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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/27259-h.zip b/27259-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..de7ffec --- /dev/null +++ b/27259-h.zip diff --git a/27259-h/27259-h.htm b/27259-h/27259-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..78cfda1 --- /dev/null +++ b/27259-h/27259-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,3232 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Soldier in the Philippines, by Needom N. Freeman. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + text-indent: 1.25em; + line-height: 130%; + } + + h1,h2,h3 { + text-align: center; + clear: both; font-weight: normal; + } + hr { width: 65%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; + } + + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + body{margin-left: 20%; + margin-right: 20%; + } + + .pagenum {display: inline; font-size: 75%; text-align: right; + position: absolute; right: 2%; text-indent: 0em; + padding: 1px 1px; font-style: normal; line-height: 110%; + font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; + color: #444; background-color: #FF99CC;} + + .center {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center;} + + + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's A Soldier in the Philippines, by Needom N. Freeman + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Soldier in the Philippines + +Author: Needom N. Freeman + +Release Date: November 14, 2008 [EBook #27259] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + +</pre> + + + + +<hr /> +<h1>A SOLDIER IN<br /> +THE PHILIPPINES<br /><br /><br /></h1> + +<p class="center"><b>BY</b><br /> + +<big>N. N. FREEMAN</big><br /> + +<small>(PRIVATE, U. S. A.)</small><br /><br /></p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;"> +<img src="images/i001.jpg" width="150" height="111" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + + +<p class="center"><br /><br /><br /><big>F. TENNYSON NEELY CO.</big></p> + + +<div class='center'> +<table border="0" cellpadding="14" cellspacing="10" summary=""> +<tr> + <td align='center'><small>114 Fifth Avenue<br />NEW YORK</small></td> + <td align='center'><small>96 Queen Street<br />LONDON</small></td> +</tr> +</table></div> + + +<hr /> + +<p class="center"><small><br /><br /><br /><br /> +Copyright, 1901,<br /> +by<br /> +D. L. FREEMAN,<br /> +in the<br /> +United States<br /> +and<br /> +Great Britain.<br /> +<br /> +Entered at<br /> +Stationers' Hall, London.<br /> +<br /> +All Rights Reserved.</small><br /><br /><br /><br /> +</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> +<h2>A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES.<br /><br /><br /><br /></h2> + +<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Needom Freeman</span>, in the United States regular army during the years +1898–1900, was born in the quiet little country village of +Barrettsville, Dawson County, Ga., on the 25th of September, 1874.</p> + +<p>Many things have been said and written of army life during the +Spanish-American war, but usually from the officers' point of view. As a +matter of fact the ideas of a private if spoken or written are +unbelieved simply because the prestige of office was not attached, and +receives but little credit.</p> + +<p>The early part of my life was passed in and near the little village of +my birth. Working on the farm and attending the village school a few +months during the time when farming operations were suspended, consumed +about all my time. My father being a poor man with a large family and +unable to give his children the benefit of any advanced education, it +fell to my lot to receive but little instruction. I was the eighth child +in a family of thirteen—five sons and eight daughters.</p> + +<p>Having attained the long awaited age of twenty-one, when most young men +are buoyant and full of hope and ambition, I turned my thoughts +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>westward, where I hoped to make my fortune. I gathered together my few +possessions and proceeded to Texas, arriving at Alvarado, Texas, the +second day of November, 1895.</p> + +<p>Obtaining employment on a farm, my old occupation was resumed for +eighteen weeks, but finding this too commonplace and not fulfilling my +desires nor expectations, the farm work was once more given up.</p> + +<p>I obtained a position with a wrecking crew on the Santa Fe Railroad. For +twelve months I worked with this crew, then gave it up in disgust.</p> + +<p>A few weeks' employment in the cotton mills of Dallas, Texas, were +sufficient to satisfy me with that sort of work.</p> + +<p>I next obtained employment with the street railroad of Dallas, filling +the position of motorman, which I held for three months. One night, +while with several friends, the subject of enlisting in the army was +discussed; this strongly appealed to me, and studying the matter +further, I became enthused over the idea. I determined to enlist at +once. My position as motorman with the street railroad company was given +up. My salary was forty-five dollars a month, as against one-third that +amount in the army, but this made little difference to me. I was anxious +to be a soldier and live the life of one.</p> + +<p>I proceeded to the recruiting office in Dallas to stand an examination, +was weighed, then measured all over, every scar was measured, my +complexion was noted, my age, place of birth and all about my people +were taken. My fingers and toes were twisted and almost pulled off. It +occurred to me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> that possibly my examiners thought my fingers and toes +might be artificial. After part of two days' weighing, measuring, finger +pulling, toe-twisting and questioning I was pronounced subject and sent +to the St. George Hotel, in Dallas, to await further orders. Of twelve +applicants who were standing the same examination I was the only +successful one. I enlisted under Lieutenant Charles Flammil for a +service of three years, unless discharged before the expiration of that +time. I was to obey all the orders of my superior officers, which meant +every officer from corporal up.</p> + +<p>From Dallas I was sent to Fort McIntosh, south-west of Dallas, on the +border of Texas and Mexico, on the Rio Grande. My long cherished hope +was now being fulfilled. I had from a mere boy had a desire to be one of +Uncle Sam's soldiers and fight for my country. I had now entered the +service for three years and will let the reader judge for himself +whether or not he thinks that I should be satisfied with the service and +experience of a soldier.</p> + +<p>Fort McIntosh is in Laredo, Texas. Here I was assigned, upon my arrival, +to Company A, Twenty-third United States Infantry. I had only been there +a few days when Company A was ordered out on a practice march of one +hundred and twenty miles. Of course I wanted to go, thinking it would be +a picnic. I only had a few days' drilling at the fort, and that was all +I ever had, but I was anxious to go on this march with my company, and +Goodale, called "Grabby" by the men, had my uniform and necessary +equipage<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> issued to me and let me go with the company. I learned during +the first days' march its object was not to have a picnic, but just to +try us and prepare us for the service we might at any time be called +upon to perform. We were to get hardened a little by this practice +march.</p> + +<p>The second day out we were halted every hour and rested ten minutes. +During one of those rests I pulled off my shoes to see what was hurting +my feet. I found on each of my heels a large blister and several small +ones. A non-commissioned officer saw the condition of my feet and +ordered me into the ambulance. I was afraid the soldiers would laugh at +me for falling out. First I hesitated, but very soon I had plenty of +company in the ambulance.</p> + +<p>The march was through a rough country, the roads were very bad, and +travel was difficult. Twenty miles a day through chaparral bushes and +cactus is a good day's march for soldiers, with all their equipage. The +infantryman carried a rifle, belt, haversack and canteen. Tents were +pitched every night and guards stationed around the camp to keep away +prowling Mexicans and others who would steal the provisions of the camp. +Tents were struck at morning and everything put in readiness for the +day's march. The company was out fifteen days on that practice march +across the plains. Four days, however, were really holidays. We spent +them hunting and fishing. Fish and game were plentiful. A few deer were +to be found, but ducks and blue quail were the principal game. The +company returned to Fort McIntosh on the third of December.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p><p>I had to be drilled as a recruit; never having had any military +training, everything was new to me. I was drilled hard for a month +before I was assigned to the company for duty. That month's drill was +very hard.</p> + +<p>After I was assigned for duty I learned something new about military +affairs every day for a year. The manner of all the drill masters was +very objectionable to me at first; I did not like the way they spoke to +a soldier and gave commands, which, if disobeyed, punishment was +inflicted. The month I drilled as a recruit by myself I was under +Sergeant Robert Scott of my company. During that time I thought Sergeant +Scott the most unkind man I had ever seen. He looked ugly and talked +harshly. I thought he meant every word he said. After I learned how the +commands were given and was taught how to execute them, it seemed very +simple and then I was assigned for duty.</p> + +<p>When my time came to serve on guard duty I did not understand the +"general orders" and "special orders." I went on guard perfectly +bewildered with the instructions given me about my duties.</p> + +<p>I did not know what to do. I watched for the officer of the day to make +his round and give orders every day and night.</p> + +<p>Two hours' duty on post was the time we stood guard before being +relieved by the proper authority. If a man is caught sitting down while +on duty he is severely punished by being placed in the guard house, and +sentenced to hard labor for a long time. Sometimes the labor sentence +runs as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> high as six months or more, according to the gravity of the +offense.</p> + +<p>I was very careful not to get in the guard house or miss roll call, +having to pay fines or working hard all day with a sentry over me.</p> + +<p>Every soldier had to be on his bunk at eleven o'clock at night; his +check was taken and delivered to the officer of the day. Nine o'clock +was bed time, but the checks were not taken up until eleven. The first +call of the morning was sounded at a quarter before six, when we must +answer to reveille, followed by a drilling exercise of fifteen minutes. +After breakfast every soldier had to sweep under his bunk and prepare it +and himself for inspection, which took place after drill hour, which was +from eight to nine o'clock.</p> + +<p>A gymnastic drill of thirty minutes each day, except Saturday and +Sunday, was given the company for a month, then for three months this +was omitted, then another month's drill was given us, and then the same +intermission; thus we had them alternately the whole year.</p> + +<p>The Sabbath receives but little notice in the army. All duties went on +just as any other day.</p> + +<p>Several hours every day were unoccupied by the soldier's duties. The men +could amuse themselves during these hours by reading newspapers and +books, as a very good library was at hand. Aside from reading were such +amusements as billiards, cards and music. These became monotonous and +disgusting to me, and in less than two months I would have gladly given +up my position, but I was in for three years, and had to stay and make +the best of it.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Christmas holidays were delightful indeed for soldiers, no tasks to +perform for one whole week, except guard duty. The week was spent in +gambling and revelry.</p> + +<p>All other holidays meant hard work all day for soldiers; usually they +were days of celebrating some event in the history of our country or +some man must be honored, and homage paid to his memory. The soldiers on +these occasions had to parade and march along the streets all day. Every +holiday, except that of Christmas, was a dreaded day to soldiers.</p> + +<p>April first, 1898, my company was ordered out on the target range for +practice. We had had but little practice, only being there six days when +orders were received to prepare to leave our post at a moment's notice. +Those were memorable days. History was being added to, or rather made, +almost daily. Every one was talking of war with Spain, its results and +possibilities. Our camp was in a commotion, expecting war to be declared +at once. Everything was put in readiness for marching. In this condition +we remained until April seventeenth, when orders came at last for the +Twenty-third to proceed to New Orleans.</p> + +<p>The city of Laredo gave our regiment a grand banquet before we left +there. Every man, woman<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> and child, apparently, who could get out to see +us off, turned out.</p> + +<p>The Twenty-third Regiment had been stationed at Laredo for eight years, +and during this time great attachment had been formed between the +soldiers and citizens. From Laredo to San Antonio was a long run, +attended by nothing of interest. At San Antonio the citizens +demonstrated their patriotism and hospitality by having a grand banquet +awaiting our arrival. Every man seemed to have a good time while there. +Before our train left, the citizens put several kegs of beer in every +car. This was appreciated very much, as beer seems to be a soldier's +favorite beverage, and one that he will have if he has money and is +where it can be bought. A soldier rarely refuses beer when offered to +him.</p> + +<p>From San Antonio a run of forty hours carried us into New Orleans on +April nineteenth.</p> + +<p>For a month we were there on guard duty. The majority of the regiment +seemed to enjoy their stay in New Orleans, but for me it was anything +but enjoyment.</p> + +<p>The citizens were very kind to all soldiers, and seemed to regard them +very highly; when one went into the city he was generally given all the +beer he wished to drink, and made to feel welcome.</p> + +<p>Soldiers care very little for anything, and do not seem to care very +much for themselves or for each other. They know that the responsibility +rests upon the officers, and that food and clothing will be furnished as +long as they are in the army. When a soldier draws his pay, usually the +first thing he looks for is some place to gamble and get<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> rid of his +money in a few minutes, then he can be content. He is restless as long +as he has a dollar, and must gamble or take some friends to a saloon and +drink it up, then go away drunk.</p> + +<p>If one man has any money and expects to keep it he must not let others +know of it, for they will expect him to spend it for all. Generally when +one man has any money it is free to all, and it is enjoyed as long as it +lasts. Soldiers are very generous and good-natured men; if not that way +at first they become so before a service of three years expires.</p> + +<p>Army life is dangerous to the morals of many young men. They will take +up some bad habits if they have not power and determination to control +themselves. It is very easy for a man, especially a young man, to take +up some bad habits and lead a different life altogether in a short time +after he becomes a soldier. A man soon learns to drink and to gamble, +although he may have known nothing of these vices before his enlistment. +I thought that a soldier's life would suit me, but after a service of +three years I can truthfully state that it was not what I desired. Life +in camps at one place a little while, then at another place, winter and +summer, rain, sleet and snow, with twenty men in one wall tent, is very +disagreeable, unhealthy and unpleasant. I spent one month in camp in New +Orleans during the hot weather, and all the pleasure I had there was +fighting mosquitoes. We had a fierce battle with them every night.</p> + +<p>My regiment had all the service at New Orleans they wanted in the line +of guard and special duty. Four hours of hard drilling five mornings in +each<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> week, special duty in the afternoon, then half of every night +fighting mosquitoes. May was very hot. I believe that the battalion and +skirmish drills, without stopping to rest or to get water, were very +injurious to the soldiers.</p> + +<p>I know that they injured my feelings very much.</p> + +<p>I was a private in Company "A," Captain Goodale in command. I thought a +great deal of my captain; he was a good officer, and was soon promoted +to major of the 23d Regiment, and commanded it for several months. He +was then promoted to a lieutenant-colonel and assigned to duty with the +Third Infantry, then in the Philippines. After he set out to join his +new regiment I never saw him again. He was the first captain I served +under.</p> + +<p>Soldiers who served under good officers were fortunate, but if they had +bad ones they were soon in trouble and had a hard service. A son of +Lieutenant-Colonel Goodale, who was a lieutenant, was placed in command +of Company "A." He, like his father, was a good officer, and soon won +the confidence and esteem of his company.</p> + +<p>After the declaration of war between the United States and Spain, the +23d Regiment was recruited to its full quota of one hundred men for each +of twelve companies. Four new companies had to be formed, which were +called, at first, skeleton companies, because they only had a few men +transferred to them from the old ones.</p> + +<p>Non-commissioned officers were transferred to the new companies and +placed in charge of the recruits, to drill and prepare them for duty.</p> + +<p>Drilling recruits is hard work, and all the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> officers avoided it as much +as possible. From the 20th of April to the 24th of May we had nothing +but drill.</p> + +<p>When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, orders +were sent to the 23d Regiment to proceed at once to San Francisco. It +will be remembered that we had gone to New Orleans under orders +directing our regiment to Cuba, but everything had changed so suddenly +that we were ordered to San Francisco to be in readiness to go to the +Philippines.</p> + +<p>The orders from the War Department were received by Colonel French on +the night of the 23d of May.</p> + +<p>The following day everything was put in readiness for leaving for San +Francisco, but to hasten preparations all our tents were struck at 4 +o'clock in the evening. Soon afterwards it commenced raining for the +first time during our stay at New Orleans. Our tents were down and we +had no place to shelter and pass the night. We were ready to leave next +morning. I never saw so many wet soldiers before. I was on guard and saw +two hundred men or more go into stables that were near our camp. We were +camping in the race track of the city fair grounds, which were +surrounded by a great many stables. This was rough fare, and I could not +say whether the men slept or killed mosquitoes. One thing I know beyond +question: I saw the toughest, sleepiest looking lot of men next morning +that I had yet seen in my military service. They all seemed to have +colds. To add to our discomfort all the rations had been boxed and +marked for shipping, and we were without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> food for breakfast. Those who +had any money were allowed to go out and buy something to eat. It is +plain that if a man had no money he went without breakfast.</p> + +<p>The men were all formed in line with gun, belt and knapsack, and were +kept standing ready to march at the command, until one o'clock in the +evening before taking up the march of three miles to the railroad +station. We marched through the city and to the station without a halt. +It seemed to me the hottest day I ever knew. It had been nearly +twenty-four hours since I had eaten, and I think my condition was no +worse than that of the whole regiment, with but very few exceptions.</p> + +<p>We were in the city of New Orleans, and rations were plentiful, but it +seemed they were scarce for us. This, however, was only the beginning of +what we were to get accustomed to in a few months.</p> + +<p>At two o'clock on the 25th day of May, our regiment boarded the cars of +the Southern Pacific Railroad and set out on its journey for San +Francisco. The regiment was divided into three sections for the journey, +which was made in six days.</p> + +<p>The rations issued to us on this journey consisted of hard tack, canned +tomatoes, canned salmon, and last, but not least, nor more desirable, +canned horse meat. To use a soldier's expression, such "grub" is almost +enough to make a man sick to look at, but this made no difference, we +had to eat it.</p> + +<p>I have seen a few people who seemed to think soldiers were not human +beings like other people. They thought they could endure anything and +would eat any kind of stuff for rations.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p><p>While eating supper one evening in our camp at New Orleans, the men +were seated in their usual manner on the open ground grouped around +their mess kits containing their rations; a young lady with her escort +was passing through the camp and observing the men eating supper, +remarked to her companion that the soldiers looked like men.</p> + +<p>She had possibly never seen a soldier before.</p> + +<p>At another time a man with two small boys were looking over our camp and +talking about the soldiers, when one of the little boys noticing the +soldiers eating, and seeming to be interested in their manner of eating, +said: "Papa, will soldiers eat hay?" His youthful curiosity appeared to +be fully satisfied by the father answering: "Yes, if whiskey is put on +it."</p> + +<p>Crowds of people were out at every city and town we passed through +awaiting our arrival. Some had bouquets of beautiful flowers for the +soldiers containing notes of kind words and wishes, and signed by the +giver. Some gave us small baskets of nicely prepared rations. These were +what suited us most, and were very highly appreciated by every one who +was fortunate enough to get one.</p> + +<p>Our train passed through many places without stopping. We saw crowds of +people at those places with bouquets and various gifts of kindness and +appreciation which they had no opportunity to give us. Whenever our +train stopped it would only be for a few minutes, and there was only +time enough to receive the little tokens of kindness and good will, +exchange a very few words, and we would again be off.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Traveling</span> through western Texas and the plains of New Mexico is very +mountainous and lonely. Villages of prairie dogs here and there seem to +be about all the living things that the traveler sees. These little +animals burrow deep in the ground, thousands of them close together, and +this is why it is called a prairie dog town. I was told that these +little dogs live mostly on roots and drink no water. I give this as it +was told me, and do not know how true it is. One thing which I noticed +was that we would travel two or three hundred miles and not see any +water courses.</p> + +<p>The section that I was with was detained about three hours at El Paso, +Texas, on account of some trouble on the road ahead of us. Many of us +took advantage of this to look about the city. A considerable change of +temperature was noted, it being much cooler than at New Orleans. Before +the next morning we were passing through New Mexico. It was cold enough +to wear an overcoat, but as we only had blankets every man had one drawn +close around him, and was then shivering with cold. This cold weather +continued until the Rocky Mountains were crossed, and we began to +descend the Pacific Slope.</p> + +<p>Crossing the deserts of Arizona was disagreeable.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> The white sand from a +distance looks like snow, and is so dry and light that it is lifted +about by the wind. Some places it will drift several feet deep. The +railroad company kept men employed all the time shoveling sand from the +track. Nothing but some scattering, scrubby bushes grows in the deserts. +Almost any time looking from the cars there seems to be smoke away off +in the distance. This is nothing but the dry sand being blown about by +the wind.</p> + +<p>Where the railroad crossed the deserts they are from one hundred and +fifty to two hundred miles wide.</p> + +<p>The first place we stopped after crossing the Rocky Mountains was in the +city of Los Angeles, California. The good people of Los Angeles had a +bountiful supply of oranges and other nice fruit, which were given to +the soldiers, who enjoyed them very much. Some towns where we stopped +the citizens would put two or three crates of oranges in every car of +our train.</p> + +<p>The country was beautiful, orange groves and orchards of different kinds +were numerous and fine.</p> + +<p>California is the most beautiful country I have seen in my travels from +Georgia to the Philippine Islands.</p> + +<p>The Oakland Ferry was reached about ten o'clock on the morning of the +first day of June. Our regiment commenced to cross at once over to San +Francisco. A detail was left to take our supplies from the train and +load them on boats, all the balance of the regiment going across. My +first sergeant was unfriendly to me and included<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> me in the detail as a +mark of disrespect to me, although it was not my time to be placed on +detail duty according to the system of rotating that duty.