Evening star., 1901-12-12
CATASTROPHE AT BALANGIGA
SURVIVORS ACCOUNT OF THE sAMAR
SURPRISE.
Company C, 9th Infantry, Nearly Ex-
Streets-Mnj. Combe's Report.

A thrilling reminder of the terrible catas-
trophe at BalangigAs sSamar, in which Com
pany of the 9th Infantry was nearly ex-
terminated by supposedly friendly Fill
ipi1ios, while at breakfast without arms,
is contained in report just received
by Surgeon General Sternberg from Maj.
Frederick j. Combe, chief surgeon first dis
trict, department Of the Visayas. Maj.
Combe says that about o'clock on the
morning of September % he was ordered
to send surgeon to Bassey to assist Capt.
Williams, assistant surgeon U. 8. ", in at
tending the wounded of Company c., 9th
Infantry, who had come from Balangiga.
Finding that he could not spare the sur
geon, he went to Bassey himself and gave
the surgeon at that station such assistance
as he could. Capt. Bookmiler, command
ing officer at Bassey, organized relief ex-
pedition to go to Balangiga, and Maj.
Combe accompanied it as a volunteer.
Captain Bookmiller's party started on the
steamship Pittsburg on the morning of Sep
tember %. The party consisted of about
sixty men.
Story of Survivors.
about ten miles from Balangiga" SAYS
Major Combe in his narrative. I'VE over
who had managed to escape from the bolo-
men who had attacked Balangiga the pre-
vious morning. They told most harrow
ing tale of having been surprised by several
hundred bolomen, which was found upon
our arrival at Balangiga not to have been
exaggerated. Everywhere were signs Of
the awful butchery. Our men lay stark in
the streets and public square far advanced
in modification and fearfully mutilated
The officers must evidently have been
asleep when attacked. They were found in
their hands. Maj Griswold and Lieut.
Bumpus were boloed to death in their
rooms, but Capt. ConnelI, on hearing the
advancing rush, is said to have jumped
or cropped from the second-story window
of his quarters and started to run across
the parade ground to the barracks. He
was surrounded just in front of his quar-
tiers and there stabbed to death. Of all the
men who were at mess probably thirty-five
succeeded In fighting their way to their
arms. Then, according to the description
Of the survivors. succeeded a hand-to-hand
hight which has certainly not been eoualed
IN the last three years experience of our
army. OF the men who got to their arms
only twenty-six reached Bassey. Two es-
capped to Tanauan, Leyte, and two were
picked up by our expedition.
Insurgents Driven From Town.
Our men succeeded in temporarily driy-
ing the insurgents from the town, and in
this interim made such hurried preparations
as they could for departure in canoes
bringing the wounded. which numbered
twenty-five, along with. them Two of
these died en- route to Bassey and one
after arrival there. Upon our arrival at
Balangiga we found that the natives had
buried their dead. Judging from the length
Of the trench, as well as from the state
ments of the men who escaped the loss of
the natives must have been double our
own. Our dead remained unburied until
our arrival.
The American Losses.
1.-The following estimates of our LOSSES 7
believed to be correct: The strength of the
command at Balangiga, September %, was
three officers, seventy enlisted men of Com
pany c, 9th Infantry, and one private OF
the hospital corps, a total Of seventy-four.
They are accounted for as follows: Killed
and buried at Balangiga. three officers and
tWenty-nne enlisted men; killed on beach,
bodies not recovered, three: escaped to
Bassey, twenty-slx; escaped to Tanauan,
two; found by second relief expedition, one
hospital corps private and two charred bod
les unrecognizable; picked up by relief ex-
pedition. two; total accounted for, sixty
eight; missing, six. The missing were un-
questionably killed in the barracks and the
building subsequently burned. OF the
t"CHly iueH tndC TedcneO BaSSey four
have died, making our total loss through
death and missing forty-eight. There are
only twenty-six survivors Of the original
command. Several Of these are wounded,
some very severely"
Buried All the Bodies.
Major Combe says that he personally saw
to the. Identification. and burial Of all the
bodies found at Balangiga and took the
precaution Of burying a bottle with each
man containing his name for future iden-
tification. The condition Of the bodies after
eighteen hours of exposure, most of the
time to the tropical sun, made the work
Of identification and burial difficult and re-
voting. The men were buried in the pub
lie square just opposite the church.
In concluding his report Major Combe
says that he has just learned from Col. De-
Russy that the bodies of Wright of the
hospital corps and two other men, unrecog-
nizable on account of having been burned
and charred in the barracks, which were
razed to the ground, have been found and
given proper burial. This made total of
thirty-three identified bodies and two un-
identified bodies Three bodies We're found
In well near the barracks, where they
had been thrown by the Filipinos. Five
charred and burnt remains were taken out
of the barracks, three while the building
was still fire.