Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-22
Captain John j. Pershing Gives
Account of Fight at Lake
Lanao
MOST DECISIVE OF BATTLES
Pershins Says He Foresaw This Fight
and That it Worked Out Exactly as
Planned-Moros Recognize Humane
Purpose of Americans and Little Fur
Their Trouble is Anticipated.

! the troops at the fight at Lake Lanao
| in the Philippines. has written a
letter to a personal friend in the war
department describing the battle.
Ii has been shown to Secretary Root
who authorized its publication. Cap
tain Pershing says:
Il suppose your mail dispatches have
or will have brought YOU a full account
of the Bacolod incident-in reality, the
best fight of the Moro campaigns; not
| so many Moros killed as at Bayan or
Pandapatan. one year ago-but fought
, according to some sort of system. OF
! course l have worked on this fight, as
foresaw long ago that it must come
and the whole thing from the begin
ming worked out as planned.
First, we got behind them. much to
their surprise, and could post our guns
above and drop projectiles down onto
their fort. so that the artillery fire in
this case was not all noise. We h
some work and some fighting to gain
this position. Once there it was only
question of sitting down deliberately
and waiting 10 see what the Moros
| would do. Many got away before the
place was infested thoroughly.
The fight began in a food of rain
storm that lasted until dark and recon
noitering was difficult. SO we did
not find all the avenues of escape until
next day, and / am glad now that we
did not, as they had such confidence
in this fort that they have been con
structing for a year. that they took
many women and children inside, and
these escaped during the night. The
next day and night we held them fast
however. and tried to get them to sur
render. had two talks under flag of
truce: no. they would fight it out SO
there was then only TO finish 1t. / call
ed my officers together and gave e;
one his work. The main obstacle was
a ditch thirty feet wide and forty feet
deep to be crossed. 1t was to be rig
ged with fallen trees and over all a
bamboo bridge was laid. Everything
in readiness the assault began.
IN the face of a heavy Remington
fire from the fort the lines advanced
against two faces OF the fort. butting
out of business every Moro that APP
peared. They could not use their port
holes as we had battered them to pieces
although we could not With our light
field artillery damage earthworks. The
lines up to within sixty yards, the
bridge was completed by two compan-
les detailed for that purpose, the trees
having been previously cut and hauled
as near as could safely be done. Thirty
minutes the assaulting infantry swung
across and formed a line on the Berne
and clambered up nearly III line to the
top of the parapet.
Hand to Hand Fight.
Here they were met with Kammilan
and Kris and bloody hand to- hand
fight occurred-one soldier against two
Moros here: another running his bay
onet into a fanatic there; Moros plung-
ing headlong into the ditch in their
impetuosity. 1t was. as whole. a
scene never to forget. Too much cam
not be said OF the yalor the bravery
the courage and GOODNESS and nerve of
the American soldiers. The majority of
those left inside never reached the toy
of the parapet. 1t was relief TO me
that none of our men were killed. Two
will lose an arm each, the rest will re-
cover with honorable scars. but not
manned 1t was the proudest day of
my life
"Cholera existed in all that section
and we did not examine the interior of
the fort until after it was burned and
wet thoroughly thru for there were all
sorts of underground galleries and pas
sageways.
$50 Moros Slain.
Some officers in the assaulting line
counted sixty dead on the floor and Mo-
ros say there were more than 100 Kill
led inside. while the list outside has
been growing ever since the battle, so
that $50 all told is conservative es-
innate. / have labored with these Ba-
cood Moros for year, thru other Mo-
ros, some of them near relatives, try
ing to convince them of their foolish
ness in thinking of fighting US, but they
have replied in insulting messages, and
in fact the whole Laguna De Lano has
reverse for us. The les
son of course has been a severe one for |
them. The old Panandungan Ca sort of
Moro title meaning chief counsellor or
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 I
to be friends.
we burned nothing but this main
Gotta and few smaller ones from
which we We're fired upon. and think
the MOros all see that our purpose is I
to be humane as far as they will permit !
us. To my mind, this practically set
ties the Lake Lanao troubles We of /
must explore the eastern por-
ton of the lake for a distance of about /
ten miles. | anticipate little trouble
there but there may be one or two
hard headed old -dattos who will put
up their red flags The matter may
now be said to be settled There will I
never again be any continued OPPOSE
ton nor any general opposition. The
sensible ones see that ii is useless and
several of their old panditas (priests)
Ire now preaching the universal broth
arhood of man. 1t is needless for me
10 say to you that | am gratified at /
he outcome
American Flags Displayed.
From Bacolod north to Marahui,
here We're more United States flags
displayed in the road and in rancheries
han | supposed existed in all this coun- +
.ry. l have been here nearly two years
light in and about the Moro country, Il
n the islands nearly four and can
)ut feel that have accomplished some II
hing. | think 1t the largest single sue
;ess that has been made in the islands.