</p> + +<p>Our detail worked very hard for about two hours and seeing no prospect +of dinner we crossed over into San Francisco to find something to eat. +We found our regiment just ready to enjoy a grand banquet prepared by +the Red Cross Society. It was prepared near the piers in a long stone +building; long tables were piled full of all that a crowd of hungry +soldiers could wish for, excellent music was furnished while we did full +justice to the feast before us. The Red Cross has spent a great deal of +money since the commencement of the Spanish-American war; it has +accomplished much toward softening the horrors of war by caring for the +sick and wounded, providing medicines and necessaries for their relief, +and doing many charitable acts too numerous to be enumerated here. Many +men to-day enjoying health and strength were rescued from what must have +been an untimely grave had not the work of the Red Cross come to their +relief when sick or wounded. The army physician frequently was a +heartless, and apparently indifferent man about the ills of his +patients. While at Camp Merritt I was sick for a month. The physician +pronounced the malady fever; he did not seem to care about my recovery +or that of any other man; his chief concern seemed to be that of +obtaining his salary of one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month. +Beyond this his interest seemed to cease, and if a sick soldier +recovered he was considered lucky.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p><p>There were many sick men in Camp Merritt in the months of June and +July. We were stationed there for five months.</p> + +<p>Twenty-five men, myself included, volunteered to be transferred from +Company "A" to Company "E." This transfer was made on the sixth of June, +and was done to fill up Company "E" to its full quota for the purpose of +going to Manila on the transport Colon, which was to leave San Francisco +on the fifteenth of June.</p> + +<p>My company, now Company "E," was being prepared by Captain Pratt, and +was drilling for the last time in the United States before going to +Manila. I unfortunately became ill and had to be left at Camp Merritt to +go over later. It was sad news to me, for I wanted to go over with this +expedition.</p> + +<p>One battalion of the 23d Regiment was left at Camp Merritt, which +included my old company, to which I was assigned. We stayed at Camp +Merritt until about the middle of August, when orders were received to +go to Manila. By the time everything was packed and ready to strike +tents a second order was received, not to go to Manila, but to go to +Presidio, in San Francisco, and await further orders. About the 10th of +October, to our great joy, orders were read out at parade in the +evening, that we would start to Manila on the seventeenth. The men were +so glad they threw up their hats and shouted for joy. We were glad to +leave the cold, foggy and disagreeable climate of San Francisco, and +delighted that we were going to Manila, which was then the central +battle field.</p> + +<p>The bad climate, incidentally mentioned, of San<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> Francisco seemed to be +only local, extending along the coast for only a few miles.</p> + +<p>I have been in San Francisco when it was cold enough to wear an +overcoat, and going across the bay to Oakland it was warm enough for a +man to be comfortable in his shirt sleeves. The distance between these +two points is only six miles. The native citizens of San Francisco, and +those who have been residents for many years and accustomed to the damp, +foggy atmosphere, are very healthy.</p> + +<p>But this climate was very detrimental to the soldiers in Camp Merritt, +and fatal to many.</p> + +<p>While stationed in Camp Merritt I spent a great deal of time in the San +Francisco park, which contained one thousand acres of land.</p> + +<p>A great variety of wild animals and many different kinds of birds were +there, and I found in it a great deal of interest and amusement. Crowds +of people were there every night. Many people were there for the purpose +of committing some crime. People were frequently being sandbagged and +robbed, or sometimes boldly held up, and money and valuables secured.</p> + +<p>I knew a great many soldiers who were robbed, sometimes they received +bruised heads just by loafing in the park at night.</p> + +<p>No reflection is intended to be cast upon the police whose duty was in +the park; there were a great many of them, but they did not know all +that was being done in the park, and it was necessary for a man to keep +a sharp lookout for himself if he wished to escape uninjured.</p> + +<p>The date of our departure the Red Cross gave a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> fine dinner for all who +were going to leave the camp. This was the custom with that society when +any soldiers left there for the Philippines.</p> + +<p>All those who left while I was there partook of a splendid dinner just +before leaving.</p> + +<p>This society, in addition to the dinner given to us, had several hundred +dollars worth of provisions put on board our transport, and all marked, +"For enlisted men only on deck."</p> + +<p>At three o'clock in the afternoon of the seventeenth day of October, +1898, we sailed on board the transport "Senator." The provisions put on +board for us were well cared for—by the officers, who took charge of +them and guarded them so well that if an enlisted man got any of them, +he had to steal them from under a guard. Actually had to steal what +belonged to him by gift, and if caught stealing them he was court +martialed, and fined enough to buy his rations for a month, but the fine +money was not appropriated in that way.</p> + +<p>We had a rough voyage, not on account of the weather, but because the +transport was so packed and crowded that a man did well to walk from one +end of the ship to the other. We were crowded like a cargo of animals +bound for a slaughter pen.</p> + +<p>A private may think all or anything he pleases, but he does not have an +opportunity to say very much about anything. He must obey the commands +of his officers.</p> + +<p>Our officers on the transport had everything to suit themselves, and the +private had to do the best he could and try to be satisfied, or at least +appear that way.</p> + +<p>It would take two-thirds of the deck for half a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> dozen officers to have +room. They thought themselves so superior to the privates they did not +want to be near them. Our ship had fifteen hundred men on board.</p> + +<p>We reached the port of Honolulu, after several days' sailing on rough +seas, October twenty-fifth; five days were taken to coal for our long +voyage to Manila. Honolulu is a fine city, about 2,190 miles from San +Francisco. Located as it is, away out in the Pacific Ocean, makes it the +more attractive to a Georgia soldier who was on his first sea voyage. +There are some fine views in and around Honolulu. As our transport +steamed into the harbor of the city I thought it a grand sight. From +what I could learn I had but one objection to it as a desirable place to +live—leprosy is too prevalent. A small island is used for the lepers' +home, where all who are afflicted with this most loathsome of diseases +are carried, yet the fact that those poor victims are in that country is +a disagreeable one and makes one shudder to look at the island. No one +is allowed to go there, except on business, and they have to get passes +from the authorities to do so. I had no desire to visit the place.</p> + +<p>Honolulu is a very good city, with some of the modern city improvements, +such as water works, electric lights, street railroads and ice +factories. These are the results of emigration, people of other +countries going in with money and experience. The natives are called +Kanakis. Agriculture consists in the cultivation of rice, bananas, +cocoanuts and coffee. It was there where I first saw bananas, cocoanuts +and coffee growing. A lieutenant, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> about twenty-five men, including +myself, went out about six miles along the beach. We went to the Diamond +Head, six miles eastward from Honolulu. This is an old crater of an +extinct volcano. Returning to the beach we went in bathing and enjoyed +it very much.</p> + +<p>Our party had to get passes and present them to guards on going out and +returning. Our transport having coaled and made all the necessary +preparations for the voyage to Manila, we went on board and sailed about +four o'clock in the afternoon of October the thirtieth. But few of the +soldiers had been sea-sick before arriving at Honolulu, but after +leaving there many of them were ill for several days.</p> + +<p>I think that the native drink called swipes was the cause of much of it. +This had been very freely imbibed by the soldiers. It is a peculiar +beverage, producing a drunkenness that lasted several days. Some of the +men getting over a drunk on this stuff, by taking a drink of water would +again be drunk. I escaped sea-sickness and, but for the fact that we +were living on the transport like pigs in a crowded pen, I would have +gone over comfortably and would have enjoyed the voyage.</p> + +<p>Our rations were very poor, scarcely fit for hogs to eat. They consisted +of a stewed stuff of beef scraps, called by the men "slum;" prunes, hard +tack and colored hot water for coffee. Once a week we had a change from +this of salmon or cod fish. I believe those who shared this food stuff +with me on this voyage will bear me out in the statement that it was +tough fare.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p><p>The soldiers were not alone on board—there were other passengers who +seemed to dispute our possession and waged war on us both day and night. +These belligerents were known as "gray backs," some of them being nearly +one-fourth of an inch long and very troublesome. Clothing and everything +else seemed to be full of them.</p> + +<p>I have seen soldiers pick them off of their bodies and clothing and kill +them before the men went to bed, hoping to get rid of them and get to +sleep.</p> + +<p>I have seen several times almost the whole body of soldiers on board +sick and vomiting. There was something peculiar about this sickness. +Nevertheless, it was true; the men were fed on rotten prunes and fruit, +which, after nearly all the supply was consumed, was found by our +surgeon to be full of worms. This had been the cause of so much +sickness. By refusing to eat this rotten stuff myself I was not ill.</p> + +<p>About half way between Honolulu and Manila an active volcano was passed +about four o'clock in the morning. Everybody went out on deck to see +this great sight. Although it was raining at the time the men stood out +in it to see this remarkable spectacle. It had the appearance of a round +hill sticking out of the water, the whole top burning and falling in.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">The</span> most interesting sight I ever beheld was in the China Sea. One +evening, just before dark, when the sea was rough and black, threatening +clouds were hovering over us, lightning shooting its fiery bolts across +their path, and every indication pointed to one of those fearful +typhoons for which the China Sea is noted. The crew had closed all the +port holes and hatchways preparatory for the storm, which was believed +to be fast approaching. While yet on deck with a number of soldiers, who +were looking across the surface of the rough waters, there suddenly +appeared in the water an object that looked like a woman; it had long +hair just like a woman; the upper part of its body was like a woman, and +to all appearances was a woman. It rose about half out of the water and +sank back. Three times it did this and disappeared. I learned that this +strange sea animal was a mermaid, and that they are seen during such +stormy weather as we were then experiencing.</p> + +<p>Another very interesting sea animal is the porpoise. It is shaped +something like a fish, except the head, which looks like that of a hog. +They will follow a ship in droves, swimming near the surface of the +water and jumping out of the water and diving down like fish playing.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p><p>I have seen many living things in water, some of which were very +interesting looking that I never heard any name for. A very strange, +helpless-looking object is the star fish. They are often left by the +tide on the beach and are perfectly helpless until another tide carries +them back. A flying fish fell on deck of the transport and was picked +up, greatly exciting our curiosity. This strange little animal never +gets more than a few inches long. These fish go in schools; sometimes a +school is so large that it covers half an acre or more, skipping or +flying along on the surface of the water sometimes one hundred yards +before striking the water again. I had in my hands the one that fell on +our deck and examined it with a great deal of curiosity. It had a pair +of small wings and was very beautiful.</p> + +<p>The jelly fish does not look very clean and nice. The largest one I ever +saw was eighteen inches thick and looked like a mass of jelly and was +hard in the center. These fish are of two colors, white and black. They +can sting when they touch the naked body and give as much pain as the +sting of a yellow jacket.</p> + +<p>I have been in the water bathing and one of them would sting me, making +a great, red, burning spot. I have seen sea serpents, but was never +close to one where I could see it plainly. They seem to be very easily +frightened, and I only saw them on the surface of the water at some +distance. They are very large snakes with black spots.</p> + +<p>The men on our transport were interested in a flock of sea gulls, which +to us appeared to be the same birds following our vessel to pick up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> the +scraps thrown overboard. I could see them any day and I therefore +believed they were the same sea gulls. They can fly farther than any +other bird.</p> + +<p>We arrived in Manila Bay November twenty-second, and anchored about two +miles out from the piers of the city. The view was delightful to all on +board, especially the soldiers. We were happy and jokes were freely +passed around. We were once more to be on land and what person would not +be happy over this thought after so long a voyage over the great waters +of the Pacific?</p> + +<p>Five days we had to wait before quarters could be obtained and we could +land. I was very anxious to get away from that transport, which to me +was worse than a jail. I never was jailed in my life, but I believe that +two months' imprisonment would have been more pleasant than the time I +was on board that ship. Finally we were landed at a point just below the +Bridge of Spain and marched into the walled city of Manila. It will be +remembered that a portion of the Twenty-third Regiment had preceded us a +few months. Our landing would reunite the regiment, and to celebrate the +occasion that portion of it that went over first had a banquet dinner +prepared for our arrival. It was a memorable occasion long to be +cherished by my division of the regiment. After such disgusting food as +we had had since leaving San Francisco we appreciated the elegant feast +and plenty of Manila wine that was set before us. This latter portion of +the regiment did full justice to the occasion, both provisions and wine, +which was excellent. We stayed in the city and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> performed guard duty for +a few months. It was of the hardest sort all the time that we were in +the Philippines. It was performed day and night part of the time.</p> + +<p>We had "running guard," which was day and night, but this would not +continue more than a week at one time. Manila was then a dangerous place +for Americans and our guard and patrol duty was desperate work.</p> + +<p>All the citizens of Manila were our enemies as long as the Spanish +soldiers remained in the city; when they were sent back to Spain +conditions improved immediately.</p> + +<p>No one was permitted to go out of the city. The citizens were allowed, +at intervals of several days, to pass out through the sally ports of the +wall and take two hours' exercise in the Lunetta, which is the favorite +outing grounds of Manila, and a place for executing insurgents. This was +a privilege not often granted, and when the people were thus indulged +they had to be back on time.</p> + +<p>Aguinaldo, with his army, was just outside of Manila from the time the +Americans captured it until his attempt to enter and capture the city +from the Americans. This attempt was made on the night of February +ninth, the first demonstration indicating his intentions being made +about nine o'clock in the night. The Filipinos attempted to enter +through the sally ports and were promptly discovered by the guards, who +commanded a halt. The command was not obeyed and the guards fired upon +them. This seemed to be the signal for a general engagement by the +Filipinos. The Nebraska Volunteers were the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> first to receive the attack +of the enemy. At once the battle became furious and continued for +several days and nights. The enemy was making a desperate and determined +effort to enter the city, but failed, and were finally driven back to a +position where they could be easier handled by our forces. After about +ten days' fighting the Americans threw up works and entrenched +themselves and waited for re-enforcements before taking the offensive. +The American forces numbered ten thousand in the city and the enemy's +forces were estimated at sixty thousand. The American lines were getting +too long and weak to risk an attack and we held our position and waited +for re-enforcements to arrive. During this time the Filipino prisoners +were closely guarded and forced to bury their dead. Five days were +occupied in this work of picking up and burying the dead Filipinos. The +number of their dead is unknown, but must have been large. It was +reported that five hundred Filipinos were buried in one day. It was also +reported that eighty Americans were killed in one night.</p> + +<p>I shall never forget that night attack; I was one of three men on guard +in the Spanish hospital. This was a very dangerous post at any time, but +on an occasion like that it was more so. Three hundred Filipinos were in +the hospital, about one hundred prisoners and about sixty Spanish women. +All the hospital corps of attendants were armed with some kind of +weapon, usually a knife. When the attack was made on the guards at the +wall and the firing commenced, I was sitting in a chair and almost +asleep from exhaustion and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>continued guard duty. A Spanish woman in the +top story of the hospital heard the firing. She ran down to where I was +sitting, took me by the shoulders and was shaking me vigorously when I +first realized what was taking place. She was very much excited and +jabbered at me in Spanish, which I had no knowledge of and did not +understand one word she said. When she saw that she could not make me +understand her Spanish she went away. I heard the firing and knew that +an attack was being made. The Filipinos in that hospital would have met +with little resistance from only three guards had they made a dash for +liberty. They could have easily passed out through the unlocked doors +while we could have killed a few. After gaining the outside they could +have given assistance to their comrades, and in the darkness of the +night set fire to the city and made our situation a desperate one +indeed. The Filipinos knew the city much better than the Americans and +had Aguinaldo been possessed with the nerve and ability he could have +entered with his superior numbers and captured the city. The Filipinos, +however, gave the Americans some hard fighting before the enemy's forces +were scattered over the island of Luzon. After the Filipinos were +scattered they divided into small bands, which marched over the island +burning and destroying. One of the bands when run upon by the Americans +would give them a short desperate fight and flee to the hills in safety. +Frequently it happened that a squad of American soldiers would be +outnumbered by a band of the enemy, and it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> then the Americans +turned to run into Manila for safety.</p> + +<p>A great many of the native business men, both employers and employees, +stayed in Manila after it was captured and carried on their business. +Many of these were a menace to the safety and the authority of the +Americans. All the arms and ammunition and dynamite that could be +obtained by them were hidden away. They banded together to do all the +mischief possible, but our guards were too clever for the Filipinos and +always detected their schemes and plots before they could be carried +out. It was believed that the men inside of the city were working with +the enemy outside for an outbreak. Aguinaldo would engage the attention +of the Americans and these treacherous Filipinos and Spaniards inside +would do a great deal of mischief before being discovered.</p> + +<p>Therefore, in the face of all this, much depended on the efficiency of +our guard duty. Guards were on duty in all parts of the city, in church +towers and every place that would give any advantage in keeping a +lookout for any indications of trouble.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Before</span> Aguinaldo's attempt to enter Manila the friendly natives outside +the city were suffering from a fatal epidemic of some character, +apparently so, judging by the number of caskets taken outside. 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 allowed to pass through +unmolested for about fifteen days. Finally the guard's suspicion was +aroused by these frequent burials and it was decided to open a casket, +which was packed full of Mauser rifles. This ended the funerals outside. +This demonstrates the trickery and smuggling schemes of these people.</p> + +<p>I have known prisoners to escape by exchanging clothing with their +wives, who were permitted to visit their husbands in jail, the man +passing out and leaving the woman in prison. A great many prisoners +escaped in this way before the scheme was discovered.</p> + +<p>Dummy guns and soldiers were placed in forts in a manner to deceive +Americans as to the strength of the works, but the Americans were not to +be bluffed so easily and this scheme was worthless.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p><p>Almost the whole American force was on the streets of Manila watching +and expecting an attack for two weeks before it was made. We were always +prepared to fight. We had to keep our clothes on all the time and our +guns and belts by our side. I did not have 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, through rain and wind, or whatever weather we might be +called out in. There we would stay the balance of the night. If we +wanted to lie down we only had one blanket to put on the wet ground. +Every man had to look out for himself and get the best place he could.</p> + +<p>We would only be in a few hours from one march until orders would be +received to march to some other dangerous point; it appeared that we +were only marched back to the city to take a bath and change clothing, +which we needed.</p> + +<p>I believe these marches in the night or day, in the hot climate of that +country, lying on the wet ground sometimes every night for two weeks, +has killed more men than were 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 reached America +again. I have been through everything and have seen as hard service as +any soldier in the Philippines, and have eaten as hard grub as any of +them ever ate.</p> + +<p>I believe the Twenty-third had call to arms<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> no less than twenty-five +times. Every time we thought a fight was on hand and we would see some +fun with the Filipinos. Whenever we got them started to running, which +most always was easily done, then the fun was on. We were sent out a +great many times to guard some town from the enemy's torch.</p> + +<p>Company "E," of the Twenty-third, was detailed to guard the first +reserve hospital in Manila and was on duty ten days. The officers feared +that enough of the enemy would slip through the lines to enter the +hospital and commit many depredations 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 to do. All +the time we were there on duty we could not leave without permission. We +laid about in the hot sun in the day time and at night on the ground. +Some of the soldiers pulled grass and made beds to sleep on the side of +the streets.</p> + +<p>The only thing to help pass the time while on this duty was to go +through the hospital and look at the wounded, some with arms off, others +with a leg gone, while there were men wounded in almost every imaginable +way to be living. Some would get well when it looked almost impossible +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 <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>doctor puts them on the operating table and +handles them like a butcher handling a beef. Almost every day women and +children were brought in with burned hands and feet, the Filipinos +burning every town which they thought was about to be captured, and the +women and children suffered; doubtless, many were burned to death.</p> + +<p>Fire is a dangerous resort of the Filipino. About one hundred got +through the lines into Manila and made an effort to burn the city, but +the promptness of the Americans saved it, only five blocks being burned. +The soldiers were kept busy guarding the negroes and keeping them away +from the buildings. Big stores were burning and the fire department was +too poor to save them; the proprietors told the soldiers to go in and +get anything they wanted.</p> + +<p>While the fire department was doing all it could to save the city and +sneaking Filipinos were hindering the department all they could by +cutting the hose. They would assemble in crowds and then the hose was +cut; every one caught in this act was shot down on the spot. Six or +seven were thus punished that night. It was an exciting time and looked +as if Manila would be burned in spite of all our efforts to save her. +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 <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>American could be seen in the light +of the burning houses in Manila he was shot at. This was kept up all +night. Our great trouble was to distinguish between the noise of the +bursting bamboos and the report of a Mauser rifle. The noise of bursting +bamboos could be heard three and four miles, some of them not much +unlike a six-inch gun, and the reports from a burning bamboo village was +almost a reproduction of a battle and would last several hours.