The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-09-28
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the PHILIPPINES that a good many Of
the bluejackets on the war vessels
have reason to remember. The Fill
ipinos, early in the campaign, had
been throwing up intrenchments along
shore in odd places without exciting
much attention. One day the blue
jackets on our shop and those on sew
eral others were given permission to
take sea bath. Every fellow who
could swim went overheard in a fifty,
and with two or three hundred men
in the water the scene was worth re-
membering
I'm the midst of the frolicl;ng the
Filipinos behind the new earthworks
opened on the ships and the men in
the water. They didn't have the range
or there would have been sad work
then and there. All their bullets fell
short, but when they struck The water
they glanced from the surface, and
we could hear them strike the ships
side, and occasionally one whizzed
along the deck. There was n sharp
call to quarters, and the swimmers
came up the ships side like so many
their guns without waiting to dress.
I'm a few minutes our vessel gave
the rebels broadside, and, having
the range, the shot and shell made
the dirt fly. The rebel guns did not
reply, but Filipino leaped 10 the
top of the trenches, waved his straw
hat defiantly, and jumped down. The
men at the guns responded with shot
and shell, and again the dirt Of the
Entertainments flew in every direction.
But again the Filipino stood up and
waved his hat. This was the oder
Of the day for several broadsides, the
Filipino timing his hat waving so as
to escape every time.
by this time the game had berome
exciting, and the gunners changed
their tactics. They fired the broadside
as usual, but held the fire of one CUR
for some seconds, and let drive just
as the saucy Filipino came up for his
hat waving, and he went down. That
ended the engagement so fan as the
Filipinos were concerned. BIT the
next morning 1 saw with my glass
Admiral Dewey leave his flagship in
his launch, and start on tour of
inspection. We feared that the rebels
lurking about the intrenchments might
pick the Admiral off and tried to sig
nal him that there was danger.
q m fhx cs~ u
understand them, and his launch
steamed along shore in a way to make
as very nervous. The Captain ordered
the men to quarters, saying to me that
If the Admiral was fired on he would
demolish everything in sight. At
last we attracted the Admirals atten-
ton, and he came steaming up to de-
mand Of the Captain why his ship was
cleared for action. The Captain ex-
planned what he had planned to do.
and the men cheered. Dewey seemed
very much touched, and there was a
conference which led to movement
that stopped fertilization building
within range of our heavy guns"
There were queer characters in the
Philippine war as well as in the civil.
One man in volunteer regiment was
taken sick In every engagement IN
which the regiment participated. He
told his captain that it was like sea-
sickness, but that it was caused by
fear, and that he was q coward and
deserved no mercy re captain said
nothing, but in the t engagemo,.
the seasick man was tiled for W.
with the hospital corr He hadn't
been at work an hour when he came
on run to the company, went to the
skirmish line, and from that tiioe on
was one of the most daring men I'm
his regiment.
II was on the Roanoke" said the
captain, when the Monitor came
down to meet the Merrimac. In the
matter Of glancing shots there never
was anything like that fight. I re-
member well how we on the Roanoke
felt the night after the destruction of
the Minnesota and other vessels. We
kew that one more dash By the Me-
rimac would finish us, AMI were not
In a very cheerful mood when we
heard the Monitor was coming.
I'm fact, we know more about the
Monitor than the government ever in
tended we should know. That night
when we saw of to the north a light
that conducted itself contrary to the
accepted rules and regulations, we felt
the Monitor was in supporting dis
lance. When she came up and re-
ported for orders she seemed so ridic-
ulously low in the water and SO gen.
orally inadequate that we lost heart.
81 heard the order that carried Ter
to her position for the night, with in
structions TO keep in hiding until the
Aerrimac came our the next morn
ing, when the Monitor was to c. ose in
and fight. None of us on the Roanoke
slept much that night. We ell warned
TO see the beginning Of the fight, and
when morning came with heavy fog
we were disconsolate. We could see.
however, the heavy column Of black
smoke that indicated the pocitio;1 of
the Monitor.
Soon the heavy column oss SIN Ike
moved down the rfyer and we 4 >>sy
more deviltry was afoot. 10 our sur
prise and delight the fog lifted and
we saw the Monitor move swiftly to-
ward the Merrimac as IL to ram her.
The scene is as vived to Inc now as
II Uoc that v1ornfn,y oud an, cxx~.