The Penn's Grove record., 1903-06-26
o OF LANAO BATTLE
Captain Pershing Describes the Best
Fight Of the Moro Campaign.
Desperate Charge ON Fort and Hand-to.
Hand Fisht ON Parapet, Bayonet
Against Kris.

Washington, D. C.-Captain John j.
Pershing, who commanded the troops
at the fight Of Lake Lanao, in the Phil
ippines, thus describes the battle in a
letter to a friend in the War Depart
ment;
1.-THE Bacolod incident was the best
fight of the Moro campaign.
First, we got behind them, much to
their surprise. and could post our guns
above and drop ~projectiles down into
their fort.
1--WE had some work and some fight
ing to gain this position, but nee there
1t was only a question OF sitting down
deliberately and waiting to see what
the MOros would do. Many got away
before the place was invested thor
oughly.
that lasted till dark, and accommodating
was difficult. So we did not find all
the venue of escape until next day.
II am glad now we didn't, as they
had such confidence In this fort that
they had been constructing for a year.
that they took many women and chill
dren inside, and these escaped during
the night.
.The next day and night we held
them fast, however, and tried to get
them to surrender, having two talks
under a flag Of truce. No, they would
fight It out, SO there was then only to
finish Ii.
"The main obstacle was a deep ditch
thirty-fve feet wide and forty feet
deep to be crossed 1t was to be
bridged with fallen trees, and over all
a bamboo bridge was laid.
I'm the face of a heavy Remington
fire the lines advanced against two
faces Of the fort, putting out Of busi-
ness every Moro that appeared. They
could not use their portfolios; we had
battered them to pieces, although we
could not with our light field artillery
damage the earthwork.
1.-THE bridge was completed by two
companies detailed for that purpose
the trees having been previously cut
and hauled as near as could safely be
done-in thirty minutes, when the as
saulting infantry swung across and
formed line on the bernie and clam
bered up nearly in line to the top Of
the parapet.
Here they were met with kampilan
and kris and a bloody hand-to-hand
fight occurred-one soldier against two
Morosshere, another running his bayo-
net into a fanatic there, Moros plung-
ing headlong into the deep ditch IN
their i~mpetuosity.
TOO much scann0t3be said of the va
Tor. the bravery, the courage and cool
nerve Of the American soldier.
"None Of our men were killed. Two
| will lose an arm each. the rest will. re-
cover with honorable scars but not
manned.
"Some officers counted sixty dead on
n floor and the Moros say there were
more than 100 killed inside, while the
list outside has been growing ever
since the battle, SO that $50 all told Is a
conservative estimate. r
1.-THE old Panandungan "a sort Of
Moro title meaning chief counsellor or
something Of that kind-in this case
he had more power than the SULTAN
lost his life, and the rest Of them that
are left have sent word that they want
| to be friends.
"From Bacolod north to Marahui
more United States flags were dis
| played in the road and in rancheros
than I supposed existed in all this
country.
Zone year ago nobody knew nor had
seen, except myself, the Moro in his
native laguna, nor had they any idea
OF him nor Of his fierce, unconquera-
BILE nature. To-day we have crossed the
lake and have marched practically
around It. Without the support and
backing Of General Davis and General
Sumner I could not have done this. To
them, of course, as commanders, be-
| longs the credit. I hope it will not fail
of appreciation, and that they will be
rewarded accordingly"