</p> + +<p>After guarding the burning district of the city all night we returned to +guard duty at the hospital. Orders were received to march to the firing +line at San Pedro Macati. We marched there on the first day of March and +stayed 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 going and coming by the Filipinos, but their fire was +ineffective, owing to their distance from us, until the detail neared +the trenches, where the distance was not so great, and it was very +dangerous. Some were wounded.</p> + +<p>A man behind the works could not get out for a few minutes' exercise +without being fired at, and if he did not get under cover soon they +would get him. I have seen many men shot that way; they thought the +Filipinos could not shoot. I have seen some fine marksmen among them. +They could do some good shooting until they became excited and fled for +some place of safety.</p> + +<p>I have seen squads of Filipinos come near our trenches and open fire on +us. A squad of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> Americans with their arms would jump out of the trenches +and start towards them and they would soon disappear like so many +frightened deer. I was in a squad of soldiers who ran three Filipinos +for two miles. They were shot at several times, but got away.</p> + +<p>We were out ten days and had two engagements; we had a very hard time on +this excursion. Water was hauled two miles and a half on a two-wheeled +vehicle, in old vessels holding four or five gallons. By the time we +could get to the kitchens about half of it would be spilled.</p> + +<p>Buffaloes were used like oxen in this country. They were much larger, +however, of a dark brown color and very easily frightened. When one +started to run away no man could hold it. I have seen them run 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 against a stone building, +knocking himself down. He arose and ran on as fast as before. Those that +run at large will get in the water where it will cover them and stand +with their noses out for half a day.</p> + +<p>The fourth day out at San Pedro Macati we had a bush skirmish and some +hard fighting for about two hours.</p> + +<p>This was my first fighting and I have to confess to being a little +frightened this time, but kept my nerve on all other occasions. We ran +them back from the trenches and out of sight. They were not to be seen +even by the aid of field glasses any more that day. We could not +estimate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> the number of killed, as they left none on the field.</p> + +<p>The first sergeant of my company was slightly wounded in the chest by a +spent ball, from which he recovered in a few days. I was near him and +heard the bullet strike him; it almost felled him. This was the first +soldier I saw wounded.</p> + +<p>The way the bullets were coming I thought every one of us would be +killed, but no one was shot except the one just mentioned. Out-posts +were always stationed two hundred yards 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, who +would then rapidly fall back to our lines of trenches. This out-post +duty is very important and very dangerous, especially when the sneaking +Filipinos were in the community.</p> + +<p>Many nights the Americans would be aroused from their slumbers by the +enemy's attacks and efforts to surprise them, and we would lie in our +trenches and fire on them till they left. The enemy 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 underbrush. Our sentinels had orders not to +fire on them unless they made an attack, when the sentinels fired and +got back into the trenches as quickly as possible to escape being killed +by our own men.</p> + +<p>They violated the custom of the white flag frequently. A party of six or +eight would leave their lines with a white flag and advance a little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> +and wave the flag. A party of Americans would start to meet them.</p> + +<p>Every time the Americans stopped the Filipinos stopped. They tried to +get our men as near them as possible and when they thought they could +get our men no nearer they 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, but they only +succeeded in killing two, as far as came to my knowledge. After a few +attempts of this kind they were fired on regardless of their white flag +scheme.</p> + +<p>While at San Pedro Macati the First Colorado Volunteers would go out and +sleep all night on the hill-top. Some one was killed, or wounded, every +night this was done. But few Americans were killed before the 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. That evening orders +were received to return to Manila. We had been in the trenches the +greater part of the ten days at San Pedro Macati, and had two +engagements, one the fourth and one the tenth of March.</p> + +<p>We set out on the return to Manila late in the evening of March tenth. +We had a march of six miles to make. A heavy rain drenched the soldiers, +reaching the walled city of Manila about eleven o'clock that night.</p> + +<p>After a few days' rest Company "E" of the Twenty-third went up the Pasig +river on cascos<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> to Laguna de Bay, a distance of fifty miles from +Manila. This is a body of fresh water twenty miles wide and sixty miles +long, and deep enough to float a large steamer.</p> + +<p>A gun boat, which stayed there in the bay, and of the same name, was +boarded by a part of our soldiers and steamed up the bay for the purpose +of capturing Santa Cruz. We had to go up in front of the town in full +view of the Filipinos, who saw the approach of the gun boat and left in +haste for the mountains.</p> + +<p>Our boat grounded and we had to wade out a distance of two hundred +yards. The bottom of the lake was uneven and by the time land was +reached we were wet from running into holes of deep water. On reaching +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 on the +mountains. When we left they returned, but before going we burned some +large buildings in which supplies were stored, mostly rice and sugar. We +returned to the gunboat and cascos late that evening.</p> + +<p>Captain Grant, of the gunboat, wanted to go about thirty miles up the +bay from Santa Cruz. We made the run in three hours. It was a very +bright moonlight night. The objective point was reached about eight +o'clock. On getting very close to shore an old priest was seen on the +dock waving a big white flag, which he continued to wave until we +landed. Captain Pratt took an interpreter with him and learned from the +old<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> 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 landing, but returned when the +old priest rang the church bell as a signal that all was well. We were +preparing to sleep in their bamboo houses, but Captain Pratt, fearing +some treachery, ordered us to the cascos and gunboat to sleep, but as we +were wet and muddy large camp fires were built where we could dry and +eat our salmon and hard tack before going on the boats.</p> + +<p>We had had some hard service for four days and felt very much like +sleeping, but the boats rolled and plunged until we could not sleep. We +were in a dangerous place. 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 did not appear to have +any arms. Next morning two cascos were loaded with captured wood and we +left this place to go down and across the lake to take another town.</p> + +<p>Our boats were anchored two miles out and an armed detail sent out in a +small launch to reconnoitre. It was found to be too strong for our +forces. A strong fort and almost three thousand Filipinos were in the +town. We remained in front of this place until the next morning watching +for Aguinaldo's gunboats. He had four in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> 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 pursue this vessel, as our +boat was slow of speed and night was coming on. Nothing more was seen +during the night and next morning we went down the lake to the Pasig +river, which is the lake's outlet. Going down the river about five miles +we awaited orders from Manila.</p> + +<p>We were out on this expedition for ten days, part of this time on the +Laguna de Bay and the remainder in the Pasig river.</p> + +<p>We had a good time after starting back towards Manila, but little to do +and less to care for. While awaiting orders on the river we consumed a +great deal of time hunting chickens and ducks. These were very plentiful +and easily caught. We fared well on these every day for a week. We also +killed all the hogs that were necessary to supply 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 expectations of a good meal were exploded by +finding that the pigs were spoiled. After that we profited by that +experience and always ate our hogs as soon as they could be prepared. +The trouble about keeping fresh meat there was the hot, moist <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>climate. +This would soon spoil it, especially if not dressed immediately after +being killed.</p> + +<p>On the ninth day of this expedition about twenty-five men went out on a +hunt for porkers. Six very good-sized ones were secured by this party, +to which I belonged. Another 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 party of soldiers caught +fifteen of these while the hogs and ducks were being secured. These +three parties returned about the same time loaded with the spoils of the +chase.</p> + +<p>The cooks tried to please every one and set us at dressing our game. +They cooked every hog, chicken and duck for dinner that day. There were +about ninety men in this company. This was one of the last three days +out on this expedition of ten days. The other seven were very rough and +hard ones for us.</p> + +<p>One night some of the men made a new arrangement about sleeping. The day +had been hot and clear and the open air was desirable to sleep in where +we could enjoy the full benefit of a nice cool breeze 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. Captain Grant looked out on deck at our +positions and said: "Boys, look out up there tonight. It rains here in +this country sometimes." The sky was almost cloudless and we thought +nothing of rain.</p> + +<p>About two o'clock I awoke, thoroughly drenched,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> and the rain falling as +fast as I ever saw it in my life. Any one who has not seen it rain in a +hot country has an inadequate idea how hard a tropical rain really is. +My blanket was perfectly wet and the water was standing on one side of +me in a pool. 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 it and resulted in severe colds in every +instance. The twenty-fourth of March we were about fifteen miles from +Manila, up the Pasig river, awaiting orders. The Pasig river is deep and +wide, large steamers being able to traverse its waters. A strong under +current made swimming difficult and dangerous.</p> + +<p>Observing some soldiers across the river at a deserted bamboo village I +decided to go over to them. I set out and swam till tired. Looking back +I discovered that I was about half way across the river. I swam until I +was almost too exhausted to raise one hand above the other. I could not +tell whether I was moving or not, except, perhaps, down stream.</p> + +<p>I was in a critical condition, but did not give up nor get excited. Had +I done so I believe that I would have drowned. I know of about twenty +soldiers who were drowned while trying to swim across the Pasig river.</p> + +<p>By struggling with all my strength I succeeded in getting across. I did +not know how I could get back without swimming and I decided not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> to try +that. I was very exhausted and rested and planned a long time. Finally I +found a piece of plank and getting on that I went across all right. This +experience was sufficient for me, and after that I never went into water +too deep to wade.</p> + +<p>We left our river post and went into Manila. On the way down the river +we met with an accident that might have been fatal to about fifty men. A +casco had been captured in the Laguna de Bay, and about fifty men, +including myself, went on board the captured vessel and were being towed +into Manila by a launch. Our vessels had to pass under the Bridge of +Spain. The captured boat was too high 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 my back in a close, narrow place where there was just enough +room for me to wedge into. The casco was being pulled to pieces against +the bridge and as it went farther under the bridge the rudder beam was +pushed around over me with such force that it left grooves in a piece of +timber not more than an inch above my face. It was that piece of timber +that saved me from being crushed to death.</p> + +<p>After the excitement had subsided a little I found that I had been +struck on one side and hurt, but only slightly. The launch tore loose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> +from the casco and before it could again be fastened another accident +threatened us. Several large sailing vessels lay at anchor along the +river and the casco was about to run into them. This accident was +avoided and we were landed and marched into the walled city of Manila.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Our</span> company arrived at Manila on the night of March 24, 1899. The next +night our regiment was ordered out to re-enforce the volunteers in +capturing Malabon. This town was full of Filipinos, who were fighting +the volunteer forces then trying to capture the town. Our forces marched +to the north of the town and camped. Every soldier had to cook his own +provisions, if he ate any that were cooked. The march from Manila to our +camp was twelve miles. Every man carried one hundred rounds of +cartridges, knapsack and his provisions. The site of our camp was on the +bank of the Malabon river, which was reached at sunset. We had to cross +the river before camping and the only chance was to wade or swim. Some +could wade, but those who were short had to swim. We wanted to cross +without getting our blankets and provisions wet, but some were more +unfortunate and lost them. I tied my blanket and provisions to the +bayonet fixed on my rifle and crossed with them dry, but my person +suffered by the water and mud. Night had come on by the time the +regiment reached the camping side of the river and guards had to be put +on duty at once. Our blankets were piled up for no further service while +we were out on this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>expedition; the men, wet and muddy, had to pass the +night the best they could. There were supposed to be from 3,000 to 4,000 +Filipinos near by and our night camp was a hazardous one. Everything +must be done with the utmost caution.</p> + +<p>The men, wet and muddy, fought mosquitoes all night and had no rest. The +Filipinos could be heard all night busily tearing up the railroad track +and destroying a bridge a few hundred yards from us. They dug pits in +the ground and built fires in them, over which the track rails were +placed till hot enough to easily bend. Bending the rails, they thought, +prevented the Americans from using them again in shipping supplies over +the road. The site of our camp was a low, mucky place on the river bank, +where mosquitoes literally filled the air.</p> + +<p>That was the hardest night on me of all the nights of two years' service +in the Philippine Islands. I was so sleepy and tired next morning that I +could scarcely hold up my head, and my condition seemed to be no worse +than that of every other soldier in the regiment. Mosquitoes had bitten +me through my trousers and brought blood. Frequently I have been +sleeping after a hard day's service when the mosquitoes would bite my +face and the blood run out and dry up in hard drops. When I could not +get water to wash off these places I would scratch them off. In some +cases these bites were poisonous. I have seen soldiers with large sores, +caused by scratching mosquito bites. I was cautious about poisoning +during my service in the Philippines.</p> + +<p>The morning of the 26th, about four o'clock,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> I saw from my post, where +I had been all night, a big fire in the direction of Malabon. The +Filipinos had fired the town and left it. It was our purpose to capture +the place and take some forts on the river, but the tricky Filipinos +preferred burning their town to surrendering it to the hated Americans.</p> + +<p>Our forces took up the advance on the enemy, who stubbornly resisted us +from ten o'clock in the morning until four in the evening, when they +retired to Malinto and took another stand behind a stone wall and held +this position until driven from it by a charge. We had to advance up a +long slope of open ground for one and a half miles. Firing was kept up +rapidly all the way. The enemy was driven out and the town taken. About +thirty men were killed and wounded on the American side. The enemy's +loss was not known, but must have been very heavy.</p> + +<p>One poor fellow who was among the wounded in this battle I remember very +distinctly. He was first sergeant of Company G, Twenty-second Regiment. +He was shot through the head. The doctor dressing the wounds as he came +to the wounded saw this sergeant and said there was no use to do +anything for him, that he would die in a few minutes. The wounded man +replied that he would live longer than the doctor would and wanted his +wounds dressed. He lay there and talked to his comrades, who were around +him, and cursed the doctor for neglecting him. He remained in this +condition an hour or two and died.</p> + +<p>After a short rest in Malinto we marched about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> one mile south and back +to Malinto again. That night we marched to a point near a station on the +Manita and Dagupan Railroad and camped. We were then about eight miles +from Manila, and opposite Malabon, which is off the railroad and on the +beach near the mouth of the Malabon river. Our camp was located more +than two miles from where we had left our blankets that morning on going +into battle. A detail of ten men, including myself, was made out to go +after the blankets. They were obtained and we returned to camp with them +about ten o'clock that night. We had to cook our rations for supper +after our return, but being rather a frugal meal of easy preparation but +little time was required to prepare it; frying some bacon in mess kits +composed all the cooking; hard tack and canned tomatoes composed the +remainder of the meal. The ground with the starry heavens overhead and +one blanket was both house and bed. The next day we marched into Manila, +arriving about twelve o'clock. We remained there doing guard duty till +the 30th day of March.</p> + +<p>In the evening of the 29th orders were read out to provide three days' +rations, fill our canteens and each man to be furnished with one hundred +and fifty cartridges. We all expected a battle and were anxious for it, +but did not know where we were most likely to get it. Every one was busy +and anxious to be marching, especially the officers, who usually could +hardly wait for the time to come after receiving orders to march.</p> + +<p>We were to have supper on this occasion at five o'clock, but all we had +were some scraps and crumbs from the camp kitchen.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p><p>Our orders were to march to Maricana, which was held by the enemy. We +marched twelve miles before camping. It rained before we started out +from Manila and cleared up, but left the roads very muddy and made +marching very hard. The twelve miles were made by ten o'clock. That +night the wet ground served as couch and one blanket as all the +covering. We had to recline, if we lay down at all, with gun and belt at +our side, ready at a moment's notice to meet the enemy's attack should +they swoop down upon us in camp. After a halt of six hours we set about +at four o'clock preparing breakfast, every man cooking his own rations +in camp kit and making coffee in a quart cup.</p> + +<p>Men were gathered around their little fires of wet wood on the damp +ground trying to burn wet wood and cook over the little fire it made. +Some of the hungry men had just succeeded in getting their fires to burn +and commenced to cook when orders were given to prepare for the march to +Maricana, which we were expected to capture that day and to take the +Filipinos prisoners or drive them into the neighboring mountains. It is +needless to say that those men who failed to get their breakfast were +ready to fight. They had an opportunity before many hours passed.</p> + +<p>From the camp it was five miles to Maricana. The march began at +four-thirty, while it was still dark, and we could move unseen by any of +the enemy who chanced to be lurking in our vicinity. We marched through +the woods and without speaking above a whisper marched close to the +enemy before we were discovered. Their sentinels<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> in the church towers +were the first to discover our approach and give the alarm by ringing +the bells.</p> + +<p>Maricana is located on the bank of a river and we advanced within one +hundred and fifty yards of the opposite bank before we were discovered. +We advanced at double time and reached the river bank, when we lay down +and opened fire just as the early daylight was appearing. Our skirmish +line covered the whole town, in which the enemy were stationed as a +reserve force to their advanced lines along the river. This advance, or +outer line of the enemy, were fortified behind a stone wall. Our line +was at the disadvantage of being in the open ground. The lines thus +formed were hotly engaged for some time when the command was given to +cross the river and charge the enemy's lines. The river bank in front of +me was about ten feet high, but this offered no obstacle to me when +bullets were falling thick and fast near by. At the command to cross I +jumped and somehow got down the bank and into the water. Looking back I +saw no one else coming. The bullets were coming around me so fast I had +no time to form any plans and I pushed on into the water until it was +almost over my head. I remained in this condition until I saw my command +crossing about one hundred yards below me. I could not get out on the +bank to go down and decided I would wade down to the crossing place and +join our forces there. I was almost exhausted when I reached the shore. +The enemy, seeing our intentions to attack their line, remained behind +the stone wall and fired at us<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> until we were nearly across. Then they +could stay there no longer and fled from their strong position. We +crossed and entered the town, capturing five armed men. The enemy beat a +hasty retreat, rather a pell-mell flight across the open country towards +the mountains, at whose bay they had entrenchments and a large reserve +force. The fight lasted from daylight till about two o'clock in the +evening. The battle of Maricana was as hard as any fought in the +Philippine Islands. About three thousand American soldiers were engaged. +Several were killed and a great many of the Filipinos.</p> + +<p>When an American was wounded his wound was dressed and some soldier's +blue shirt hung up near him to designate the place where a wounded +American was. In this way no one would be left on the field after the +battle when the dead and wounded were picked up.</p> + +<p>The Filipinos were not so well cared for. I saw a great many soldiers +run out of their way in order to step on a dead or wounded Filipino. +They would shout with joy at their punishment of the poor Filipino.</p> + +<p>I was near three Americans who were shot that day; two of them were +killed. The one who recovered was a member of my company. A ball passed +through his body, entering the back and passing out on the right side. +It didn't seem possible for him to live, but in one month he was again +at his post of duty. A lieutenant of the Fourth Infantry had his horse +killed under him. Jumping off he took out his field glasses and got on +his knees and began looking for sharpshooters.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> In less than a minute he +was shot through the heart and fell dead without speaking. I thought +every second I would get a bullet, for they were flying so thick and +close that I did not see how I could escape them. Before the battle was +over I wished I might be shot, for I never was so nearly dead in all my +life. My condition did not appear to be any worse than that of every +other American soldier.</p> + +<p>We were run almost to exhaustion and were awfully hot. I drank water +that day from ditches and holes when the water looked green and tasted +very badly. I knew the water was filthy and even dangerous to drink, but +I was not going to die for water when there was plenty of it near by. +During the heat of the battle I was lying down near an old soldier. We +were both trying to get cover. We were fighting hard with no protection +but the ridges in a large rice field which we were fighting over. Our +firing line was in a line of skirmishers. A bullet hit the ground in +front and between the old soldier and where I lay. It knocked dirt in +our faces. The old soldier looked at me and appeared to be very much +frightened. I only laughed at his funny looks. Before I got away from +that position I felt a hard shock on my chest. I thought that I was shot +at last and put my hand up to examine the wound. Finding myself all +right I looked at the ridge and saw what it all meant. A bullet was +buried in the ridge. I dug it out with my bayonet and kept it, and I +have it yet as a souvenir of that day's battle. I have several more +bullets<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> which struck near me at different times and places. All of +these I treasure, for I do not expect to get any more bullets just as I +did these.