Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-23
FIGHTING IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Twelve Hundred Actions Reported In
Fifteen Months.
Boston Transcript.

Boston Transcript.
Senator Daniel, in the course Of the dis
cussion OF the army bill in the senate sub
mitted the other day chronological list
of actions in the Philippines. with losses.
from February A. 1899, to June 30, 1900,
compiled by the adjutant general and dated
October /, last These actions number
1913, and they vary in scope from engage
ments in which thousands OF our troops
participated to skirmishes in which wagon
guards had a brush with guerrilas The
adjutant general in every case gives the
organizations engaged and the casualties
sustained. From this return II appears
that from February 4, 1899. TO June 80, 1900,
the casualties aggregated thirty-three Of
ficers and i76 men killed, and 147 officers
and 2076 men wounded. The list Of these
1918 actions Is worth studying, as bear
ing on both the past and present of the
military situation in the Philippines, for
while it ends on June &c. the engagements
OF the last six months have not differed
50 radically from the earlier ones as to
impair the value OF the data.
1t will be observed that the average OF
casualties was about two per engagement
but averages are deceptive in this respect,
for there were many actions in which not
an officer or man on our side was as
much as scratched. Thus. from June 26
to June 80 there were fifteen actions fought
with aggregate casualties OF two men killed
and five wounded. lE thirteen of these
not a single American soldier was killed
and In eleven We had neither officer nor
man wounded. These were the pettiest OF
skirmishes. The largest force we had pres
ent in any one OF these engagements was
four companies OF infantry The heaviest
nj no in ha iii
stages OF hostilities and casualties began
to show n rapid diminution after the break
ing up of Agunaldo's army in the cam
paign waged so vigorously in November
and December, 1899 The heaviest loss at
any one point sustained by our troops after
| that time up to June 80 last was in the
defense OF Catubig by a feeble garrison
which had eighteen men killed and five
wounded, but pluckily held out until it
was relieved
Judged by the casualties alone, the war
| in the Philippines Is one OF the paltriest
a great power has been engaged in in this
| generation. II has been for some months
but the brushing aside OF guerrilla bands
each one which is annoying and each one
of which does not tarry a moment after Il
receives one volley Yet the fighting, sucl,
as II is, goes on. and operations continue
inconclusive for the very reason that there
| Is no organized army for us TO strike The
insurgents are not to be compared for q
moment either in intelligence or fighting
power, TO the Beers vet as the latter keeT
200, 900 British soldiers busy so the in
surgents give over $4,000 men plenty ot
employment. IAN active life they lead who
have such neighbors near" Were there
in the Philippines an organized army OPP
posing us we could soon make short work
OF IT, but as 1t is, our forces, broken up into
over 400 garrisons, scurry hther ant
thither after small and elusive bands
which know the country better than we car
know IT, and are guerrillas one day art
innocent appearing countrymen the next