The Iola register., 1900-11-16
LETTER FROM LEROY TAYLOR.
Describes Hot Fight With Insur-
gents in Jungle in the
Philippines,

lola REGISTER:-W have met the
enemy in force and defeated them
without the loss of man. The enemy
fled carrying the dead and wounded
and leaving four dead on the field,
one q lieutenant colonel, and a SER
geant and two men. On the night of
the 25th we were opened upon by the
insurgents 700 strong under General
Mescard. We quickly fell in position
and the hot time began. We we're
surrounded on three sides and fought
for half an hour and then there was
a lull in the firing which our lieuten-
ant used to our advantage. In few
minutes we heard them raise the cry |
of San Miguel, their bugle sounded,
cannon roared and here they came
Eight of us were behind stone wall, |
hid, when they got within twenty-five
yards of us. We opened up, and for
dear life; our guns grew so hot the
stocks began to burn, and we were
thankful when they fell back. ran
and carried out a lot of ammunition
and had just got in place again when
they blew assemble. Pretty soon one
bugle sounded and then off to our
left another one blew the charge and
on they came again and we could hear
the officers giving orders. When
they were at about the same distance
as before we opened up again and
soon drove them back. They kept it
up for three hours and about every
half-hour they would charge on us
and at times it would seem as If they
would take us by mere numbers alone
hut We knew it was death for us all
If they did, SO we just gritted our teeth
and worked our Krags the harder.
All this time we were fighting we could
not see them and had to fire through
a bamboo house. They could not get
their cannon trained on us or it would
have been good bye.
They had men stationed at river
to cut off our achievements and we
could hear them fighting on each side
of us and knew it would be impossible
for them to get to us. Pretty soon
they set some houses on fire to get
light and that turned the battle in our
favor. The lieutenant sent a SER
geant, two boys and myself to fire a
olley down the road. We ran out
and there we saw about POO insurgents
standing in a bunch. They could not
see us as we were in the dark and
they were in the light. We formed a
skirmish line and opened up. Before
we had time to fire again they were
on the ground, lying fat, but they
were in such bunch that only "a few
of them could return the fire. We
fired four volleys and went back to
cover. In few minutes two of us
ran out again and | saw them march
ing in column of twos. We fired
six shots each, and the way they few
wasn't slow. In few minutes ire
treat" sounded and they left but
there was no sleep for us that night,
and we were all glad they went.
I'll tell you the bugles sounded fine,
while at the same time it reminded us
that we had an army of trained sol
diers to fight. All of us thought that
: there We're about 300 but native who
came in said that they tried to kill
him but he had got away. He said
before they charged us he heard them
count off and there was seven sections
100 men to the section. At daylight
= we went out and found where we fired
at them in the road, lieutenant col
, onel and three men also some carts
that they had used to carry off the
: wounded. We found tracks of blood
, and bloody hats all over town. The
four men we found we're all shot
through the head. Everything was
riddled with bullets. We shot about
, $500 rounds of ammunition and the
; negroes about the same. One negro
we found had his blanket with him and
we found flag pole they had brought
as they evidently expected to stay but
: had got fooled. They swear that they
will have us yet. All the Iboys were
as cool as cucumbers; we all shot low
. We have: men here who have seer
|, the regulars fight and they said We
!. were the coolest set of men they ever
Q saw, yet we all knew we had to win oi
e die as they hate us so bad they would
5 give us no quarter. We have killed
: and sent more men of theirs to prison
I than any other detachment on the is
e land, and they want revenge. Our
!, major came down to-day and when hi
= saw where our bullets went he said HI
r would not come down to our relic
after night for thousand dollars
- he said we were too good shots. TIL,