</p> + +<p>The American loss at Maricana was twenty-four killed and nineteen +wounded.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">After</span> leaving the battlefield we returned to the camp we had left that +morning. The whole force was almost exhausted by the day's service and +marching was a slow, burdensome task. A great many men lost their +provisions in the battle or in crossing the river. Mine was lost in the +river together with my mess kit, canteen and haversack. Those who were +fortunate enough not to lose their rations of canned beef and hard tack +were enjoying a hasty meal. At this juncture orders from Manila were to +march to Caloocan Church that night, a distance of about twenty-three +miles. It was then getting late in the evening and this march to be made +before camping was not very pleasant news to already footsore and tired +soldiers. Before marching out of sight of our camp men began falling +out. I marched about half an hour and had to fall out of ranks and +straggle along as best I could. My company set out for Caloocan with one +hundred and twenty-eight men, only eighteen of whom marched through that +night. The others were scattered along the route, footsore and worn out. +Many of them pulled off their shoes to relieve their blistered feet and +marched barefooted and carried their shoes in their hands, and, like +myself, stopping almost every hundred<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> yards to rest a few minutes. We +were afraid to stop long at a time. We would have become too sore and +stiff to move.</p> + +<p>We continued to move along in this tedious, toilsome way as rapidly as +possible. My party of three were proceeding as best we could. In the +darkness of the night we lost our way by taking the wrong road and went +into a small town, where we found a few white men, one of them a doctor +belonging to the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers. He made many +inquiries about us and our regiment and asked all about the battle +fought that day. He looked after our welfare by providing us with +shelter and beds, but there was something else we wanted before +sleeping. We were perishing for food and all we had between us was a +small can of bacon, a ten cent United States coin and one small Spanish +coin (a paseado). With these we went out to buy bread. We found a +Chinaman and bought a piece of bread that was so hard we could scarcely +eat it, but we made a very good meal on that and the bacon.</p> + +<p>We slept on a good spring bed and I awoke next morning in the position I +was in when I fell asleep. I was so stiff and sore that it was miserable +to have to move. After breakfast we went into Manila and took the +railroad for our command.</p> + +<p>A number of soldiers arrived after we did and reported for duty. All the +provisions that I ate on this expedition, which lasted three days, would +not have made more than one good meal. Before my party reported at +Caloocan one of the other<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> two and myself were reported captured by the +Filipinos, or lost. That night we all went back into Manila to resume +guard and patrol duty. Police duty was all done by soldiers until a +force of Macabees was organized. The Macabees are enemies of the +Filipinos, and soon became our allies and were very good soldiers and +police.</p> + +<p>Manila has a population of nearly 400,000 people of different tribes and +nationalities. It is the capital of Luzon and the most important city of +the Philippine Islands. The energy and enterprise is due to foreigners. +There are several miles of narrow gauge street railroad and a system of +electric lights.</p> + +<p>To mingle with these people it is necessary to know two or three +languages, if not more. Spanish is the prevailing language. Most of the +business men can speak several languages.</p> + +<p>The Chinese are the filthiest people there. I have seen hundreds of them +living in their workhouses where a stench was arising too great for a +white man to approach. These filthy people cook, eat and sleep all in +this filthy hole. Their principal food is rice and soup. One dollar of +United States currency will buy enough for one person to live on a whole +month. When the Americans first entered Manila it was very filthy. The +air reeked from the accumulation of filth during the siege of the city. +This made the place a little worse than usual. It took the soldiers +three months to clean out and clear out the streets.</p> + +<p>The only thing apparently that kept down a great deal of disease and +death is the continual blowing of the sea breeze.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p><p>Those killed in battle outside the city had been carried in and buried +in shallow holes, or probably I would be more correct in saying, about +half covered with earth and left that way for dogs to scratch up and +pull about by the arms and legs.</p> + +<p>I have seen dead Filipinos carried out of the hospital, thrown on carts +and carried to the burying ground and handled like dead hogs. They would +be covered a little and left to the dogs. I don't believe I ever looked +towards the place without seeing dogs there eating and pulling the +bodies about.</p> + +<p>Hundreds of beggars are to be seen squatted down at all public places +and on the street corners. They do not sit down like Americans. This is +the case with all the natives. They sit in a peculiar, squatting way, +which is positively tiring to any one else but these natives.</p> + +<p>The Filipino men wear trousers rolled up high and a long white shirt of +very thin material, the tail hanging out over the trousers like a +sweater. They wear nothing on the feet and most of them wear nothing on +the head. They are not fond of clothing, and many wear very little, +almost going nude. They find a great deal of pleasure in the possession +of a gun and it seems that they are content with a gun, fighting and +running in the mountains. They care little for life and will fight till +killed.</p> + +<p>A squad of Filipinos was captured near Manila by some of the Fourteenth +Infantry; when they were approached to give over their guns to the +soldiers they would make a motion like giving up a gun, but instead jump +back and attempt to shoot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> a soldier. If he succeeded in shooting an +American some other American would shoot the Filipino. Several were +killed in this manner.</p> + +<p>When a Filipino is captured his greatest desire is to keep possession of +his gun, and sometimes fight for its possession after being captured.</p> + +<p>The Filipinos are a natural race of gamblers; they gamble and trade, +many of them, for a living, refusing to work as long as they can get +anything to eat without working for it. Their principal cause for +idleness is the cheapness of their living, rice and fish being their +principal food. They will catch fish and throw them in the hot sun for +two or three days; they are then taken up and smoked and burned a few +minutes over some coals and chunks, and then eaten.</p> + +<p>If any Americans are watching them they will say, "mucho chico wino," +while eating this delicacy of their indolence and filth. The Filipinos +and native tribes are extremely filthy in their eating, as well as +everything else; they eat almost anything that an American will refuse +to eat.</p> + +<p>The Macabees is another negro tribe on the Island of Luzon. They are a +much better people than the Filipinos and more intelligent. This tribe +is hostile to the Filipinos, and fight them whenever an opportunity is +offered.</p> + +<p>Two regiments of the Macabees were organized and equipped by the +Americans, and placed in the field against the Filipinos, and they made +very good soldiers.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">I missed</span> being placed on a detail of twenty-five men to serve on a +gunboat; I wished to get out on some kind of service and leave the +regular and dull service in Manila. I missed this detail in all +probability by being out in the town when the detail was being made out. +I tried to get on when I returned, but failed, the detail having been +made out already. This detail from my company saw much more service than +those remaining in the company.</p> + +<p>Their discharges show a record of more than a dozen engagements. They +served in this detail five months, and had plenty of hard service. They +were only paid once during the five months; a few of them, however, were +not paid until discharged, if I was correctly informed. Their +descriptive list was lost, causing two men to have to serve ten days +longer than they enlisted to serve.</p> + +<p>Much "kicking" was done by men in other parts of the service who were +not paid for a year or more, but all to no purpose.</p> + +<p>I was on the alert for another detail to be made and to get on. At last +I succeeded, on the tenth day of April, in getting on a detail of only +ten men to perform guard duty on a dredge boat that was dredging at the +mouth of the Malabon river. This<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> was twenty miles from Manila. The +object of the dredging was to make a channel in the shallow water at the +river's mouth sufficient to enable gun boats to enter the river, which +was deeper after leaving its mouth. This was very slow work, requiring a +great deal of time and labor to perform it. This dreging had been going +on for a month. We were on duty there for ten days, and, judging by what +I saw, it must have required two months' more work to open the desired +channel.</p> + +<p>From our station numbers of natives could be seen on shore, and passing +up and down the river. It seemed that the country was full of Filipinos.</p> + +<p>We watched them a great deal. Their methods of catching fish was very +interesting to us. They never used a pole, hook and line as we would. At +night great crowds could be seen, each one in a boat, and carrying a big +torch. They would be near the beach, going out but a little way from the +edge of the water; they would beat and splash in the water, and drive +the fish into large traps or nets, just like a hunter driving quail into +a net, only the fishermen were more noisy.</p> + +<p>After beating the water and banks until it was supposed the fish had +gone into the net, or trap, they were left in it until next day, when +they were seined out. Great quantities were caught in this way.</p> + +<p>Another method of fishing was to get in a boat with a long gig and move +the boat slowly, and when a fish was near enough gig it. The large fine +fish were only caught in this way.</p> + +<p>Our detail returned to Manila in the evening of April tenth, and +remained there until that portion<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> of the 23d Regiment was ordered to +the Island of Jolo, where we started on the seventeenth day of May. I +had been in the old walled city of Manila a little more than six months; +part of my regiment had been there ten months. We had had very hard +service there, and the close confinement, almost like imprisonment, made +us glad to change, and held out a hope that we would find easier service +and more interesting.</p> + +<p>The wall of the old city of Manila extended entirely around the old +city. The sally ports and all the streets were always guarded until no +soldier could go outside without exhibiting a pass to the guards signed +by the company and commanding officers. All the time that I was +stationed there I was never out without the required pass.</p> + +<p>Guards were stationed on top of the wall, and made it unsafe to try to +climb it to get out, although I have seen this done by means of a rope; +men would pass out this way and stay out as late as they wished to and +return.</p> + +<p>This was not safe. Even the guards did not discover the attempt, for the +wall was not less than thirty feet high, some places even higher, and +forty feet wide. Stone houses are built in this wall, and used for +military stores. On top of the wall on the sea-side were three hundred +large cannon when the city was surrendered to the Americans. Around the +old Spanish arsenal about two acres were covered with cannon balls, +guns, bayonets and rifles, all scattered about in a mass until it was +difficult to get over the ground. It required two months of the +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>American's time to pile up and arrange these munitions of war +surrendered by the Spanish.</p> + +<p>After the treaty of peace all these were returned to Spain.</p> + +<p>A great many Spaniards live in Manila, and are subjects of Spain. They +have some very peculiar customs. One that came to my notice is that of +the courtship of a Spanish youth and his sweetheart.</p> + +<p>The young man is not permitted to enter his sweetheart's home, but +stands on the outside and makes love to her though the iron bars of a +window. I saw a great deal of this before I learned what it all meant.</p> + +<p>The Spanish seemed to have a very bitter hatred for all Americans just +after the fall of Manila. When we first entered the city the Spanish +women would throw anything that menaced us in passing the streets, from +their windows. They would do anything to harass and endanger the lives +of Americans that they could think of without exposing themselves too +much. Starvation was staring them in the face when the city was +surrendered. They had been reduced to rice almost wholly for sustenance. +The pay of the Spanish soldiers was very small. I was informed that it +was only six dollars Spanish per month, equivalent to only three dollars +of United States currency. Yet this meagre sum had not been paid for +several months.</p> + +<p>A Spaniard is not a very frank, attractive looking fellow to an American +soldier. He has a sneaking countenance, and a disposition out of harmony +with that of the American. However,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> this opinion may be modified +somewhat with those able to speak Spanish and become better acquainted +with them. Being unable to speak their language I was barred from this +possibility.</p> + +<p>Luzon and some other large islands are very fertile, and under proper +agricultural management would yield millions and blossom as the rose, +but as yet they are blighted by the uncivilized natives. A man would be +taking his life in his hands to go out into the country and try to +engage in anything. As conditions existed when I was there, bands of +hostile Filipinos were scouring the whole interior, and frequently were +bold enough to raid near the American posts, leaving devastation +wherever they went. The soil is very fertile, a warm temperature and +plenty of water to irrigate with if desired for that purpose.</p> + +<p>The natives use the most crude implements, and have but very little +knowledge of farming, and are too indolent to put into practice what +little they do know of soils and crops. It seems to make little +difference what season they plant in. The climate is always warm, most +of the year extremely hot; too hot for an American or white man, to +labor in. It is just the climate that suits the negro. Chinese and +negroes work for fifty and sixty cents per day.</p> + +<p>A very fine tobacco is raised, and most of it exported. A cigar factory +in Manila manufactures a great quantity of cigars.</p> + +<p>Rice is easily raised, and is the principal food of the natives.</p> + +<p>The rough rice is husked in a very crude way;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> a wooden trough, or dug +out, is used to put the rough rice in, and chunks of wood are taken in +the hands, and the rice is pounded with these until the husks are all +broken off, the rice taken out and separated from the husks.</p> + +<p>Sugar is an important crop, and is extensively raised. No less than +fifteen sugar mills could be counted from the top of the walls of the +city of Manila.</p> + +<p>Under improved methods of agriculture that country would be a wonderful +one in the production of sugar and rice.</p> + +<p>The Philippines will, in all probability, become important in the near +future in the production of minerals, principally gold. There are some +very good veins of gold ore in the mountains of Luzon, some of which I +saw myself. Several pieces of stone on which gold was easily seen, were +picked up by the men of my regiment. I saw rocks with both gold and +silver in them. The men would not tell just where they had found them. +They probably thought that at some time, after their service expired, +they would return and work the places found.</p> + +<p>I knew one man, an old, experienced miner, who would spend the Sundays +out in the hills and around the foot of them, where he was not exposed +too much to the enemy, prospecting for gold. He was successful in +finding good indications of rich minerals. He appeared to make a +confidant of me. At one time he showed me a lot of gold and some silver +that he had found out on his prospecting tours, but would not tell me +where they came from. He told me that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> when he was discharged he +intended to return and work the mines. I knew that the paymaster had +considerable money belonging to this old miner, who told me he should +invest it in the mines, and in purchasing mining machinery.</p> + +<p>I saw and heard enough to cause me to believe that when the natives are +civilized, and when men would be safe in the mountains, that the mines +in the Philippines will attract more people than the Klondike ever did. +There are advantages in the Philippines which are not found in the +Klondike region, the most important being the climate, not considering +the quality of the mines, which I believe to be equal to that of the +Klondike.</p> + +<p>The mountain regions are rich in various minerals.</p> + +<p>In the Island of Mindanao coal has been mined ever since Americans have +been there.</p> + +<p>This country will find out in a few years what is in the Philippines. I +believe it is a rich country. Almost anything can be raised that is +desired in the line of field and garden crops; fine timber is plentiful +and saw mills are yet unknown. I don't believe there is a saw mill in +the Island of Luzon. All sawed timber is imported that is used at +present; not much is used in building as most of the houses are built of +stone or bamboo. The frame buildings which we have in America are never +seen there. All the native houses and small towns are built of bamboo, +and covered with grass. The bamboo grows very large, the joints are two +and three feet long, and some of the larger bamboos are as large as a +common tree.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> They are the same thing that people in this country know +as canes, the difference being in their size only. Houses are built of +bamboo without the use of nails. Nothing for flooring but the naked +earth. Split bamboo is worked into the houses fastening the whole +together. I have seen the natives build houses, and have no other tool +than a large knife. The roof of grass is fastened on with strips of +bamboo, and is three to four inches thick. This roof is superior, in +point of comfort, in a hot country, to that of anything I ever saw. I +have been in the hot sun and in metal roofed buildings, and on going +into a grass covered house the difference was noticeable immediately, +the grass roofed house being much cooler.</p> + +<p>Manila is built of stone; the buildings look very old, but are good yet.</p> + +<p>One night when the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment was on police duty, and +no one was allowed on the streets after seven o'clock at night, with a +fellow soldier I started out to go to a dance outside of the city walls; +we knew that if we were caught we would be court martialed. To avoid all +the risk possible we went out before seven o'clock, and took chances on +getting back to quarters safely. We could not return to our quarters +without passing sentinels, that much was certain, but how to pass them +safely was the question then most important to us. I had an army pistol, +and with that in my hand I directed my friend to play the part of a +prisoner and march before me. We proceeded in that way only a short +distance when a guard halted us. I explained that I had a prisoner +carrying him to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> headquarters. The guards were to see orders for a pass +or whatever orders I might have, but this one allowed me to pass on with +my prisoner without showing any orders. We passed in by all the guards +and patrols on the streets, and were halted and some questions asked and +answered, but none of them asked to see any orders regarding my +prisoner, who all the time was just in front of me. I was afraid that +every guard and patrol would demand my orders, and then our scheme would +fail, and we would be in trouble. I told them it was late and I must +hurry in with my prisoner, and so we passed them all and reached our +quarters in safety. The men worked a great many schemes to get out and +in, but it was for my friend and myself to play the part of prisoner and +guard first.</p> + +<p>I never tried any more schemes on the guards, but was always in at +night; I did not like to risk so much just for a little fun. We were +very careful about keeping our little scheme from the officers, but told +some of our comrades about it, and enjoyed the joke with them.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">On</span> the seventeenth day of May the Thirteenth Regiment and two battalions +of the 23d Regiment went on board the Spanish transport, "Leon," and +sailed for the Island of Jolo.</p> + +<p>I was a member of one of the battalions of the 23d. We boarded the +"Leon" under a Spanish crew and sailed under the Spanish flag. The +"Leon" was a large vessel of rapid speed, and made the run from Manila +to the Island of Jolo in a little more than forty-eight hours, a +distance of 800 miles south of Manila. Land was in sight almost the +entire voyage. We passed through straits and seas, by Iloilo on the +Island of Panay, Cebu, Negros Island, through the sea of Jolo to +Zamboanga on the Island of Mindanao, and to Jolo. The group of islands +forming the Sulu Archipelago is the southern islands of the Philippines. +The "Leon" sailed into the Jolo Bay in the evening on the nineteenth of +May. A large force of Spanish soldiers was stationed in the town +performing garrison duty. Our force was to relieve them, and they were +to return to Spain on the transport "Leon." On the twentieth of May we +went ashore. The Spanish soldiers seemed to be very glad to be relieved +and return to Spain.</p> + +<p>The garrison was short of rations, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> soldiers were living very +hard when we relieved them. These Spanish soldiers were the last who +left the Philippines for Spain.</p> + +<p>We were landed in small boats, which could not carry very many men. The +boats were rowed by Chinese. All supplies have to be carried in by these +small boats. It is a very slow and tedious piece of work to land the +contents of a large ship, and requires several days to do the work.</p> + +<p>Captain Pratt was in command, and Company E was ordered out to the block +house, which stands about one thousand yards back of Jolo, and towards +the mountains. A guard detail was made out, and the Spanish soldiers +were relieved. I relieved the first Spanish of his post at Jolo. When I +approached him he began to speak in Spanish and tried to make me +understand what, I supposed, were his orders he was turning over to me. +I could not understand him, and told him to go. Of course I had enough +orders without his, if that was what he was trying to explain to me.</p> + +<p>The Spanish went to work with a rush getting everything ready to leave. +They had been there for a long time. I learned that the commanding +officer, who was an old man, had been there twenty-eight years. In the +evening at two o'clock the Spanish flag on the block house was hauled +down by the Spanish soldiers and the Americans unfurled to the breeze +the Stars and Stripes. The Spanish seemed to be very much grieved, the +officers wept; the Americans were jubilant. Everything passed into our +hands, and the various responsibilities of the place with all its +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>dangers also passed to us. The natives, who belong to the Mono tribe, +are treacherous. We knew nothing about them and their intentions. Guards +were put on duty at once, six being around the block house so that a +Morro could not get in if the attempt were made to enter it, and thus +made it a place of security to our troops. The Morros a few years ago +massacred more than one hundred Spanish soldiers in the block house +Astora. It was a cruel and treacherous piece of cunning of savage +barbarians. The Morros had been warring against the authority of Spain, +and causing the Spanish troops much trouble. At last apparently tired of +rebelling, the Morros agreed to make peace with the Spanish. According +to an ancient custom of the Morros, when making peace with an enemy they +would give pearls or some other gift to their enemy. The captain of that +Morro company was going to make peace, according to this custom, and +taking some fine pearls and a body guard of one hundred of his men he +entered the enclosure where the Spanish soldiers were lined up in two +columns with unloaded arms to receive them. The Morro captain and his +body guard marched between these lines, and as the guard neared the +Spanish captain the Morro advanced with his pearls, and getting near the +Spaniard instead of giving him the pearls he quickly drew his sword and +dealt the Spanish captain a death blow. The Morros, who understood the +prearranged treachery, opened fire on the Spaniards, who were helpless +with unloaded guns, and the entire garrison of more than one hundred men +was massacred except one man,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> who, in the noise and consternation, +succeeded in crawling into a sewer pipe, and through it into a big +stream of water, and escaped without injury. The Morros gave the Spanish +a great deal of trouble, probably as much as any other tribe of the +Philippines. The Morros have a bad record. I believe that I had rather +fight the other tribes than the Morros; they are more treacherous than +other tribes. They go armed all the time with the bolo, a large knife +carried in a wooden scabbard. From the oldest man down to little boys, +they all carry the bolo or a big knife. I have seen old men, so feeble +they could scarcely walk, carrying a fine bolo. They will not part with +them day or night, but keep them as their only friend, refusing to let +any one take them from their hands to merely look at them. These arms +are very fine, and range in cost from five to fifty dollars. They are +manufactured of the very finest steel, the handle of many of them is +made of silver and finely engraved. The edge is kept very sharp. The +blow of this dangerous weapon is generally enough to kill a man. I was +informed that a Morro never struck his enemy but two blows with his +bolo, one on each side; if that did not disable him the Morro would run +for his life.