The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-06-26
PERSHING'S
STORY OF VICTORY
Letter to War Department De-
scribos Victory at Lake
Lanao.
WAS a GENUINE BATTLE
Americans Assaulted Almost I'm
presnable Fort in the Face of a
Heavy Fire-sioody Hand to
Hand Fight.

EE
troops at the fight at Lake Lanao. in
the Philippines, has written a letter to
4 personal friend i'm the war depart
ment. describing the battle.
1t has been shown to Secretary Root,
who authorized its publication.
Captain Pershing says:
IT suppose your mail dispatches have,
Tor will have, brought you a full ac-
count of the fight of h Moro am
paigns; not SO many Moros killed as at
Bayan or ~Pendapatan one year ago,
but fought according to some sort OF
system. OF course, I had worked on
this fight, as / foresaw long ago that 1t
must come, and the whole thing from
beginning worked out as planned.
First, we got behind them, much to
their surprise, and could post u guns
above and drop projectiles down into
their fort, so hat our artillery fire IN
this case was not all noise. We had
some work and some fighting to gain
This position. III there it was only a
question of sitting down deliberately
and waiting to see n the Moros
would do. Many got away before the
place was invested thoroughly. The
light began in a food of a transform
hat lasted till dark, and reconnoiter-
ing was difficult, so we did not find
al the of escape until next
riay, and I am glad now We did not, as
they had such confidence In this fort
have been constructing for a year
that they took many women n chill
ilren inside, and these escaped during
The night.
Determined to Make Stand.
The next day and night we had
them fast; however, tried to get them
20 surrender; had two talks under
flags of truce no, they would fight IT
tut. So there was then only to finish
called my officers together and
gave each one his work. The main OBJ
istacle was a deep ditch, thirty-dye feet
wide and forty feet deep, to be crossed.
It was to be bridged with fallen trees,
and over all a bamboo bridge was laid.
Everything in readiness, the assault be-
gan. In the aee of a heavy Reming-
..on fire from the tort the lines adj
vanced against two faces of the fort,
putting out of business every Moro that
appeared. They could not use their
portfolios, as we had battered them II
pieces, although we could not, with u
light field artillery, damage the earth
wor The bridge vas completed by
TWO companies detailed for that pur-
pose, the trees having been previously
sut and hauled as near as could safely
~ ootA- -
saulting infantry swung across and
formed a line on the bernie and clam
Dered up nearly in line to the top of
the parapet. Here they We're met
with kamptlan and kris, and a bloody,
aand to hand fight occurred-one
'oldier against two Moros here, an
other running his bayonet into a ia
natic there, Moros ptunging headlong
INTO the deep ditch in their impetuosity.
Americans Were keryy,
TT was, as a whole. a scene never to
be forgot. Too much cannot be said
# the valor, the bravery, the courage
and GOODNESS n nerve of the American
soldier. The majority of those left in
hide eve reached b top of the para
pet 1t was a relief to me that none
Of our men were killed. Two will lose
In arm each; the rest will coy with
honorable scars, but not manned. It
was he preudest day of my life.
Cholera existed IN nearly all that sec
don, and we did not examine the in
.erior OF the fort until after it was
burned and wet thoroughly, for there
ire all sorts of galleries and passage
ways. Some officers in the assaulting
ane counted sixty dead on one floor,
md MoroS say there were many more
han 100 killed inside, while the list
outside has been growing ever since
he battle, SO h a $50 all told is a con-
IerVaI1VS GStlIHIt6. / nave }aCCreQ
with these Bacoiod Moros for a year
through other Moros, some of them
1ear relatives, trying to convince them
# their fooliShness in thinking of
lighting us, but they have replied in
insulting messages, and, in fact, the
whole Laguna de Lano has anticipated
| reverse for Us. The lesson, OF course,
1as been a severe one for them. The
DID panandungan (sort OF Moro title
meaning chief counselor or something
# that knd-in this cas- he IA more
power than the suitan) lost his life,
md the rest OF them that are left have
tent word that they van to be.
friends. We burned nothing but this
main Gotta and a few smaller ones
rom which we were fired upon, and 1
.hink the Moros all see that our pur-
pose is to be lunar as far as they
will permit US.
| Victory Means Much.
ITO my mind this Practically settles
The Lake Lanoa troubles. We, OF
course, must explore n eastern por-
hon of the lake, a distance that yet
remains unexplored of about ten miles.
/. anticipate little trouble there, but
here may be one or two hard-headed
Sid dattos who will put up their red
Tags.
"Tne matter may now be said to be
Iettled- There viii never again be any
l continued OpPtsiliOI nor any general
opposition. The sensible one see that
t is useless, and several OF their old
~oanditas tpriests) are now preaching
The universal brotherhood of man. It
S needless for me to say to you that
!. am gratified at the outcome. From
| Sacolol north to Marahut there were
more United States flags displayed in
he road and in r~ancherios than I sup
posed existed in ali this n
II have been here nearly two wears
| light in n about the Moro country
n the islands nearly four-and can
out feel hat I nave accomplished
something. I think it the largest sin
| gle success that has been made in the
Stands. One year ago nobody knew
aor had seen. except myself. the Moro
/ u his native laguna. nor had they any
/ dea of him nor of his fierce, uncon-
luerable nature. Today we have
crossed the lake and have practically
marched around it.
Without the support and backing
II - E-THZ.arES