Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-08-20
"REMINISCENCES
OF MANILV
Story of Ten Years Ago Told
by a Participant In the Bat
tie.
Written for the News. J

just ten years ago today, after COM
ing over from Fort Baker across the
bay to San Francisco, California a
great crowd was gathered at the San
Francisco Daily Call Building on Mar
ket and Bird Sts., reading the poster,
as we soldiers called it. AS best | re-
member the Call Building is 81 stories
high, and from the top of first story to
top of 4th was screen, on which was
written all the latest cablegrams and
kilograms of the world. One man does
nothing but write messages as they are
received, on this bill or poster for
the benefit of the general public, and
on this particular day the poster was
filled with cabegrams that read some
thing like this: admiral Dewey S
victory over the Spanish fleet at Man
ila admiral Dewey's fleet she'll
ing Cavite. Marines landed in Cav
ite'', etc. War had been declared and
a victory won before half the people in
America ever dreamed of such thing
as war being fought by our dear old
America with another nation. In this
great conflict between the two fleets,
Dewey had sunk the Regina Queen
Christina one of Spain's first class
men of war, with number of other
smaller war vessels. Then it was, get
ready for journey to the Philippines
with the outfits. | was in IL" Bat
terry, 3rd U. S. Artillery, Our stand
ing strength was 50 men to a battery
of artillery, but as war was declared,
and we were under orders to move
east, our battery was filled to it's war
strength, which is 100 men, and they
were recruits, new men, and drilling
and teaching them to be soldiers was
a task on us, "old fogies" as we were
called by the reekies. Everything was
at last ready and we on the 26th day
of June, 90, embarked on the old tub,
U. S. S. transport Ohio, which
was i'll the Bird Philippine expedition
to leave San Francisco for the tropics.
After spending five days at Honolu-
lu, and taking dinner with the Queen
one day at the capital, We sailed on
toward Manila The Hawaiian Islands
are volcanoes, which have been built
by lava flowing from the interior OF
the earth. Hawaii now forms a part
of our country Midway between
Honolulu and Manila, saw my first
active volcano. On the morning OF
July 31st we anchored on the Cavett
side of the bay and on Aug. 1st we
landed in Cavete On the 9Th we
crossed the bay to the Manila side anG
took our position in Camp Dewey.
We were granted the post of honor
in camp, and on the morning of the
18th, as it was raining in torrents, we
took our place in the trenches to await
the signal 'bOom" from Dewey's feet
to march on Manila. At 10 a. m.
Dewey opened fire and in five minutes
we were under fire from the Spanards,
but were pressing onward for victory
and everyone knows the results.
have heard men say that they ENTER
ed into the first engagement without
any feelings Of fear or any desire moi
to.be there, but l can say that | dom
believe that any man ever went intC
an engagement without kind of ella
ted feeling, pulse high, but right dowr
in his heart, which was very low al
that stage of the game, he didn't like
it. He becomes SO that he doesn't car'
which way the earth turns, and would
Just as soon OF little sooner kill al
enemy than dog.
After hard march with running
fight. we entered Ermita. which is .
barrio. or part Of Manila. We wer,
very careful that we should not b.
caught in trap and massacred. WheI
we emerged into the edge of an opeI
field, known As Luneta, from Ermita