</p> + +<p>A steel armor is worn by a few of them, to furnish protection to their +bodies. But most of the tribe would rather risk their life than wear +anything, even clothing. Only a piece of cloth is worn around the waist +and loins. In this piece of cloth is carried a box containing a stuff to +chew called beadle nut. Only the married men are allowed to use this, as +they have a law <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>prohibiting its use by the single men. It is a soft +green nut growing on a tree which looks very much like a hickory tree. A +piece of the nut is placed on a leaf, which is always carried in the +chewing box, and some salve is also placed on the leaf, then the piece +of nut and the salve is rolled up in the leaf, and the chew is ready for +use. The married men can be very easily distinguished from the unmarried +ones simply by the use of this, which makes the chewer's mouth as red as +red paint and the teeth black. The teeth of the single men are very +white, but just as soon as one marries he begins chewing beadle nuts, +making his mouth red and teeth black in a few days. Their marriage +customs are not exactly like ours in America. A Morro can marry a woman, +or buy one for a price ranging from fifty dollars up to one hundred and +twenty-five dollars. After marrying a woman or buying one, if she +doesn't suit her husband he doesn't have to wait for a court to set +aside the marriage, but can simply let her go and proceed to get another +in the same manner.</p> + +<p>The men are prohibited from having a plurality of wives at one time, but +are allowed to have just as many as they desire, simply getting rid of +one and then getting another.</p> + +<p>The women wear big legged trousers, which only reach down to the knees. +Sometimes women are seen with more clothes on, but they look as if they +were torn almost off. The clothing of both men and women is worn out +before they ever change. A few who lived in the towns wore more clothing +than those in the country. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> men wore pants which seemed to cling to +the skin, they were so tight. Those in town were no cleaner than +outsiders. They get so filthy and slick that an American can smell one +as far almost as he can see. The more clothes a Morro wears the filthier +he is. Those wearing no clothing, except the girdle around the loins, +are the less filthy. Nothing is worn on the head and feet.</p> + +<p>Leprosy is a common malady, as well as numerous other diseases of the +skin. All of which doubtless arises from the filthy habits of the +people. Doby itch is very common. It is a very bad skin disease, and +hard to cure when it gets a firm hold, and will have fatal results in a +few years in that warm climate. One doctor said that it would require +three or four years' careful treatment to cure an acute case of doby +itch in another climate.</p> + +<p>Almost every day I saw a bad case of it. The legs will become swollen, +and large knots and tumors cover them until walking is extremely +painful. It is easy to contract doby itch. About two weeks after I +reached Manila the first time, I discovered a small sore spot on my leg, +which looked like ringworm. I was informed that it was doby itch, and +that I should have it doctored before it spread. I began to treat it, +and it itched seemingly to the bone, and began to scatter. I would wake +at night scratching and clawing the itching spot, and lie awake for two +and three hours. I had to trim my finger nails closely to keep from +ruining my leg scratching it. It continued this way for several days +before I checked it. Many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> of our soldiers had a similar experience, +some of them much worse than mine. I guarded against it afterward, using +all the precaution I could to avoid it. A friend of mine who enlisted +when I did, caught a severe case of the doby itch which kept him in an +almost helpless condition for eight months. He was finally discharged +for disability, a wreck for life, without anything but a small pension +of about eight dollars per month.</p> + +<p>To the Morros again. There is a class whose religious teaching is that +when one of them kills seven white men he will go to a better country +when he dies. He thus makes sure of his entrance to what is heaven in +their religious belief.</p> + +<p>The Americans soon learned to distinguish one of this class, and watched +them very closely. One of them will not wait for much of a chance to +kill a white man, but will make his chance to do his deadly work. I have +seen a great many of them, and know that they attempted to kill our men +on duty as out-posts. They would not have any guns and would go to the +walls of the fort and try to scale them to get to the Americans and kill +them with bolos. Without trying to kill them the soldiers would shoot +towards them to drive them away. When one of their number dies the grave +is dug one day and early the following morning the funeral begins. Every +one carries something to eat, a big bottle full of beno (a native +beverage) and a bottle of whiskey. Four men carry the corpse on two +small poles, all the others fall in behind in column of twos and then +they proceed to the graveyard, drinking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> their beverage and enjoying +themselves. The crowd stays at the graveyard all day, and drink and +carouse until they are well filled with liquor, and all get drunk. This +is the program every time one of them is buried. It is a big picnic for +them.</p> + +<p>Once a year regularly they prepare some of the best rations they have +and carry them to the graves and leave them there through the night, +believing that these are enjoyed by the dead. I learned that this was an +ancient custom of theirs, having been learned probably from the Chinese.</p> + +<p>The Morros seem not to care for anything, not even for life. A large +number, probably two-thirds, never had any home. They did not know where +they would go, and seemed not to care.</p> + +<p>Some of the islands had two or more tribes of negroes, who would have a +governor to each tribe and make laws for themselves. If natives of one +tribe crossed the line into the territory of another and stole fruits, +cocoanuts, of anything else, and the injured tribe could catch the thief +or thieves, their heads were cut off and their bodies left on the spot. +This is according to their laws. Beheading for theft, and leaving the +bodies where they were beheaded. I have seen five or six in this +condition two or three times.</p> + +<p>One tribe would sometimes array itself against another for battle and +fight till great numbers of them were killed. Our troops stopped several +such battles by going out where they commenced to fight. As soon as we +would arrive they would stop fighting, and there seemed to be an end of +the trouble between them. They appeared to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> in great fear of our +guns. They have a few old rusty guns, which are only used to fight +enemies of other countries; never using them to fight each other with. +When General Bates made a treaty of peace with the Sultan of Jolo, the +sultan was received by General Bates the first Sunday in May, 1900; we +were drawn up in line and presented arms to his excellency. The sultan +was to maintain peace on the island of Jolo, for which he was to receive +500 dollars Mexican coin every month. We presented arms to him, and were +forced to treat him with great honors. I can assure the reader that for +myself it would have been more pleasant to have gone out to meet him on +the battlefield, and when I speak thus I feel safe to make the assertion +that many more were of the same disposition.</p> + +<p>After these formalities were over I had opportunity of examining the +guns of the sultan's body guard, also the ammunition. The guns were so +rusty that I would have considered it safer to be shot at by one of them +than to shoot the gun. The barrels were almost closed with rust.</p> + +<p>A lot of the bullets were wrapped with cloth, and stuck in the shells. +Some of the bullets were loose, and some were driven in very tight. All +of the shells had the appearance of being in use a long time, and that +they had been fired as many times as they would stand.</p> + +<p>A man was taking his life in his hands to go out into the country alone. +Many people have been killed in this way. There is a tribe that would +cut<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> off a man's head for amusement, or to see how it looks.</p> + +<p>Guards were kept on duty all the time, and no American was permitted to +go outside of the wall without having a pass. This was kept up for a +long time after we went to Jolo, and was then restricted to one thousand +yards from the fort, and no less than four men together. The Morros gave +us very little trouble, doubtless the result of extreme caution. They +never had an opportunity of making any demonstration, so it is uncertain +what they would have attempted had the opportunity been given them. They +are too treacherous to be trusted about anything whatever.</p> + +<p>They have very little knowledge of firearms; probably the only guns they +ever had, and also those of the sultan's body guard, were old, worn-out +guns given or sold to them by the Spanish. With our improved rifles I +believe that one man could withstand the attack of twenty of them armed +with bolos, that is to say, were the American in some fortification, and +opened fire on the Morros when they came in his range. They, of course, +would not fight in this way, their method being one of sneaking +treachery. They slip up behind the unsuspecting victim and behead him +with their bolo.</p> + +<p>I was anxious for them to engage the Americans in a fight. I desired to +know something more of their methods, but they seemed not to care to +fight us. They are a wandering people, seemingly with no definite +purpose. As night suits their sneaking better than open day time they do +as much traveling, or more, in the night than in the day time. They +could be seen on the hills<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> around Jolo with torches moving about all +night. When we first went to Jolo and saw these torches at night we +thought they were signals, and close watch was kept on their movements.</p> + +<p>They evidently made some preparations for resisting us at first, and +stored away such arms as they could obtain, for later I saw twenty-eight +new Mauser rifles hidden in an abandoned house on the beach. Another +soldier and I secured a pass and went, at the risk of our lives, beyond +the limit of our pass, and on this outing discovered the hidden Mausers. +We went up the beach about fifteen miles, and went into two towns where +there were a great many Morros. We watched their movements very closely, +and kept at some distance from them, and never bothered anything or any +one. They watched us very closely, and acted to us very strangely, but +made no effort to get near us. We were a little frightened and thought +it safer to get away from them, when we started on our return, the +nearest and quickest route that we could. Our pistols were no doubt the +instrument of keeping them away from us, and at the same time tempted +them to kill us to secure them.</p> + +<p>Some of the soldiers were afterwards killed, and their guns and +cartridges taken. It was very dangerous for two or three men to be out +in the woods away from any help. In the mountains of Jolo and Mindanao +are wild cannibals, who would kill and eat a white man should he be +found in their midst. We were not allowed to go out in the mountains, +but the places where we were prohibited from going by orders of the +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>commanders were the places most desirable of all for us to slip out and +go to. The dangers to us by going out were only fascinating rather than +hindering.</p> + +<p>It was my belief while there that the natives were gathering up and +storing away arms and ammunition preparatory for resisting the Americans +when they thought the proper opportunity was offered. The guns I saw +hidden in the house on the beach, and many other things, led me to this +belief. They claimed to have some big guns posted back in the mountain. +Whether this was true or not I am unable to say, for we never went to +ascertain the correctness of the story. While stationed at Jolo a vessel +arrived loaded with ammunition for the sultan. It was discovered and +taken into custody by the custom house guards.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">All</span> the larger islands have an abundance of game, wild hogs, chickens +and deer. Wild dogs are plentiful in the woods. They are very wild, +running off almost at sight of a man. At night they seem to be bolder +and come around the outside wall and howl so much that people are kept +awake all night.</p> + +<p>A detail was sent out by our commander's orders to lie in hiding and +shoot them when they approached near enough. We could see them away off +during the day in the grass, but could not get to shoot them. The only +chance for that was to hide at night and wait for them. We frequently +went out and killed a number of nice fat wild hogs and carried them in +and feasted while they lasted. These animals were very wild, like the +dogs. A man on the ground could not get near enough for a good +shot—they would discover him and run. We would climb a tree and wait +for them.</p> + +<p>The town of Siasse, on Tai Tai Island, was the station of Company H for +three months. Morros almost swarmed on the island. The captain of the +company permitted a squad of men every few days to go hog hunting when +the supply of meat began to get short. Some of the Morros were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> trusted +by the soldiers and were allowed frequently to go out with the soldiers +on a hog hunt, as these trusted ones were thought to be harmless. One +day the captain sent out five men early in the morning to hunt hogs. +They hunted until tired in the evening, when four of them sat down to +rest and play a few games of cards, while the fifth went to the beach +near by and bathed his feet.</p> + +<p>A crowd of Morros, twenty or more, gathered around the players to see +the game. The soldiers were not afraid of them doing any mischief, as +the Morros appeared friendly and quiet. As the game progressed and +became more interesting the players became less conscious of their +position, and those standing around.</p> + +<p>To be more comfortable and have better use of their bodies and limbs +their belts were taken off and laid by them with their guns. The Morros +gathered around the soldiers saw the opportunity for mischief and seized +upon it at once. They seized the soldiers' guns and belts, while six of +them drew their bolos and began their deadly work. The first soldier who +was struck with a bolo had his head cut off at one blow. The soldiers +were making a desperate fight for life against what seemed no chance for +success. Two soldiers were killed in the fight, another grabbed for his +gun; getting hold of it he received a heavy blow on the head with a +club, was cut dangerously in the neck, but succeeded in securing his gun +so that he could fire it. The firing frightened the Morros, who +commenced running. The soldier on the beach ran back where he left his +comrades when he heard the shooting, but the Morros were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> then out of +sight. Two soldiers lay on the ground dead, another was cut so much that +he bled to death before they could get him back to camp, while the one +who did the shooting had a terrible wound in his neck and had received a +heavy blow on the head.</p> + +<p>It was a long way to camp, and one boat with room enough for two +oarsmen. Night was almost on, and the situation was perilous in the +extreme. The man who was not in the fight carried the dead and wounded +men to the little boat, and set out for camp as rapidly as possible. As +above stated one more died while being carried to camp, making three +dead and another with his head almost half off. The sea was a little +rough, and only one man rowing, with a feeble help of the wounded man +with one hand, made slow progress.</p> + +<p>Camp was reached at three o'clock next morning. The wounded man +recovered but could not turn his head; when he looked around he had to +turn his whole body, and was discharged from the service for disability. +He draws a pension of thirty-six dollars per month. Next day after the +Morros killed and wounded the hunting party, sixty men were sent out to +capture the murderers. The chief of the Morros was offered a large +reward for capturing them and turning them over to the Americans. The +Morro chief captured them, turned them over to the Americans, who then +failed to pay the reward as previously promised. Six Morros were all +that were guilty; these were bound together, carried out of camp and +shot.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER XI.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">Seassa</span> is situated ninety miles south of Jolo. Few of the men liked to +be on duty there. At first entrance of our troops they had to go into +camp, as there were no barracks. Barracks were built later at Seassa and +Buangior by the soldiers stationed at these places. The captains of +those companies were mean and cruel to their men, and worked them very +hard. Some men were almost killed by the hard work at these barracks and +in the swamps cutting timbers for their construction. Some while at work +in the swamps had mud slashed in their eyes and almost put out. The mud +poisoned them. Some had their feet poisoned by the black mud. The +captains made the soldiers do the work, instead of hiring natives, and +kept the money appropriated for this work and used it for their own +benefit.</p> + +<p>A soldier had no opportunity to report such frauds. If he wrote to the +department commander to report anything without the permission of his +immediate commander he would be court martialed. And of course an +officer guilty of such conduct was not generous enough to permit a +private to report his conduct to a superior officer, and thus the +privates were ill treated by some unscrupulous officers.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p><p>The hardships of the service were greatly increased or diminished +according to the honesty and unrightness of the officers in command. A +private is only a tool in the hands of his officers, and can be managed +just as they please as long as the private remains in the service. I +always thought it better to obey all orders, agreeable or disagreeable, +and serve out my time of enlistment and get a good discharge, and then +be free and independent. I enlisted merely to get the experience of army +life, and to know just what the service really is. I found out to my +satisfaction all about the army that I cared to know. The army is all +right when its officers are all right. But many of them fall far short +of the standard—officers who will not give a private justice as he +should.</p> + +<p>A few soldiers deserted the army. I cannot blame a man much for it. Some +had good cause. But to desert the army in the Philippines and attempt to +get away from the islands is almost impossible. Any one leaving there +must have a passport to present when they attempt to go on board any +vessel, and then if the passports are not properly executed they cannot +go on board.</p> + +<p>I know of a few soldiers trying to get away, but the farthest point they +reached was Hong Kong. They would be caught very easily.</p> + +<p>The one who reached Hong Kong was apprehended by English officers and +returned to Manila and delivered to the American authorities.</p> + +<p>One man who enlisted in Manila was discovered to be a spy for the +Filipinos, securing all the information possible for the advantage of +the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> Filipinos, and conveying it to them at every opportunity. This spy +had gone with a company to which he was assigned, to Bungio for duty. +While at Bungio he induced two other soldiers to desert their company +and go with him to the Filipinos, promising each a commission in the +Filipino army. He was an officer in the Filipino army, and a very +dangerous man, resorting to all kinds of schemes and treachery to +accomplish his purposes. Having pursuaded two soldiers to go with him +they seized a small Morro boat, and with their rifles and a good supply +of ammunition they set out in the darkness of the night headed for the +island of Mindanao. Ninety miles of water lay before them and their +small boat. They encountered a rough sea, lost their bearings, and +finally the boat capsized, and they lost their clothing and one gun +after a battle with the sea for three days. Instead of reaching Mindanao +they drifted on the Island of Jolo, about twenty miles from the town of +Jolo, almost starved to death. In preparing for their trip they had not +thought as much about rations as about ammunition. They fell into the +hands of the Morros, who carried them to Jolo and delivered them to the +Americans, who placed them in prison. Two of the poor fellows' feet were +blistered all over by marching over the hot sands, having lost their +shoes when the boat capsized. These two were unable to walk for some +time. They were tried and sentenced to terms of imprisonment from five +to six years. This was the common fate of all who tried to desert the +army and get away.</p> + +<p>I was on duty on several islands and in many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> towns in the Philippines, +but Jolo suited me better for service as a soldier than any other place +I was in. I was on duty in Jolo for thirteen months, and know a great +deal about the place. Most all the soldiers who did service there liked +it. Sailors enjoyed their visits to Jolo. Quite a number of sailors told +me that they had been in a great many towns of the tropical countries, +but that they would rather live in Jolo than any of them. The most +undesirable feature of the town is that there are no pleasure retreats +except to go to the mountains and among the Morros, and besides, we +soldiers were confined very closely within the walls and on duty. The +town is very small. A man can walk all through in less than an hour.</p> + +<p>I have known of recruits on going into Jolo express their delight at the +idea of doing duty in such a fine place, and wish they could stay there +the three years of service for which they had enlisted. But in less than +two months, seeing the same things every day, they wanted to get away, +and would have given anything for an opportunity to go to another post. +Everything became monotonous, and seemed somehow to be wrong.</p> + +<p>This seemed to be the common experience of all. The town is beautifully +laid out with broad streets, which are set with beautiful shade trees +that are green winter and summer. A person can walk all over town the +hottest days and be in the shade all the time.</p> + +<p>Three small, but very nice parks with beautiful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> and delightfully +fragrant flowers and shrubbery lend a charm to the town.</p> + +<p>I have been walking out in the town at night, and would smell the sweet +odors from the parks for two or three blocks away. This was not +occasionally so, but all the time. The soldiers enjoyed sitting in the +parks and on the piers at night, taking in the cool sea breeze after a +hot day. I have seen as many as three and four hundred soldiers sitting +out on the piers before going into quarters.</p> + +<p>As in all other parts of the Philippines, chicken fighting is a favorite +sport in Jolo. Outside of the city wall is built a grand stand and pit +for chicken fighting. It is all enclosed, and ten cents (Mexican) +admission is charged unless you have a chicken to enter. Some fine +chickens are entered in these fights, and a great deal of money is put +up on them. Gambling is not prohibited, and chicken fighting is engaged +in every Saturday all day long. The natives will gamble away the last +cent they possess before they will stop. A suburban town of Jolo is Buss +Buss, nearly half as large as Jolo, and built out over the water on +bamboo poles driven into the mud, and left projecting above the water. +The houses are then built on these poles.</p> + +<p>Buss Buss is built over shallow water, running out over the water for +one hundred and fifty yards. The houses are all built of bamboo. This +seems to be a Chinese town. Many Chinese live there and engage in +business in Jolo. Chinese are engaged in various kinds of business in +Jolo, but all live in Buss Buss. The Chinese and Morros are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> not +friendly, and it is probably due to this fact alone that caused Buss +Buss to be built.