Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-29
TEN YEARS TRIAL ss7 .ss3 -'"t Tbe Story of a
 ~~ Soldiers Struggle By Brigadier General
 CHARLES KING
Copyright, 1901, by Charles King. >~UA~~~~~A>Au~~~~>>H~A%<
XIX

The guns were stilled at Battery knoll and the gunners, officers and
 men, clustered upon every little mound and salient, gazing eagerly out over | the smoke shrouded field before them. Off to the right front, fire splitting | still grim blockhouse 12 seemed the
 center of an incipient confiagration. Over at the left front on the Santa
 Ana road it's twin, No. II, appeared as though afioat in slowly drifting clouds of bluish gray. Across the dike ribbed flats of the ricefields that stretched
 away eastward and toward the Pasig to the left long lines df cheering sol diery were sweeping to and beyond the
 gray walls, where the Tagals were still
 desperately battling to save their bat teries. Two battalions of the Colum-
 bias, their colonel in their midst, were
 dashing straight at the insurgent works along the Guadeloupe road. The
 right wing of the Evergreens, with ringing cheer, had enveloped the native section of the pretty suburban town
 and were crashing through bamboo
 and nipa, fighting their heroic way
 straight for the Plaza and the river
 OdAh DCJOllt up thO JChtaS5
 bands of brown men, well nigh panic
 stricken at the dash and vigor of the
 American advance. Across the Con
 cordia, at the heels of the brigade com
 mander, the Washoes had carried their
 colors, all book rules on the subject
 thrown with the silken folds to the
 winds of the morning, and then in
 magnificent, irresistible charge bore
 down with the bayonet on the redoubts and earthworks toward the river and
 side by side with the Evergreen left and two of the reserve companies of the Columbias, had swept the field like a cyclone, whirling the yelling rebels into the stream, tumbling over guns, gunners and crouching foes until in a
 mad chorus of exultant cheers they lined up at the bank over which in terror scores of their tormentors of the early hours had plunged in hopes of reaching the opposite shore. Along the parapets, among the bamboo thickets, under the walls of the old gray convent and everywhere across the open field the dead and wounded lay in little pools of brownish red, brave lads iA blue. and tumbled heaps of stricken foemen, their loose, light uniforms all stained and soaked with gore.
 Not uutil after five long hours of pa tient endurance had the brigade re- ceived the longed for, prayed for word to advance, and the pent up rage for battle burst like a torrent on an aston ished foe swept helplessly before it. Foremost in the magnificent charge of his cheering men Langdon, sword in hand, had leaped among the guns at the river redoubt, his cheek scanned by the stinging lash of bullet, his hat brim torn by the desperate lunge of a bolo,. the last thrust of a cursing little Tagal officer fighting like a rat in a corner. for the bayonet of lusty ser geant had transfixed him on the spot. Close under the outer works a little sad eyed squad had gathered about the stricken form of the gallant old major, dying, sword in hand and with almost a smile on his lips as Langdon knelt and raised the grizzled head and stanched the blood that welled from a mortal wound. Victory brilliant, com plete, decisive, had rewarded their de- termined assault, the warm handclasp, the enthusiastic praise of the brigade commander, his "Gloriously done, Langdonp' bringing cheer after cheer from the exultant battalions, but the heart of the colonel was sore. It was hard to lose such lives as these that were ebbing away there in all the fa- dance of the morning sunshine It was sad to part with this trusted and c,111D nkn k< think that that other and older friend who had never swerved in sorrow and adversity now lay deaf to the tidings of this most soldierly achievement-tlia Melville might never know how thor ough had been Langdon's vindication of the faith and trust reposed in him. Silently, sadly, the Washoes bore the dying major back to the walls of the old convent within the lines. Reverent- ly they began the gathering up of the dead, and tenderly, these stout hearted fellows, they stroye to minister to the wounded, friend and foe alike, while cowed, scowling, sullen, the luckless prisoners were swept up from the curv- ing shores, from under the floors of na- tive huts, from the ditches and drains along the village walls. Away out to the right front, up the river road to- ward Guadeloupe, the pursuing Colum- bias were still volleying at Ricarti's rear guard, what there was left of it, but Santa Ana, with all it's stores of ammunition and supplies, was the prize of the brigade, and the veteran general of division, riding out to sur vey the scene and congratulate the vic tors, stopped to shake hands with Langdon and add his word of praise and compliment and to inquire as to. his wound. "Only a pin scratch. gen eral, that wouldn't hurt at all if I could know there was no truth in the story that General Melville is killed"
 "Oh, I won't believe it!'' said the chief .Your only authority and mine is Colonel Nathan, and Nathan's only authority is that batch of corresponds ents he's been housing for the past week. They had it that you were mor- tally hit and half your regiment killed. Where is Colonel Nathan, anyhow?"