Hide Article Text (OCR)
09an5024333840292989 29 33 09 78 80 SO 19 48 58 02 91 70 189091 1774 0475 24 22 88 89 145775SO53508350801097170201896752898462942792370216919381024658498564A FEW SKIRMISHES.Also Some Severe Fighting Engagedin by Samuel Sfcera.68 86 29 06 09 74 61 39 24 64 i 52 09 I 84 i 99 I 33 I 81 ' 75 ! 56 I 32 » 01 1 09 61 1 27r 0?i 121 993 82 I 15 I 441 97 I 91 r 92 b 95 3 25 ) 23 8 70 I) 29 5 692 08 3 55 1 75 3 33I 36 0 49 6 11 3 11 3 223 569 08 7 107 79 A 4210 078 784 29 2 15 5 24 .7 249 67II 86rz 827 5011 90H 023 85 1 60 16 38 » 954 44$ 1315 21 1 49 » 02 )1 7412 *24Aiother Uterestitg Utter Froa his Dis-criptlve of Nlipiso Fightiag—Natives Joked Adoat Their Cowardice.Imus, Philippine Islands.Sunday, November, 19, 1899.Dear Polks :The insurgents on the south lines seem to be getting very uneasy again. If they get the 4th Infantry completely ‘tiled’ we will go out and teach them a very expensive lesson. From all accounts they have been adyancing on Imus with four big guns for the past week or two. To state the truth, long skirmish lines of women, men and boys adyance on Imus eyery day with baskets well filled with bananas, oranges and other fruit. The adyance of the insurgents is about as harmless.This evening while the band was playing and the Filipinos were out dressed in their best, the insurgents opened up a bombardment from the south side with a one pounder or bamboo gun. They made a great noise and all that, hut it did not amount to a continental. Suddenly there was a big ‘boom’ that jarred the whole town. One of our pieces of light artillery was heard from. Almost at the same time another piece of artillery over to the southeast of town turned loose and for a few minutes the earth fairly trembled as the first artillery duel in the Philippines was fought. J do not know how it ended but the insurgents suddenly ceased firing and haye not bothered us since.In the meantime the band played calmly on but the well dressed Filipinos turned about and walked away. They evidently wanted to get into their cellars or holes which everyone has underneath their shacks. The soldiers did not move a muscle except to laugh at the natives and tell them they had “cold feet.*’ We joke them so much about their cowardice that they are actually ashamed of themselves. However they always take it in good humor and make for their places of safety. If this war continues on the south lines, we will make brave men and women out of them. We had an interesting little fight yesterday. Co. C, B, and I, 4thInfantry two troops of the 11th Cavalry and two pieces of artillery made a reconnoaisance out south east to feel the strength of the enemy. The 4th | Infantry Scouts who were in the lead found them untrenched around Aoaboo, a small bamboo village about four miles from Imus.Our company was ordered to deploy in a rice field off th^ side of the road and advance on the insurgent trenches by rushes. Our squad wasin the lead and we were ordered to move out to the edge of the rice field and draw the insurgents fire while the company deployed. We commenced tiring fay volleys and they soon spied us. Then came such a rain of bullets botbt Mausers and Remingtons, which took all our courage to stand up against. The soldier on my left was shot through both pant legs but he was not scratched. At first, howeyer, he imagined he was mortally wounded. We told him to go to the rear. He started but soon discovered he was O. K. I was standing near a small tree. A Mauser bullet struck the tree and threw splinters in my face. Then there was another soldier who imagined something awful.soon got uncomfortably close to then and they couldn’t stand it longer. Their line wavered, broke and fled tie. confusion. Then we jumped upon rice ridges and poured in a witheringfire. Occasionally one in their reeksthrew up his arms ^nd stopped. One of our corporals shot an insurgent at a distance of a thousand yards. We saw him throw up bis arms and fall over on his face or fall forward.Another one of our men discovered after all was over, that he had re» ceiyed a slight scalp wound.We did not stop after routing the enemy but trudged on through the rice and mud fully a mile and a half further. We did not meet any more opposition howeyer. The bugle sounded the assembly and we went in to the road; Now came our trouble as we started back. The insurgents seeing that we were a good ways from home and only one battalion commenced their old tactics of surrounding and flanking. They Beemed to flock in across the rice fields from all directions.- It was like a pack of hungry wolves attacking a Btronger animal. We were a great deal stronger than the insurgents but they had the advantage of us. The officers soon decided upon a pian to get back. They placed two companies on each side of the road at the edge of the rice fields, just out for enough from the road so that we could see the approach of the enemy. We were strung out single file. The other company acted a9 rear guard.We advanced alternately, while the two companies on the one side of the road were going forward the two other companies stood fast and repulsed all intruders. In this manner we finally reached Imus away afterdark. The insurgents pumped the lead into us all the way back howeyer and we had two or three wounded on the way back, our company had one slightly wounded.Co. C’9 good luck seemed to have diserted it. Two of our casualties out of the three in the last skirmish were only slight wounds. The men are marked “duty” already. Private Durkin who was shot through both thighs has a severe wound,The first death in Co. C. occurred November 8th. Private Gilfgang died I might say of home-sickness. During the worse part of the rainy season be sickened and had to go to the hospital He had a girl In New York whom he thought a great deal of I made out money orders .for him and he sent most all his money to his girl. It was either the girl or thinking of home or both that soon crazed him for be was a regular lunatic for a-while. He was sent to Manila and put aboard the Hospital Ship Relief to be sent to the States but he died before leaving the Harbor. We had hoped that we could go back to the States without the loss of a single man.I do not remember whether I told you or not but I sent you some Biblical pictures which I took from a bamboo shack. You may not think that this was a very religious act in disturbing such but I did it in order to give you some idea of what kind of pictures the Filipinos hang in their shacks. In nearly every shack you will find these Biblical pictures. The better class have them in oil paintings, The picture with a hole through it happened to be in theway of one of our bullets.Respectfully, Samuel M. Sheba.COMMITTEES APPOINTED
Newspaper Details
Lebanon Patriot
Lebanon, Indiana, US
Thu, Jan 18, 1900
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Krystle S.
MD, USA 01 Apr 2020
Other Publications Near Lebanon, Indiana
The Boone County Ledger
Lebanon Boone County Pioneer
Lebanon Daily Reporter
Lebanon Daily Herald
Lebanon Patriot
