A Soldier in the Philippines

This continued for several days; one or two caskets every day were allowed to pass out by the guards, although orders were issued to search all boxes, trunks and baggage; yet these caskets were allo

his demonstrates the trickery and

rmitted to visit their husbands in jail, the man passing out and leaving the woman in

ive Americans as to the strength of the works, but the Americans

more than fifteen nights' rest from the 20th of January to the 24th of May. Frequently we would just get on our bunk when a call to arms would be given; every man would rush out in a hurry and sometimes had to march four or five miles, before stopping, thr

ed to march to some other dangerous point; it appeared that we were only ma

re ever killed by the Filipinos. Those who never died from the exposure died from the kind of rations they ate out on the lines. It has been a mystery to me how I ever r

hand and we would see some fun with the Filipinos. Whenever we got them started to running, which most always was

tions and kill the wounded Americans, so we were detailed to guard it and walk the streets and hold up every vehicle of the Filipinos and search them for arms and ammunition. This holding up and searching gave the sentries all they wanted

e for them to recover. I have seen thirty to forty wounded piled in a box car and sent into Manila, where they were put on a boat and carried up the Pasig river to the hospital. They were taken from the boat and put in a cold place till the doctor puts them on the operating table

ss of the Americans saved it, only five blocks being burned. The soldiers were kept busy guarding the negroes and keeping them away from the building

The Twenty-third Regiment did guard duty all night on the west side of the city. The enemy, failing to burn Manila, fired a little bamboo village outside; the bursting bamboos could be easily heard by us. The noise was just like that of guns and the Filipinos took advantage of this noise to shoot at us in the city. They would get behind the light of the burning village and when an American could be seen in the lig

yed till the tenth. We were in trenches at the front; our provisions were more than half a mile at the rear and details were made out each day to bring up provisions to the men in the works. These details were fired at in

over soon they would get him. I have seen many men shot that way; they thought the Filipinos could not shoot. I have seen

would jump out of the trenches and start towards them and they would soon disappear like so many frightened deer.

ter was hauled two miles and a half on a two-wheeled vehicle, in old vessels holding four o

as fast as a good horse. Their horns were of immense size and flat, considerably extended. They generally did not turn aside for smaller objects when running away. On one occasion I saw one run again

ati we had a bush skirmish and some

l other occasions. We ran them back from the trenches and out of sight. They were not to be seen even by the aid

ball, from which he recovered in a few days. I was near him and heard the bull

ds or more from camp every night, or in front of our trenches, to prevent a night attack. If the enemy started through our picket lines they were fired on by the pickets, wh

would be stationed on an opposite hill and they would sometimes get very close to our out-posts, who could see them moving about and talking and hear them walking in the leaves and underbrus

or eight would leave their lines with a white flag and advance a lit

hey would seize their rifles, which they would have concealed behind them, and fire on our soldiers. Their scheme evidently was to kill all the officers they could

he advance was made on the enemy. A strong post was taken and many Filipinos killed and captured. Ninety were captured in one little bamboo village of a dozen houses. This was the morning of March tenth.

We had a march of six miles to make. A heavy rain drenched the soldie

cos to Laguna de Bay, a distance of fifty miles from Manila. This is a body of fresh

and steamed up the bay for the purpose of capturing Santa Cruz. We had to go up in front of the town

g land a line of skirmishers was formed and the town was entered without any trouble. But one Filipino was seen. He was almost frightened to death. With the aid of field glasses we could see Filipinos o

interpreter with him and learned from the old man that everything there was all right. He informed Captain Pratt that he thought the town would be bombarded if not surrendered without it. There was a fine church at this place; the town was built of bamboo. A few stores and about four hundred Filipinos were there. The Filipinos had gone to the mountains while we were

e. Had all the Filipinos who came into that place that night been around they could have given us a hard fight, and possibly have killed us, but, fortunately, they

morning watching for Aguinaldo's gunboats. He had four in the bay. One had been captured. Just before dark one of these gunboats was sighted coming around the point of an island. It was going into port, but seeing our boats it turned back. We made no effort to purs

ays, part of this time on the Laguna de

pply our wants, and there were plenty of them. The first ones were killed by Lieutenant Franklin, who took a rifle out one evening and was gone almost an hour. At last he returned with two fat pigs which he had shot. We expected to enjoy eating them the next morning as they had to be dressed and cooked. Next morning our hopes and e

other expedition went duck hunting and bagged eighty fine ones. Great numbers of chickens were everywhere in the woods and towns. They belonged to the natives. A part

and duck for dinner that day. There were about ninety men in this company. This was one of the last

reeze which was blowing. The deck of the gunboat we thought an ideal place to spend the night. We were very sleepy. This spot was free from mosquitoes and we were preparing for a fine rest. Cap

It took me so by surprise that I was bewildered. Finally I decided to leave that place and seek shelter. I wrung the water out of my blanket and groped about in the inky darkness and went into the engine room, where I stayed until morning. That drenching rain seemed to affect all who were exposed to

m till tired. Looking back I discovered that I was about half way across the river. I swam until I was almost too exh

d I done so I believe that I would have drowned. I know of about twent

ecided not to try that. I was very exhausted and rested and planned a long time. Finally I found a piece of plank and getting

h and in attempting to pass under the bridge the whole top of the casco was torn off, timbers and fragments of the broken vessel were flying in every direction, and it looked as if the men could not escape these missiles. I was in the stern and thought that half of the men on deck would be knocked out into the water and possibly drowned. Quicker than it takes to tell it, I was lying on

from the casco and before it could again be fastened another accident threatened us. Several large sailing vessels lay at anchor along th