</p> + +<p>Major Sweet was in command of the post at Jolo for some time. He would +not allow more than one hundred Morros inside the city walls at one time +for fear of trouble with them. The Morros supplied our forces with +vegetables, fish and fruit, which they brought in and sold to us. To +prevent the town from filling up with Morros a strong guard was +stationed at the gate, which was closed at six in the evening and opened +at six o'clock in the morning. The Morros would be crowded around the +outside of the gate every morning waiting for it to be opened to go in +and dispose of their produce. Frequently there would be twice as many as +were allowed inside at one time. When the gate was opened they would +rush for it, but not more than one hundred were allowed to pass inside. +When one disposed of his produce, etc., and returned to the gate he was +allowed to pass out, and another from the outside could pass in, and so +on until all had been in and passed back.</p> + +<p>Not far from Jolo, out towards the foot of the mountains, is a coffee +field. There are several others on the island besides that one. In these +coffee fields a great many Morros work all the time gathering and +cleaning coffee, etc. The method is like all others of theirs, very rude +and poor. They dig out long troughs of wood and place them in running +streams in such a way that the water will run in at one end and out at +the other. Into these troughs the unhusked coffee is poured, and then it +is tramped under the feet of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> cleaners until the husks are all +broken off and float away with the water. The coffee is then taken out +and sacked and dried out for shipping. This is the only method I ever +saw in use for coffee cleaning.</p> + +<p>Tropical fruit is everywhere abundant. The bread fruit tree grows in +Jolo to a great size. The fruit is about the size of a cocoanut, except +it is of a flattened shape. It is covered by a thin soft hull easily cut +open with an ordinary pocket knife. The first time that I ever saw the +fruit I ate half of one. I thought it as good as anything I ever ate. I +believe it will alone sustain life. Cocoanuts and bananas grow in +profusion. Cocoanuts are cut and dried, then exported. Oil is +manufactured of the dried cocoanuts, which is of excellent quality. We +used it to oil our rifles all the time we were stationed in the +Philippines. Chinese and natives caught quantities of fish, which were +cut up and exposed to the sun several days to dry. The fish get almost +black in this process of drying and smell badly before they are dry +enough to be sacked and shipped. I saw a great deal of this business, +but never learned where it was shipped to or what use was made of it.</p> + +<p>Hemp is produced from a native plant growing wild in the forests, and +looks something like the banana plant. It is baled and exported in great +quantities. Natives bring in small bundles of it from the mountains. Red +pepper grows abundantly in the woods on the high and dry lands. It grows +on a small bush, which is loaded with the pods, which are very strong.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p><p>The natives in all the islands make a beverage of the dew which +collects in the cocoanut buds. This dew and water stands in the buds and +is collected early in the day. It is called tuba, and is liked by all +the soldiers. I drank but little of it. I saw soldiers get drunk on it, +and be crazy for a week. It is like all other beverages of the islands, +but little is necessary to make a man drunk.</p> + +<p>About twice every month we went out on a practice march for one day, +only leaving about one company on guard. Every man would carry his +dinner, and have almost a picnic, enjoying it much more than at other +times and places, when we would be marched out in double time several +miles and have a hard fight. We went out on these practice marches up +the beach and returned across the mountains, stopping to rest frequently +and and gathering and eating cocoanuts. If any Morros were around we +would give one a cent of Mexican money to climb the trees and get +cocoanuts for us. The trees are hard to climb, but a Morro seems to +climb them very easily. He will tie a piece of hemp just above his +ankles and go right up a tree by jumps until the top is reached. Having +secured the cocoanuts we would cut a hole in them and drink the icy +water in them. This water is very nice and cold, and is particularly so +to hot and tired soldiers.</p> + +<p>When we would start out on what was a practice march most of the men +would think we were going out to fight, and would not know differently +until we returned, for it was generally known only to the officers where +we were going or what the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> object of the march was. Sometimes we would +have a long, hard march, and always through the woods and forests, for +there were no roads. In the forest marches we frequently chased monkeys, +of which the forests were full. We saw more monkeys in Jolo than in any +other island we were on. Sometimes when three or four monkeys would +discover us they would make a great noise, and, jumping from one tree to +another, keep in one direction, and all the monkeys within my hearing +would join in the procession, and keep up the noise and jumping. The +trees would appear to be full of monkeys over us, all jumping in the +same direction, and making a great noise. We amused ourselves and added +to their trouble by throwing stones at them until they passed out of our +line of march, which was frequently half an hour. The wild ones are hard +to catch. Young ones, too young to climb well, were easily caught, and +some were captured for pets.</p> + +<p>Natives would catch them and sell them to the soldiers.</p> + +<p>The Sultan of Jolo was fortified about ten miles across the mountains +from Jolo. He lived in his fort with his army. My last practice march +was made for the purpose of viewing the sultan's position, and to know +something about his forces if we had to fight them. It was about ten +o'clock on the morning of the 13th of May, 1900, when our commanding +officer in great haste issued orders to get ready at once. We all +thought we were going to fight that time. We were formed into a +battalion as hastily as possible, under the commander's orders, who was +present on his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> charger, and directing everything. We were soon moving +out to no one seemed to know where, except our commander. No dinner was +taken with us this time, only guns and as much ammunition as we could +carry. We marched about five miles before halting for rest. It was very +hot, and several soldiers fell out overcome by the heat. Some doubtless +fell out to avoid a battle, as they thought. Two men just before me, +whom I knew were great cowards, and who feared that we were going into a +battle, decided that they could not face an enemy. I heard them talking +about falling out ten or fifteen minutes. Their minds were made up to +fall out and avoid fighting; one said that he would fall out if the +other would stop to take care of him. This suited them exactly, and out +they went, and were left behind. Our march was continued until we +crossed the top of the mountain, and from the other side we could see +the sultan's fort and trenches below us. It was then about three +o'clock. We rested and looked at the sultan's fort, and looked over his +position carefully. This was the object of the commander in marching us +out there. He was expecting to have to fight the sultan, and decided +that we should see his location and know as much as possible the +conditions we would have to meet in fighting his forces. Returning we +arrived in Jolo in the night.</p> + +<p>Our commander expected the sultan to attack our position, and wished to +know just what to expect of us, and how quickly we could get into +position to defend the fort. To ascertain this, and also to keep us in +practice, a call to arms was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> given every month, when every man would +get out and string around to the port holes in a very few minutes. Every +soldier went as if he expected to have to fight. There were five +companies of the Twenty-Third Regiment in Jolo while I was on duty +there. Besides these one company was stationed in the Astoria block +house, one company at Seassa and one at Buanga. These companies did not +have as hard duty as the companies in Jolo, but every three months a +company was sent to relieve one of these posts, and the relieved company +would come into Jolo, where it could have the same duty and drill that +the other companies had in Jolo. The companies at each of the three +places just mentioned were relieved every three months.</p> + +<p>Company E, of which I was a member, went to the Astoria block house +about two months before we left Jolo and the Philippines. My company was +doing guard duty at the block house when orders were received for +recalling one battalion of the Twenty-Third Regiment, called the depot +battalion, made up of sick men and those with less than six months' more +service under their time of enlisting.</p> + +<p>Those who had less than six months to serve were given the opportunity +to stay or to return to the United States. I was not slow to accept the +chance to return and was truly glad of the opportunity.</p> + +<p>The transport Warren came to Jolo for the battalion on June 15th. The +transport had come by the Island of Negros and Cebu, and took<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> on board +a battalion of soldiers who were going to return to the United States.</p> + +<p>The "depot battalion" was made up of sick men and those who had short +times. It was several days before we left Jolo. The men who were going +as sick and disabled were examined by the physician. Those he believed +could not endure the climate long and be able for duty, he recommended +to be returned to the United States, and those who could endure the +climate and proved to be healthy, stayed, unless they were of the class +of short-time soldiers.</p> + +<p>A man could not stand the climate of the Philippines many years unless +he was very healthy and acquainted with tropical climates.</p> + +<p>I do not believe the Philippines are a white man's country. I have heard +doctors tell soldiers that if they stayed there, that five or six years +would be as long as they could live.</p> + +<p>Two friends and I had decided that when we served out our time that we +would return to the United States by another route than that taken in +going over, and thus make the trip around the world. We would go through +the Mediterranean Sea to London and then to New York. But when the +orders came that we could return on the government's time, and by a +different route, we decided at once that we had seen enough of the +world, and that the route taken by the transport would be long enough +for us, and satisfy our thirst for travel.</p> + +<p>The soldiers who had been taken on board from the islands of Negros and +Cebu landed at Jolo, and went into camp, where they remained for eight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> +days awaiting preparations of the soldiers at Jolo.</p> + +<p>I was transferred from Company E to Company K on June 18th, and with +those who were returning to the United States went into camp outside of +the wall of Jolo in a cocoanut grove, where we stayed till the +twenty-third day of June, when we boarded the transport Warren and +sailed for Manila. Manila was reached on the morning of the twenty-sixth +of June, where we stayed until the first day of July. A great many +soldiers were added on at Manila, many wounded men and fifteen dead +soldiers were put on to carry back to the United States, where the dead +were sent to their relatives for burial.</p> + +<p>While waiting a few days for all preparations to be made I obtained a +pass and entered the city for the last time and viewed everything that +was so familiar to me when on duty there.</p> + +<p>It was during this short stop of only a few days that we heard of the +trouble in China.</p> + +<p>Three regiments of United States troops were immediately ordered to +China: the Sixth, Ninth and Fourteenth Infantry then at Manila. The +Ninth Infantry went on board the transport Hancock, which was lying +alongside our transport, the Warren, and sailed just before us on its +way to China.</p> + +<p>A rumor was circulated that our transport was sailing to China, and that +we were going there for service. A great many very foolishly believed +the report.</p> + +<p>July first the Warren sailed from Manila bound for San Francisco. The +first day out from Manila, late in the evening when supper was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> eaten, I +ate very heartily, and went on duty in the stern of the transport. The +sea was rough, and gave the transport a rolling motion. Shortly after +going on duty my head commenced swimming, and I was ill. A soldier told +me that I was sea-sick. I had never been sea-sick and knew nothing about +how a person felt. At last I vomited freely, and in less than an hour I +was all right, except the swimming sensation of my head, which lasted a +while longer. This little experience was all that I had in going over to +the Philippines and returning to the United States.</p> + +<p>The fourth day from Manila we arrived at Nagasaki, Japan. The following +morning the transport was ready for inspection, the crew having worked +most all night preparing for it. Every man on board and everything had +to be inspected before we were allowed to enter the harbor. Nagasaki has +a fine, deep harbor, where steamers and war vessels coal and take on +supplies. Many large ships are in the harbor at all times.</p> + +<p>The bay leading into the harbor is between hills which are almost +entitled to the name of mountains. It is apparently a hilly and rough +country to the traveler entering the bay to Nagasaki. On the left-hand +side of the bay on entering is a large marble monument standing on the +side of the hill. This is a monument in memory of Japan's first king. Of +course I did not read the inscription, it being in Japanese; but the +monument can be seen at a great distance. I learned about it from a +resident of Nagasaki. While in Nagasaki I also learned that the Japanese +are the hardest working, or rather the most<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> industrious people, and +receive the least compensation for their work of any race of people. Ten +to fifteen cents per day is the regular price of labor. Several hundred +are constantly employed in coaling vessels that enter the harbor. The +coaling is done in a peculiar way. A line of men pass baskets filled +with coal from one to another while the empty baskets are passed back to +the place of filling by a line of children standing close enough to +reach out one way and get a basket and pass it on to the next one +standing on the other side; thus a continuous chain of baskets is kept +going until the vessel is sufficiently coaled: the filled baskets going +one way and the empty ones in the opposite direction. Men, women and +children all work. Apparently no one is idle.</p> + +<p>The lot of woman is extremely hard. A mother will fasten her child to +her back and work all day with it there; sometimes it is asleep and +sometimes it is yelling, but it is all the same to her. Children there +do not receive the attention they get in America, but are handled +roughly, and soon have to work, beginning work almost as soon as they +can walk.</p> + +<p>Hundreds of small boats, large enough to carry two or three people, are +always ready to carry passengers to and from the ships and the landing +for ten cents (Mexican). They are not allowed to charge more.</p> + +<p>These small boats are provided with sides and a roof like a small house, +into which passengers can go and close the door.</p> + +<p>When you get ashore there are hundreds of little vehicles called +jinrikishas, which look <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>something like baby carriages with only one +seat and an umbrella. The Japs will come trooping around jabbering to +you to ride. You get in one and a Jap will get between a small pair of +shafts and trot away with you, and go that way as long as you want him +to for ten cents an hour. The traveler can go anywhere he desires in one +of these vehicles. They do not use hacks and vehicles as Americans do. I +never saw but one horse in Nagasaki. It was working to a dray, and was +almost worked to death. The Jap's back seems to be his most convenient +method, and almost the only one he has, of carrying anything.</p> + +<p>Another soldier and I walked through the city looking at everything we +could see. We soon discovered that almost every one was poking fun at +us, all because we were walking instead of riding in jinrikishas. It +seems that everybody there rides in them everywhere they go, and it +appears funny to them to see anyone walking the streets. Peddlers are +the exceptions, it seems, to this rule. A great many peddlers are seen +walking the streets to vend their wares, and they have a great many +articles that cannot be bought in America.</p> + +<p>Every Japanese house has a rug or carpet on the floor—these are very +nice articles. The funniest thing of all is the custom of stopping +everybody at the door and have them take off their shoes before entering +the house. They will not allow any one to enter their houses without +pulling off his shoes. The reason of this, to my mind, is the fact that +the rugs and carpets are made from grass and are very heavy, and catch +dirt very easily.</p> + + + +<hr /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> +<h3>CHAPTER XII.</h3> + + +<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Japanese are industrious, good natured and friendly people. They +treat every one kindly, and every one invited us to go into his house +and chat awhile. Our greatest difficulty was to understand them. They +appeared to be anxious to do anything they could for us, and considering +everything as I could see it in our short stay, I believe I would like +to live among them.</p> + +<p>A great many Europeans are residents of Nagasaki. It is a fine town, a +great deal of business is done there. The city is spread out along the +bay back of the city, and all around the bay, except the entrance to it, +are large hills, and on these a great many large guns are mounted. These +natural barriers enable the Japanese to make the city a strongly +fortified place. The government of Japan is good. Laws are rigid and +strictly enforced. Theft is regarded as a very grave crime, and is +punished with severe penalties.</p> + +<p>Men with whom I talked in Nagasaki seemed to desire to leave the +impression that Japan was well prepared for war, in fact better prepared +than most any other country.</p> + +<p>The transport Warren sailed from Nagasaki July ninth for San Francisco, +taking the northern<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> route of the Pacific Ocean. This route is claimed +to be about two thousand miles longer than the southern route over which +we sailed in going to Manila. The ocean currents and winds make a great +deal of difference in which route a vessel is sailing in, and the +northern and southern routes give the advantage to the vessels. Ships go +the southern route from San Francisco to Manila and return the northern +route.</p> + +<p>After a few days out from Nagasaki we found colder water, which +continued most of the way to San Francisco, only getting warmer a short +distance from San Francisco. After getting out into this cold water the +temperature of the atmosphere also fell, and every man who had an +overcoat or even a heavy uniform put it on. Those who had only the thin +uniforms called khaki worn in the Philippines, suffered from cold.</p> + +<p>It was cold and disagreeable for all on board except the officers, who, +as usual, fared well at all times and in all places.</p> + +<p>There was a casual detachment of discharged soldiers numbering one +hundred and thirty-eight on board, two hundred and forty-one officers +and privates of the Twenty-third Regiment, sixty prisoners and +twenty-one passengers, a total of four hundred and sixty men on board +besides the crew. The transport Warren is a large vessel, and all on +board had plenty of room.</p> + +<p>Those men who were not thoughtful enough to start back to the United +States with their heavy uniforms looked somewhat pitiful crowding around +the engine rooms and boilers, and getting anywhere that offered some +protection from the chilly air<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> and sea breeze. I was fortunate in not +being one of that number. I had plenty of warm clothing and fared well +returning. I was on the lookout for myself, and provided myself with +everything I desired, and had to call on no one for anything. My rule +was to look out for myself all the time I was in the army, and usually I +had everything I desired. If I wanted anything to use I always went +where I could buy it, and never borrowed from the soldiers.</p> + +<p>I always thought that was a good rule for a soldier; I noticed that +those who did that fared much better than those who did not practice +that rule.</p> + +<p>I never liked to loan my gun and belt to a soldier when he has all those +things of his own. But some soldiers would keep their guns polished and +oiled, and set them away and borrow guns and belts from other soldiers +to do guard duty with. These received the appellation of "orderly +buckers" by their comrades, and were too lazy to walk post and perform a +soldier's duty. Duty on the transport in returning to the United States +was very hard on those soldiers who were well. Almost every soldier was +on the sick report, and called by the soldiers the sick battalion. The +few who were put on duty had it to perform every other night. I was one +of the latter, and I considered it pretty tough too. Cooks on the +transports were assigned for one year to cook for the soldiers. They +were as filthy as hogs with everything they cooked. They cared nothing +about how the rations were prepared nor how nasty they were, just so the +cooking was over with as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> quickly as possible. They had no sympathy; +anything seemed to the cooks good enough if it did not poison him. On +our return we had plenty to eat if it had been cooked decently so that +men could eat it. The reader may say that it should have been reported +to the officer in command. This was done, and reported also to the +officer of the day, and the next day after the reports were made we were +given cabbage for dinner, and every man founds big worms in his plate of +cabbage. While the officer of the day was passing by one soldier had the +nerve to show him what was on his plate; immediately the officer of the +day went to the cooks about it and that seemed to end it. One soldier +found something in his plate that looked almost like a tarantula.</p> + +<p>Some of the officers and a great many privates had a monkey apiece. +Great care was taken of them by their owners. Two large monkeys belonged +to some of the crew. These and the smaller ones had the whole vessel to +run through and nothing escaped them—they were into everything. Finally +the commanding officer gave orders for all the monkeys to be taken up, +but the order was not carried out and he had the doctor chloroform the +two large ones and throw them overboard. That made the crew very mad and +sounded the death knell to all the monkeys on board.</p> + +<p>That night the crew very quietly caught every monkey and threw them +overboard—not one escaped. It was then the officers' turn to be mad and +they did everything they could to learn who destroyed their monkeys. One +old captain who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> had lost a monkey offered a reward of ten dollars to +know who threw his monkey overboard, but he failed to find out who it +was. I never heard such a fuss about as small a thing as a monkey +before.</p> + +<p>We arrived within one or two miles of the Golden Gate on July 30. The +transport stopped and the whistle was blown for the quarantine officers +and a pilot. We could not see land, the fog was so heavy, until we got +to the Golden Gate. The sight of land sent a thrill of gladness through +every one on board, especially the soldiers who were beholding their own +country, where they were soon to be discharged, and once more be free to +go and come at their own pleasure. Just before night we went to the +quarantine station on Angel Island and remained until morning, when +everything was taken off the transport. On the first of August we went +ashore at the Presidio wharf, landing in the evening.</p> + +<p>We were not received as royally as we had departed, no big reception was +awaiting us, although I am quite sure the soldiers would have enjoyed +one as much as when they were departing for the Philippines. I suppose +it was thought that when we went away that we would never get back.</p> + +<p>When we boarded the transport for the Philippines several thousand +enthusiastic people witnessed our departure and a great display of +patriotism was manifested. When that portion which returned when I did +were landing only one woman and a little boy were present to show any +feeling of rejoicing that we had not all perished in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> Philippines +from the awful climate and the Filipino bullets. This great patriotic +display being over we went into camps at Presidio and remained there to +rest and await further orders, which came in a few days, as soon as +arrangements for transportation over the railroad could be made; and +then Companies I and L went to Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Companies K +and M were assigned to Fort D.A. Russell, Cheyenne, Wyoming. August +sixth we left San Francisco and arrived at Fort D.A. Russell in the +evening of August ninth. Companies K and M were under the command of +Captain Delair, who is a good officer. Captain Devore had command of +Company K, to which I then belonged and I remained with that company +until discharged.</p> + +<p>Captain Devore was a very good old religious kind of an officer, very +strange and different from any other officer. The most that he believed +in was to keep clean. He was very fond of seeing brooms, mops, picks and +shovels in use. He liked to see work going on. He seemed to be too +economical to eat as much as he needed of government rations. He would +never allow any of the company's funds to be spent for any purpose, but +was all the time adding to the fund.