crossed the stream and charged up the
trail. At its summit he had personal en-
counter with three of the bandits. He shot
one dead, knocked the other down with the
butt of his revolver, while the man behind
him threw his gun over Jeners' shoulder
and killed the other one. Jeffers and his
seven men then dashed forward and the
fight was soon over.
Medals of Honor Recommended.
81 recommend Sergeant Major Robert E.
Wilson for a medal of honor. / also recon-
mend First Lieut. 8. L. LETTERS and John C.
Summons, Company d; Frank Miller, Com
pany D; Francis A. Murphy. Company D: