Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-08-19

to a merciless fire from Bunga ant
Moros scattered alons the rim of the
crater. No other cottas were taker
on Thursday, but there was a great
| deal of skirmishing. ,..
On Friday morning, June %, Capt
Moylan was ordered to take Mount
F'unga with the Twenty-fourth and
Thirty-first companies of Scouts. This
was absolutely necessary in order tc
secure a position from which the for
| midable Bagsak Gotta could be reach
ed by the mountain guns. Capt
| Moylan succeeded in taking the Gotta
by noon after a hard fight. He lost
one man., who was practically cut in
two by a barong, and had one mar
wounded.
Hoist Guns BY Ropes.
So difficult was the approach to
the top of Bunga that the mountain
guns had to be taken apart and hoist.
ed up the steep incline by ropes,
This was arduous work and vas not
accomplished until about 1 o'clock the
following afternoon.
On Saturday morning Lieut.. Collins
and Capt. Charlton, with the Fifty.
first and F~ifty-second companies OF
Scouts and a detachment of cavalry
were sent by Gen. Pershing to recon
hotter the rim of the crater and estab-
fish a Judgment from which the final
attack would be made. =, "
A trail leading up the ridge was
discovered and the two Moro COM
Hanies were established on a knoll
about 800 yards south of the stone
Gotta at about II a.. m. Van Natta's
mountain guns of Bunga opened up
on the last stronghold about 1 o'clock
and shelled it practically all the aft
ernoon. The infantry was brought
around from Languasan and estab.
lished in a good position command
ing the ridge leading up to the Gotta.
1t was discovered that the ap-
proach to the main stone Gotta of
Bagsak was lined with several small
cottas or breast works, and at the top
of the hill, just outside the stone
cattas were three lines of trenches.
Making Final Attack.
At 3 O'Clock the signal was given
for Capt. Charlton, with the Forty
first and Fifty-second Moros, to move
up the ridge for the final attack. The
advance was covered by the moun.
tain guns and the fire Of the infantry
and Twenty-fourth and T%hirty-frst
Scouts. The MOros had reoccupied
the breastWorks and trenches during
the night, and as they were shelled
out by the big guns the Moro Scouts
picked them off. The doughty little
scouts we're thus aided until they
were within Is yards of the top of
the hill, and then they had to 20 it
alone. This position vas gained after
an hours fighting.
The remaining distance took seven
hours Of as fierce fighting as was
ever seen anywhere. Capt. Charlton
and his scouts took the first line Of
trenches and for several hours the
firing was at the short range. The
seasoned Moro renegades made sally
after sally, fighting as only Moro war
riors can, but the brave little Gotta
bato and Lanao scouts, who also have
the iron in their blood, made prac-
tically invincible by the white mans
discipline. sat firm behind the enemy's
own trenches and moved them down
like tenpins.
Pershing In Thick Of Il.
Day broke Sunday morning, June
Is, amidst a heavy fog, which hung
like a pail around the top of old Bag
SAX and for a while 1t looked as
though the elements were with the
Moros. At about s O'Clock, however,
the fog lifted and the weather cleared.
The mountain guns opened up again
on the Gotta and the surrounding de.
lenses.
Gen. Pershing came in person to
the firing line early during the at
tack. The ridge was too narrow for
any other troops but the scouts to
engage in the fight, and that being
the only side from which the Gotta
could be approached without enor-
nous loss Of life, the general, al
continually exposed to the fire
from the Gotta himself, kept all other
troops back.
At 4:45 the attacking force was in
The trench Immediately outside the
wall, less than Is feet distant, and