</p> + +<p>The company was allowed twenty pounds of sugar every ten days. Of this +Captain Devore would take off one pound for company funds. This is only +one example, or illustration, of many ways of adding something to the +funds of the company.</p> + +<p>The company cook was preparing prunes one day for dinner when the old +captain came around<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> inspecting everything; the cook told him that he +was cooking prunes. The cook was then asked how the men liked them, to +which he was answered that the men would eat all that were being cooked +and then not have more than half enough. The old captain said there were +too many for the company—that six was enough for anyone. He further +said, "I don't eat but two or three and that is as many as I want."</p> + +<p>The company was always kicking about him. He was never pleased on +inspection to find something cooking. He liked to find the stove cold +and the cooking vessels all clean, then everything with him was O.K. He +would give a man who had had a number of summary court martials an +"excellent" discharge and some soldiers who were good duty soldiers and +never had a court martial would get "only good." I have noticed that if +he likes a soldier he will always get "excellent." He seemed never to be +governed by a soldier's record. I had "very good," all I cared for, as I +was so happy to get it.</p> + +<p>I left the army November 11, 1900, en route to Dallas, Texas, where I +remained a few days and went to Pleasant Point, where I spent several +days with two of my brothers, John H. and Juney H. Freeman. Here I met +many friends whom I had known before enlisting in the army and again I +was free to join them in their sports as I had done before.</p> + +<p>December twentieth, I started back to Georgia. I took the route via New +Orleans, at which place I stopped about thirty hours and took another +look<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> at the old town. I wanted to look at it once more and compare it +to the time when I was in camps there. I satisfied myself and proceeded +on my homeward journey to the old red hills of Georgia, which I had left +five years and two months before.</p> + +<p class="center"> +<small>THE END.</small> +</p> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's A Soldier in the Philippines, by Needom N. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Soldier in the Philippines + +Author: Needom N. Freeman + +Release Date: November 14, 2008 [EBook #27259] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + + + + + A SOLDIER IN + THE PHILIPPINES + + BY + + N. N. FREEMAN + + (PRIVATE, U.S.A.) + + [Illustration] + + + F. TENNYSON NEELY CO. + + 114 Fifth Avenue + NEW YORK + + 96 Queen Street + LONDON + + + + + Copyright, 1901, + by + D. L. FREEMAN, + in the + United States + and + Great Britain. + + Entered at + Stationers' Hall, London. + + All Rights Reserved. + + + + +A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES. + +CHAPTER I. + + +Needom Freeman, in the United States regular army during the years +1898-1900, was born in the quiet little country village of +Barrettsville, Dawson County, Ga., on the 25th of September, 1874. + +Many things have been said and written of army life during the +Spanish-American war, but usually from the officers' point of view. As a +matter of fact the ideas of a private if spoken or written are +unbelieved simply because the prestige of office was not attached, and +receives but little credit. + +The early part of my life was passed in and near the little village of +my birth. Working on the farm and attending the village school a few +months during the time when farming operations were suspended, consumed +about all my time. My father being a poor man with a large family and +unable to give his children the benefit of any advanced education, it +fell to my lot to receive but little instruction. I was the eighth child +in a family of thirteen--five sons and eight daughters. + +Having attained the long awaited age of twenty-one, when most young men +are buoyant and full of hope and ambition, I turned my thoughts +westward, where I hoped to make my fortune. I gathered together my few +possessions and proceeded to Texas, arriving at Alvarado, Texas, the +second day of November, 1895. + +Obtaining employment on a farm, my old occupation was resumed for +eighteen weeks, but finding this too commonplace and not fulfilling my +desires nor expectations, the farm work was once more given up. + +I obtained a position with a wrecking crew on the Santa Fe Railroad. For +twelve months I worked with this crew, then gave it up in disgust. + +A few weeks' employment in the cotton mills of Dallas, Texas, were +sufficient to satisfy me with that sort of work. + +I next obtained employment with the street railroad of Dallas, filling +the position of motorman, which I held for three months. One night, +while with several friends, the subject of enlisting in the army was +discussed; this strongly appealed to me, and studying the matter +further, I became enthused over the idea. I determined to enlist at +once. My position as motorman with the street railroad company was given +up. My salary was forty-five dollars a month, as against one-third that +amount in the army, but this made little difference to me. I was anxious +to be a soldier and live the life of one. + +I proceeded to the recruiting office in Dallas to stand an examination, +was weighed, then measured all over, every scar was measured, my +complexion was noted, my age, place of birth and all about my people +were taken. My fingers and toes were twisted and almost pulled off. It +occurred to me that possibly my examiners thought my fingers and toes +might be artificial. After part of two days' weighing, measuring, finger +pulling, toe-twisting and questioning I was pronounced subject and sent +to the St. George Hotel, in Dallas, to await further orders. Of twelve +applicants who were standing the same examination I was the only +successful one. I enlisted under Lieutenant Charles Flammil for a +service of three years, unless discharged before the expiration of that +time. I was to obey all the orders of my superior officers, which meant +every officer from corporal up. + +From Dallas I was sent to Fort McIntosh, south-west of Dallas, on the +border of Texas and Mexico, on the Rio Grande. My long cherished hope +was now being fulfilled. I had from a mere boy had a desire to be one of +Uncle Sam's soldiers and fight for my country. I had now entered the +service for three years and will let the reader judge for himself +whether or not he thinks that I should be satisfied with the service and +experience of a soldier. + +Fort McIntosh is in Laredo, Texas. Here I was assigned, upon my arrival, +to Company A, Twenty-third United States Infantry. I had only been there +a few days when Company A was ordered out on a practice march of one +hundred and twenty miles. Of course I wanted to go, thinking it would be +a picnic. I only had a few days' drilling at the fort, and that was all +I ever had, but I was anxious to go on this march with my company, and +Goodale, called "Grabby" by the men, had my uniform and necessary +equipage issued to me and let me go with the company. I learned during +the first days' march its object was not to have a picnic, but just to +try us and prepare us for the service we might at any time be called +upon to perform. We were to get hardened a little by this practice +march. + +The second day out we were halted every hour and rested ten minutes. +During one of those rests I pulled off my shoes to see what was hurting +my feet. I found on each of my heels a large blister and several small +ones. A non-commissioned officer saw the condition of my feet and +ordered me into the ambulance. I was afraid the soldiers would laugh at +me for falling out. First I hesitated, but very soon I had plenty of +company in the ambulance. + +The march was through a rough country, the roads were very bad, and +travel was difficult. Twenty miles a day through chaparral bushes and +cactus is a good day's march for soldiers, with all their equipage. The +infantryman carried a rifle, belt, haversack and canteen. Tents were +pitched every night and guards stationed around the camp to keep away +prowling Mexicans and others who would steal the provisions of the camp. +Tents were struck at morning and everything put in readiness for the +day's march. The company was out fifteen days on that practice march +across the plains. Four days, however, were really holidays. We spent +them hunting and fishing. Fish and game were plentiful. A few deer were +to be found, but ducks and blue quail were the principal game. The +company returned to Fort McIntosh on the third of December. + +I had to be drilled as a recruit; never having had any military +training, everything was new to me. I was drilled hard for a month +before I was assigned to the company for duty. That month's drill was +very hard. + +After I was assigned for duty I learned something new about military +affairs every day for a year. The manner of all the drill masters was +very objectionable to me at first; I did not like the way they spoke to +a soldier and gave commands, which, if disobeyed, punishment was +inflicted. The month I drilled as a recruit by myself I was under +Sergeant Robert Scott of my company. During that time I thought Sergeant +Scott the most unkind man I had ever seen. He looked ugly and talked +harshly. I thought he meant every word he said. After I learned how the +commands were given and was taught how to execute them, it seemed very +simple and then I was assigned for duty. + +When my time came to serve on guard duty I did not understand the +"general orders" and "special orders." I went on guard perfectly +bewildered with the instructions given me about my duties. + +I did not know what to do. I watched for the officer of the day to make +his round and give orders every day and night. + +Two hours' duty on post was the time we stood guard before being +relieved by the proper authority. If a man is caught sitting down while +on duty he is severely punished by being placed in the guard house, and +sentenced to hard labor for a long time. Sometimes the labor sentence +runs as high as six months or more, according to the gravity of the +offense. + +I was very careful not to get in the guard house or miss roll call, +having to pay fines or working hard all day with a sentry over me. + +Every soldier had to be on his bunk at eleven o'clock at night; his +check was taken and delivered to the officer of the day. Nine o'clock +was bed time, but the checks were not taken up until eleven. The first +call of the morning was sounded at a quarter before six, when we must +answer to reveille, followed by a drilling exercise of fifteen minutes. +After breakfast every soldier had to sweep under his bunk and prepare it +and himself for inspection, which took place after drill hour, which was +from eight to nine o'clock. + +A gymnastic drill of thirty minutes each day, except Saturday and +Sunday, was given the company for a month, then for three months this +was omitted, then another month's drill was given us, and then the same +intermission; thus we had them alternately the whole year. + +The Sabbath receives but little notice in the army. All duties went on +just as any other day. + +Several hours every day were unoccupied by the soldier's duties. The men +could amuse themselves during these hours by reading newspapers and +books, as a very good library was at hand. Aside from reading were such +amusements as billiards, cards and music. These became monotonous and +disgusting to me, and in less than two months I would have gladly given +up my position, but I was in for three years, and had to stay and make +the best of it. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + +The Christmas holidays were delightful indeed for soldiers, no tasks to +perform for one whole week, except guard duty. The week was spent in +gambling and revelry. + +All other holidays meant hard work all day for soldiers; usually they +were days of celebrating some event in the history of our country or +some man must be honored, and homage paid to his memory. The soldiers on +these occasions had to parade and march along the streets all day. Every +holiday, except that of Christmas, was a dreaded day to soldiers. + +April first, 1898, my company was ordered out on the target range for +practice. We had had but little practice, only being there six days when +orders were received to prepare to leave our post at a moment's notice. +Those were memorable days. History was being added to, or rather made, +almost daily. Every one was talking of war with Spain, its results and +possibilities. Our camp was in a commotion, expecting war to be declared +at once. Everything was put in readiness for marching. In this condition +we remained until April seventeenth, when orders came at last for the +Twenty-third to proceed to New Orleans. + +The city of Laredo gave our regiment a grand banquet before we left +there. Every man, woman and child, apparently, who could get out to see +us off, turned out. + +The Twenty-third Regiment had been stationed at Laredo for eight years, +and during this time great attachment had been formed between the +soldiers and citizens. From Laredo to San Antonio was a long run, +attended by nothing of interest. At San Antonio the citizens +demonstrated their patriotism and hospitality by having a grand banquet +awaiting our arrival. Every man seemed to have a good time while there. +Before our train left, the citizens put several kegs of beer in every +car. This was appreciated very much, as beer seems to be a soldier's +favorite beverage, and one that he will have if he has money and is +where it can be bought. A soldier rarely refuses beer when offered to +him. + +From San Antonio a run of forty hours carried us into New Orleans on +April nineteenth. + +For a month we were there on guard duty. The majority of the regiment +seemed to enjoy their stay in New Orleans, but for me it was anything +but enjoyment. + +The citizens were very kind to all soldiers, and seemed to regard them +very highly; when one went into the city he was generally given all the +beer he wished to drink, and made to feel welcome. + +Soldiers care very little for anything, and do not seem to care very +much for themselves or for each other. They know that the responsibility +rests upon the officers, and that food and clothing will be furnished as +long as they are in the army. When a soldier draws his pay, usually the +first thing he looks for is some place to gamble and get rid of his +money in a few minutes, then he can be content. He is restless as long +as he has a dollar, and must gamble or take some friends to a saloon and +drink it up, then go away drunk. + +If one man has any money and expects to keep it he must not let others +know of it, for they will expect him to spend it for all. Generally when +one man has any money it is free to all, and it is enjoyed as long as it +lasts. Soldiers are very generous and good-natured men; if not that way +at first they become so before a service of three years expires. + +Army life is dangerous to the morals of many young men. They will take +up some bad habits if they have not power and determination to control +themselves. It is very easy for a man, especially a young man, to take +up some bad habits and lead a different life altogether in a short time +after he becomes a soldier. A man soon learns to drink and to gamble, +although he may have known nothing of these vices before his enlistment. +I thought that a soldier's life would suit me, but after a service of +three years I can truthfully state that it was not what I desired. Life +in camps at one place a little while, then at another place, winter and +summer, rain, sleet and snow, with twenty men in one wall tent, is very +disagreeable, unhealthy and unpleasant. I spent one month in camp in New +Orleans during the hot weather, and all the pleasure I had there was +fighting mosquitoes. We had a fierce battle with them every night. + +My regiment had all the service at New Orleans they wanted in the line +of guard and special duty. Four hours of hard drilling five mornings in +each week, special duty in the afternoon, then half of every night +fighting mosquitoes. May was very hot. I believe that the battalion and +skirmish drills, without stopping to rest or to get water, were very +injurious to the soldiers. + +I know that they injured my feelings very much. + +I was a private in Company "A," Captain Goodale in command. I thought a +great deal of my captain; he was a good officer, and was soon promoted +to major of the 23d Regiment, and commanded it for several months. He +was then promoted to a lieutenant-colonel and assigned to duty with the +Third Infantry, then in the Philippines. After he set out to join his +new regiment I never saw him again. He was the first captain I served +under. + +Soldiers who served under good officers were fortunate, but if they had +bad ones they were soon in trouble and had a hard service. A son of +Lieutenant-Colonel Goodale, who was a lieutenant, was placed in command +of Company "A." He, like his father, was a good officer, and soon won +the confidence and esteem of his company. + +After the declaration of war between the United States and Spain, the +23d Regiment was recruited to its full quota of one hundred men for each +of twelve companies. Four new companies had to be formed, which were +called, at first, skeleton companies, because they only had a few men +transferred to them from the old ones. + +Non-commissioned officers were transferred to the new companies and +placed in charge of the recruits, to drill and prepare them for duty. + +Drilling recruits is hard work, and all the officers avoided it as much +as possible. From the 20th of April to the 24th of May we had nothing +but drill. + +When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, orders +were sent to the 23d Regiment to proceed at once to San Francisco. It +will be remembered that we had gone to New Orleans under orders +directing our regiment to Cuba, but everything had changed so suddenly +that we were ordered to San Francisco to be in readiness to go to the +Philippines. + +The orders from the War Department were received by Colonel French on +the night of the 23d of May. + +The following day everything was put in readiness for leaving for San +Francisco, but to hasten preparations all our tents were struck at 4 +o'clock in the evening. Soon afterwards it commenced raining for the +first time during our stay at New Orleans. Our tents were down and we +had no place to shelter and pass the night. We were ready to leave next +morning. I never saw so many wet soldiers before. I was on guard and saw +two hundred men or more go into stables that were near our camp. We were +camping in the race track of the city fair grounds, which were +surrounded by a great many stables. This was rough fare, and I could not +say whether the men slept or killed mosquitoes. One thing I know beyond +question: I saw the toughest, sleepiest looking lot of men next morning +that I had yet seen in my military service. They all seemed to have +colds. To add to our discomfort all the rations had been boxed and +marked for shipping, and we were without food for breakfast. Those who +had any money were allowed to go out and buy something to eat. It is +plain that if a man had no money he went without breakfast. + +The men were all formed in line with gun, belt and knapsack, and were +kept standing ready to march at the command, until one o'clock in the +evening before taking up the march of three miles to the railroad +station. We marched through the city and to the station without a halt. +It seemed to me the hottest day I ever knew. It had been nearly +twenty-four hours since I had eaten, and I think my condition was no +worse than that of the whole regiment, with but very few exceptions. + +We were in the city of New Orleans, and rations were plentiful, but it +seemed they were scarce for us. This, however, was only the beginning of +what we were to get accustomed to in a few months. + +At two o'clock on the 25th day of May, our regiment boarded the cars of +the Southern Pacific Railroad and set out on its journey for San +Francisco. The regiment was divided into three sections for the journey, +which was made in six days. + +The rations issued to us on this journey consisted of hard tack, canned +tomatoes, canned salmon, and last, but not least, nor more desirable, +canned horse meat. To use a soldier's expression, such "grub" is almost +enough to make a man sick to look at, but this made no difference, we +had to eat it. + +I have seen a few people who seemed to think soldiers were not human +beings like other people. They thought they could endure anything and +would eat any kind of stuff for rations. + +While eating supper one evening in our camp at New Orleans, the men +were seated in their usual manner on the open ground grouped around +their mess kits containing their rations; a young lady with her escort +was passing through the camp and observing the men eating supper, +remarked to her companion that the soldiers looked like men. + +She had possibly never seen a soldier before. + +At another time a man with two small boys were looking over our camp and +talking about the soldiers, when one of the little boys noticing the +soldiers eating, and seeming to be interested in their manner of eating, +said: "Papa, will soldiers eat hay?" His youthful curiosity appeared to +be fully satisfied by the father answering: "Yes, if whiskey is put on +it." + +Crowds of people were out at every city and town we passed through +awaiting our arrival. Some had bouquets of beautiful flowers for the +soldiers containing notes of kind words and wishes, and signed by the +giver. Some gave us small baskets of nicely prepared rations. These were +what suited us most, and were very highly appreciated by every one who +was fortunate enough to get one. + +Our train passed through many places without stopping. We saw crowds of +people at those places with bouquets and various gifts of kindness and +appreciation which they had no opportunity to give us. Whenever our +train stopped it would only be for a few minutes, and there was only +time enough to receive the little tokens of kindness and good will, +exchange a very few words, and we would again be off. