The Irish standard., 1900-03-31
THE DEATH OF GEN. Pillar,
Who Fought for Filipino Liberty Against
Americans.

The Chicago Tribune publishes an
account, written by Richard Henry Lit
tie, OF the death Of General Gregorio
del Pillar while defending pass with 60
men against a strong advancing force
OF American soldiers. The letter was
written at Manila and was published in
the Tribune OF Feb. q, 1900, as follows:
1t was a great fight that was fought
away up on the trail of lonely Tilad
pass on that Saturday morning of De-
ce1nber 2. 1t brought glory to Major
Marsh's battalion OF the Thirty third in
iantry, who were the victors. 1t
brought no discredit to the little band
OF 60 Filipinos who fought and died
there. Sixty was the number that at
Aguinaldo's orders had come down into
the pass that morning to arrest the on
ward march of the Americans. Seven
were all that went back over the pass
that night to tell Aguinaldo that they
had tried and failed. Fifty-two OF them
were either killed or wounded. And
among them, the last to retreat, we
found the body OF young Gregorio del
Pillar. We had seen him cheering his
men in the fight. One OF our cornpa-
MES, crouched up close under the side
of the cliff where he had built his first
intrenchment, heard his voice contin-
ually during the fight, urging his men
TO greater effort-scolding them, prais
ing them; appealing one moment to
heir love of their native land, and the
next instant threatening to xiii them
himself If they did not stand firm. Driv-
Ell from the first intrencllment, he fell
slowly back to the second in full sight
II our sharpshooters and under heavy
ire. Not until every man around him
IL the second intrenchment was down
lid he turn his white horse and ride
slowly UP the winding trail. Then we
Who we're below saw an American
,quirm his way on to the top OF high
lat rock and take deliberate aim at the
figure on the white horse. We held
our breath, not knowing whether to
pray that that sharpshooter would
shoot straight or miss. Then came the
spiteful crack of the Krag rife and the
man on horseback rolled to the ground,
and when the troops charging UP the
mountain side reached him the boy gen.
eral of the Filipinos was dead.
We went up the mountain side. After
H company had driven the insurgents
out OF their second position and killed
Pillar the other companies had rushed
straight up the trail and never stopped
until they were far up above the
clouds and there was no longer an in
surgent in sight. AS we went up the
trail we passed dead Filipino soldiers.
We counted ten in all. Some had been
shot several times We found bloody
trails that led to places on the edge OF
the cliffs where wounded men had
jumped or fallen off. We passed the
second intrenchment high up on the
trail. 1t was built of heavy rocks we'll
banked with earth. Just past this a
Jew hundred yards we saw solitary
body lying in the road. The body was
almost stripped of clothing and there
we're no marks of rank left on the
blood-soaked coat. But the face of the
dead man had look had never no.
ticed on the faces OF other dead men l
had found in the wake OF an American
firing line. The features were clear cut
and the forehead high and shapely. l
decided the man must have been an in
surgent officer A soldier came running
down the trail. THAT'S old Pillar" he
said
''We got the old rascal. I guess he's
sorry he ever went up against the Thir-
ty-third"