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + +Traveling through western Texas and the plains of New Mexico is very +mountainous and lonely. Villages of prairie dogs here and there seem to +be about all the living things that the traveler sees. These little +animals burrow deep in the ground, thousands of them close together, and +this is why it is called a prairie dog town. I was told that these +little dogs live mostly on roots and drink no water. I give this as it +was told me, and do not know how true it is. One thing which I noticed +was that we would travel two or three hundred miles and not see any +water courses. + +The section that I was with was detained about three hours at El Paso, +Texas, on account of some trouble on the road ahead of us. Many of us +took advantage of this to look about the city. A considerable change of +temperature was noted, it being much cooler than at New Orleans. Before +the next morning we were passing through New Mexico. It was cold enough +to wear an overcoat, but as we only had blankets every man had one drawn +close around him, and was then shivering with cold. This cold weather +continued until the Rocky Mountains were crossed, and we began to +descend the Pacific Slope. + +Crossing the deserts of Arizona was disagreeable. The white sand from a +distance looks like snow, and is so dry and light that it is lifted +about by the wind. Some places it will drift several feet deep. The +railroad company kept men employed all the time shoveling sand from the +track. Nothing but some scattering, scrubby bushes grows in the deserts. +Almost any time looking from the cars there seems to be smoke away off +in the distance. This is nothing but the dry sand being blown about by +the wind. + +Where the railroad crossed the deserts they are from one hundred and +fifty to two hundred miles wide. + +The first place we stopped after crossing the Rocky Mountains was in the +city of Los Angeles, California. The good people of Los Angeles had a +bountiful supply of oranges and other nice fruit, which were given to +the soldiers, who enjoyed them very much. Some towns where we stopped +the citizens would put two or three crates of oranges in every car of +our train. + +The country was beautiful, orange groves and orchards of different kinds +were numerous and fine. + +California is the most beautiful country I have seen in my travels from +Georgia to the Philippine Islands. + +The Oakland Ferry was reached about ten o'clock on the morning of the +first day of June. Our regiment commenced to cross at once over to San +Francisco. A detail was left to take our supplies from the train and +load them on boats, all the balance of the regiment going across. My +first sergeant was unfriendly to me and included me in the detail as a +mark of disrespect to me, although it was not my time to be placed on +detail duty according to the system of rotating that duty. + +Our detail worked very hard for about two hours and seeing no prospect +of dinner we crossed over into San Francisco to find something to eat. +We found our regiment just ready to enjoy a grand banquet prepared by +the Red Cross Society. It was prepared near the piers in a long stone +building; long tables were piled full of all that a crowd of hungry +soldiers could wish for, excellent music was furnished while we did full +justice to the feast before us. The Red Cross has spent a great deal of +money since the commencement of the Spanish-American war; it has +accomplished much toward softening the horrors of war by caring for the +sick and wounded, providing medicines and necessaries for their relief, +and doing many charitable acts too numerous to be enumerated here. Many +men to-day enjoying health and strength were rescued from what must have +been an untimely grave had not the work of the Red Cross come to their +relief when sick or wounded. The army physician frequently was a +heartless, and apparently indifferent man about the ills of his +patients. While at Camp Merritt I was sick for a month. The physician +pronounced the malady fever; he did not seem to care about my recovery +or that of any other man; his chief concern seemed to be that of +obtaining his salary of one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month. +Beyond this his interest seemed to cease, and if a sick soldier +recovered he was considered lucky. + +There were many sick men in Camp Merritt in the months of June and +July. We were stationed there for five months. + +Twenty-five men, myself included, volunteered to be transferred from +Company "A" to Company "E." This transfer was made on the sixth of June, +and was done to fill up Company "E" to its full quota for the purpose of +going to Manila on the transport Colon, which was to leave San Francisco +on the fifteenth of June. + +My company, now Company "E," was being prepared by Captain Pratt, and +was drilling for the last time in the United States before going to +Manila. I unfortunately became ill and had to be left at Camp Merritt to +go over later. It was sad news to me, for I wanted to go over with this +expedition. + +One battalion of the 23d Regiment was left at Camp Merritt, which +included my old company, to which I was assigned. We stayed at Camp +Merritt until about the middle of August, when orders were received to +go to Manila. By the time everything was packed and ready to strike +tents a second order was received, not to go to Manila, but to go to +Presidio, in San Francisco, and await further orders. About the 10th of +October, to our great joy, orders were read out at parade in the +evening, that we would start to Manila on the seventeenth. The men were +so glad they threw up their hats and shouted for joy. We were glad to +leave the cold, foggy and disagreeable climate of San Francisco, and +delighted that we were going to Manila, which was then the central +battle field. + +The bad climate, incidentally mentioned, of San Francisco seemed to be +only local, extending along the coast for only a few miles. + +I have been in San Francisco when it was cold enough to wear an +overcoat, and going across the bay to Oakland it was warm enough for a +man to be comfortable in his shirt sleeves. The distance between these +two points is only six miles. The native citizens of San Francisco, and +those who have been residents for many years and accustomed to the damp, +foggy atmosphere, are very healthy. + +But this climate was very detrimental to the soldiers in Camp Merritt, +and fatal to many. + +While stationed in Camp Merritt I spent a great deal of time in the San +Francisco park, which contained one thousand acres of land. + +A great variety of wild animals and many different kinds of birds were +there, and I found in it a great deal of interest and amusement. Crowds +of people were there every night. Many people were there for the purpose +of committing some crime. People were frequently being sandbagged and +robbed, or sometimes boldly held up, and money and valuables secured. + +I knew a great many soldiers who were robbed, sometimes they received +bruised heads just by loafing in the park at night. + +No reflection is intended to be cast upon the police whose duty was in +the park; there were a great many of them, but they did not know all +that was being done in the park, and it was necessary for a man to keep +a sharp lookout for himself if he wished to escape uninjured. + +The date of our departure the Red Cross gave a fine dinner for all who +were going to leave the camp. This was the custom with that society when +any soldiers left there for the Philippines. + +All those who left while I was there partook of a splendid dinner just +before leaving. + +This society, in addition to the dinner given to us, had several hundred +dollars worth of provisions put on board our transport, and all marked, +"For enlisted men only on deck." + +At three o'clock in the afternoon of the seventeenth day of October, +1898, we sailed on board the transport "Senator." The provisions put on +board for us were well cared for--by the officers, who took charge of +them and guarded them so well that if an enlisted man got any of them, +he had to steal them from under a guard. Actually had to steal what +belonged to him by gift, and if caught stealing them he was court +martialed, and fined enough to buy his rations for a month, but the fine +money was not appropriated in that way. + +We had a rough voyage, not on account of the weather, but because the +transport was so packed and crowded that a man did well to walk from one +end of the ship to the other. We were crowded like a cargo of animals +bound for a slaughter pen. + +A private may think all or anything he pleases, but he does not have an +opportunity to say very much about anything. He must obey the commands +of his officers. + +Our officers on the transport had everything to suit themselves, and the +private had to do the best he could and try to be satisfied, or at least +appear that way. + +It would take two-thirds of the deck for half a dozen officers to have +room. They thought themselves so superior to the privates they did not +want to be near them. Our ship had fifteen hundred men on board. + +We reached the port of Honolulu, after several days' sailing on rough +seas, October twenty-fifth; five days were taken to coal for our long +voyage to Manila. Honolulu is a fine city, about 2,190 miles from San +Francisco. Located as it is, away out in the Pacific Ocean, makes it the +more attractive to a Georgia soldier who was on his first sea voyage. +There are some fine views in and around Honolulu. As our transport +steamed into the harbor of the city I thought it a grand sight. From +what I could learn I had but one objection to it as a desirable place to +live--leprosy is too prevalent. A small island is used for the lepers' +home, where all who are afflicted with this most loathsome of diseases +are carried, yet the fact that those poor victims are in that country is +a disagreeable one and makes one shudder to look at the island. No one +is allowed to go there, except on business, and they have to get passes +from the authorities to do so. I had no desire to visit the place. + +Honolulu is a very good city, with some of the modern city improvements, +such as water works, electric lights, street railroads and ice +factories. These are the results of emigration, people of other +countries going in with money and experience. The natives are called +Kanakis. Agriculture consists in the cultivation of rice, bananas, +cocoanuts and coffee. It was there where I first saw bananas, cocoanuts +and coffee growing. A lieutenant, with about twenty-five men, including +myself, went out about six miles along the beach. We went to the Diamond +Head, six miles eastward from Honolulu. This is an old crater of an +extinct volcano. Returning to the beach we went in bathing and enjoyed +it very much. + +Our party had to get passes and present them to guards on going out and +returning. Our transport having coaled and made all the necessary +preparations for the voyage to Manila, we went on board and sailed about +four o'clock in the afternoon of October the thirtieth. But few of the +soldiers had been sea-sick before arriving at Honolulu, but after +leaving there many of them were ill for several days. + +I think that the native drink called swipes was the cause of much of it. +This had been very freely imbibed by the soldiers. It is a peculiar +beverage, producing a drunkenness that lasted several days. Some of the +men getting over a drunk on this stuff, by taking a drink of water would +again be drunk. I escaped sea-sickness and, but for the fact that we +were living on the transport like pigs in a crowded pen, I would have +gone over comfortably and would have enjoyed the voyage. + +Our rations were very poor, scarcely fit for hogs to eat. They consisted +of a stewed stuff of beef scraps, called by the men "slum;" prunes, hard +tack and colored hot water for coffee. Once a week we had a change from +this of salmon or cod fish. I believe those who shared this food stuff +with me on this voyage will bear me out in the statement that it was +tough fare. + +The soldiers were not alone on board--there were other passengers who +seemed to dispute our possession and waged war on us both day and night. +These belligerents were known as "gray backs," some of them being nearly +one-fourth of an inch long and very troublesome. Clothing and everything +else seemed to be full of them. + +I have seen soldiers pick them off of their bodies and clothing and kill +them before the men went to bed, hoping to get rid of them and get to +sleep. + +I have seen several times almost the whole body of soldiers on board +sick and vomiting. There was something peculiar about this sickness. +Nevertheless, it was true; the men were fed on rotten prunes and fruit, +which, after nearly all the supply was consumed, was found by our +surgeon to be full of worms. This had been the cause of so much +sickness. By refusing to eat this rotten stuff myself I was not ill. + +About half way between Honolulu and Manila an active volcano was passed +about four o'clock in the morning. Everybody went out on deck to see +this great sight. Although it was raining at the time the men stood out +in it to see this remarkable spectacle. It had the appearance of a round +hill sticking out of the water, the whole top burning and falling in. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + +The most interesting sight I ever beheld was in the China Sea. One +evening, just before dark, when the sea was rough and black, threatening +clouds were hovering over us, lightning shooting its fiery bolts across +their path, and every indication pointed to one of those fearful +typhoons for which the China Sea is noted. The crew had closed all the +port holes and hatchways preparatory for the storm, which was believed +to be fast approaching. While yet on deck with a number of soldiers, who +were looking across the surface of the rough waters, there suddenly +appeared in the water an object that looked like a woman; it had long +hair just like a woman; the upper part of its body was like a woman, and +to all appearances was a woman. It rose about half out of the water and +sank back. Three times it did this and disappeared. I learned that this +strange sea animal was a mermaid, and that they are seen during such +stormy weather as we were then experiencing. + +Another very interesting sea animal is the porpoise. It is shaped +something like a fish, except the head, which looks like that of a hog. +They will follow a ship in droves, swimming near the surface of the +water and jumping out of the water and diving down like fish playing. + +I have seen many living things in water, some of which were very +interesting looking that I never heard any name for. A very strange, +helpless-looking object is the star fish. They are often left by the +tide on the beach and are perfectly helpless until another tide carries +them back. A flying fish fell on deck of the transport and was picked +up, greatly exciting our curiosity. This strange little animal never +gets more than a few inches long. These fish go in schools; sometimes a +school is so large that it covers half an acre or more, skipping or +flying along on the surface of the water sometimes one hundred yards +before striking the water again. I had in my hands the one that fell on +our deck and examined it with a great deal of curiosity. It had a pair +of small wings and was very beautiful. + +The jelly fish does not look very clean and nice. The largest one I ever +saw was eighteen inches thick and looked like a mass of jelly and was +hard in the center. These fish are of two colors, white and black. They +can sting when they touch the naked body and give as much pain as the +sting of a yellow jacket. + +I have been in the water bathing and one of them would sting me, making +a great, red, burning spot. I have seen sea serpents, but was never +close to one where I could see it plainly. They seem to be very easily +frightened, and I only saw them on the surface of the water at some +distance. They are very large snakes with black spots. + +The men on our transport were interested in a flock of sea gulls, which +to us appeared to be the same birds following our vessel to pick up the +scraps thrown overboard. I could see them any day and I therefore +believed they were the same sea gulls. They can fly farther than any +other bird. + +We arrived in Manila Bay November twenty-second, and anchored about two +miles out from the piers of the city. The view was delightful to all on +board, especially the soldiers. We were happy and jokes were freely +passed around. We were once more to be on land and what person would not +be happy over this thought after so long a voyage over the great waters +of the Pacific? + +Five days we had to wait before quarters could be obtained and we could +land. I was very anxious to get away from that transport, which to me +was worse than a jail. I never was jailed in my life, but I believe that +two months' imprisonment would have been more pleasant than the time I +was on board that ship. Finally we were landed at a point just below the +Bridge of Spain and marched into the walled city of Manila. It will be +remembered that a portion of the Twenty-third Regiment had preceded us a +few months. Our landing would reunite the regiment, and to celebrate the +occasion that portion of it that went over first had a banquet dinner +prepared for our arrival. It was a memorable occasion long to be +cherished by my division of the regiment. After such disgusting food as +we had had since leaving San Francisco we appreciated the elegant feast +and plenty of Manila wine that was set before us. This latter portion of +the regiment did full justice to the occasion, both provisions and wine, +which was excellent. We stayed in the city and performed guard duty for +a few months. It was of the hardest sort all the time that we were in +the Philippines. It was performed day and night part of the time. + +We had "running guard," which was day and night, but this would not +continue more than a week at one time. Manila was then a dangerous place +for Americans and our guard and patrol duty was desperate work. + +All the citizens of Manila were our enemies as long as the Spanish +soldiers remained in the city; when they were sent back to Spain +conditions improved immediately. + +No one was permitted to go out of the city. The citizens were allowed, +at intervals of several days, to pass out through the sally ports of the +wall and take two hours' exercise in the Lunetta, which is the favorite +outing grounds of Manila, and a place for executing insurgents. This was +a privilege not often granted, and when the people were thus indulged +they had to be back on time. + +Aguinaldo, with his army, was just outside of Manila from the time the +Americans captured it until his attempt to enter and capture the city +from the Americans. This attempt was made on the night of February +ninth, the first demonstration indicating his intentions being made +about nine o'clock in the night. The Filipinos attempted to enter +through the sally ports and were promptly discovered by the guards, who +commanded a halt. The command was not obeyed and the guards fired upon +them. This seemed to be the signal for a general engagement by the +Filipinos. The Nebraska Volunteers were the first to receive the attack +of the enemy. At once the battle became furious and continued for +several days and nights. The enemy was making a desperate and determined +effort to enter the city, but failed, and were finally driven back to a +position where they could be easier handled by our forces. After about +ten days' fighting the Americans threw up works and entrenched +themselves and waited for re-enforcements before taking the offensive. +The American forces numbered ten thousand in the city and the enemy's +forces were estimated at sixty thousand. The American lines were getting +too long and weak to risk an attack and we held our position and waited +for re-enforcements to arrive. During this time the Filipino prisoners +were closely guarded and forced to bury their dead. Five days were +occupied in this work of picking up and burying the dead Filipinos. The +number of their dead is unknown, but must have been large. It was +reported that five hundred Filipinos were buried in one day. It was also +reported that eighty Americans were killed in one night. + +I shall never forget that night attack; I was one of three men on guard +in the Spanish hospital. This was a very dangerous post at any time, but +on an occasion like that it was more so. Three hundred Filipinos were in +the hospital, about one hundred prisoners and about sixty Spanish women. +All the hospital corps of attendants were armed with some kind of +weapon, usually a knife. When the attack was made on the guards at the +wall and the firing commenced, I was sitting in a chair and almost +asleep from exhaustion and continued guard duty. A Spanish woman in the +top story of the hospital heard the firing. She ran down to where I was +sitting, took me by the shoulders and was shaking me vigorously when I +first realized what was taking place. She was very much excited and +jabbered at me in Spanish, which I had no knowledge of and did not +understand one word she said. When she saw that she could not make me +understand her Spanish she went away. I heard the firing and knew that +an attack was being made. The Filipinos in that hospital would have met +with little resistance from only three guards had they made a dash for +liberty. They could have easily passed out through the unlocked doors +while we could have killed a few. After gaining the outside they could +have given assistance to their comrades, and in the darkness of the +night set fire to the city and made our situation a desperate one +indeed. The Filipinos knew the city much better than the Americans and +had Aguinaldo been possessed with the nerve and ability he could have +entered with his superior numbers and captured the city. The Filipinos, +however, gave the Americans some hard fighting before the enemy's forces +were scattered over the island of Luzon. After the Filipinos were +scattered they divided into small bands, which marched over the island +burning and destroying. One of the bands when run upon by the Americans +would give them a short desperate fight and flee to the hills in safety. +Frequently it happened that a squad of American soldiers would be +outnumbered by a band of the enemy, and it was then the Americans +turned to run into Manila for safety. + +A great many of the native business men, both employers and employees, +stayed in Manila after it was captured and carried on their business. +Many of these were a menace to the safety and the authority of the +Americans. All the arms and ammunition and dynamite that could be +obtained by them were hidden away. They banded together to do all the +mischief possible, but our guards were too clever for the Filipinos and +always detected their schemes and plots before they could be carried +out. It was believed that the men inside of the city were working with +the enemy outside for an outbreak. Aguinaldo would engage the attention +of the Americans and these treacherous Filipinos and Spaniards inside +would do a great deal of mischief before being discovered. + +Therefore, in the face of all this, much depended on the efficiency of +our guard duty. Guards were on duty in all parts of the city, in church +towers and every place that would give any advantage in keeping a +lookout for any indications of trouble. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + +Before Aguinaldo's attempt to enter Manila the friendly natives outside +the city were suffering from a fatal epidemic of some character, +apparently so, judging by the number of caskets taken outside. 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 allowed to pass through +unmolested for about fifteen days. Finally the guard's suspicion was +aroused by these frequent burials and it was decided to open a casket, +which was packed full of Mauser rifles. This ended the funerals outside. +This demonstrates the trickery and smuggling schemes of these people. + +I have known prisoners to escape by exchanging clothing with their +wives, who were permitted to visit their husbands in jail, the man +passing out and leaving the woman in prison. A great many prisoners +escaped in this way before the scheme was discovered. + +Dummy guns and soldiers were placed in forts in a manner to deceive +Americans as to the strength of the works, but the Americans were not to +be bluffed so easily and this scheme was worthless. + +Almost the whole American force was on the streets of Manila watching +and expecting an attack for two weeks before it was made. We were always +prepared to fight. We had to keep our clothes on all the time and our +guns and belts by our side. I did not have 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, through rain and wind, or whatever weather we might be +called out in. There we would stay the balance of the night. If we +wanted to lie down we only had one blanket to put on the wet ground. +Every man had to look out for himself and get the best place he could. + +We would only be in a few hours from one march until orders would be +received to march to some other dangerous point; it appeared that we +were only marched back to the city to take a bath and change clothing, +which we needed. + +I believe these marches in the night or day, in the hot climate of that +country, lying on the wet ground sometimes every night for two weeks, +has killed more men than were 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 reached America +again. I have been through everything and have seen as hard service as +any soldier in the Philippines, and have eaten as hard grub as any of +them ever ate. + +I believe the Twenty-third had call to arms no less than twenty-five +times. Every time we thought a fight was on hand and we would see some +fun with the Filipinos. Whenever we got them started to running, which +most always was easily done, then the fun was on. We were sent out a +great many times to guard some town from the enemy's torch. + +Company "E," of the Twenty-third, was detailed to guard the first +reserve hospital in Manila and was on duty ten days. The officers feared +that enough of the enemy would slip through the lines to enter the +hospital and commit many depredations 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 to do. All +the time we were there on duty we could not leave without permission. We +laid about in the hot sun in the day time and at night on the ground. +Some of the soldiers pulled grass and made beds to sleep on the side of +the streets. + +The only thing to help pass the time while on this duty was to go +through the hospital and look at the wounded, some with arms off, others +with a leg gone, while there were men wounded in almost every imaginable +way to be living. Some would get well when it looked almost impossible +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 and +handles them like a butcher handling a beef. Almost every day women and +children were brought in with burned hands and feet, the Filipinos +burning every town which they thought was about to be captured, and the +women and children suffered; doubtless, many were burned to death. + +Fire is a dangerous resort of the Filipino. About one hundred got +through the lines into Manila and made an effort to burn the city, but +the promptness of the Americans saved it, only five blocks being burned. +The soldiers were kept busy guarding the negroes and keeping them away +from the buildings. Big stores were burning and the fire department was +too poor to save them; the proprietors told the soldiers to go in and +get anything they wanted. + +While the fire department was doing all it could to save the city and +sneaking Filipinos were hindering the department all they could by +cutting the hose. They would assemble in crowds and then the hose was +cut; every one caught in this act was shot down on the spot. Six or +seven were thus punished that night. It was an exciting time and looked +as if Manila would be burned in spite of all our efforts to save her. +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 light +of the burning houses in Manila he was shot at. This was kept up all +night. Our great trouble was to distinguish between the noise of the +bursting bamboos and the report of a Mauser rifle. The noise of bursting +bamboos could be heard three and four miles, some of them not much +unlike a six-inch gun, and the reports from a burning bamboo village was +almost a reproduction of a battle and would last several hours. + +After guarding the burning district of the city all night we returned to +guard duty at the hospital. Orders were received to march to the firing +line at San Pedro Macati. We marched there on the first day of March and +stayed 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 going and coming by the Filipinos, but their fire was +ineffective, owing to their distance from us, until the detail neared +the trenches, where the distance was not so great, and it was very +dangerous. Some were wounded. + +A man behind the works could not get out for a few minutes' exercise +without being fired at, and if he did not get under cover soon they +would get him. I have seen many men shot that way; they thought the +Filipinos could not shoot. I have seen some fine marksmen among them. +They could do some good shooting until they became excited and fled for +some place of safety. + +I have seen squads of Filipinos come near our trenches and open fire on +us. A squad of Americans with their arms would jump out of the trenches +and start towards them and they would soon disappear like so many +frightened deer. I was in a squad of soldiers who ran three Filipinos +for two miles. They were shot at several times, but got away. + +We were out ten days and had two engagements; we had a very hard time on +this excursion. Water was hauled two miles and a half on a two-wheeled +vehicle, in old vessels holding four or five gallons. By the time we +could get to the kitchens about half of it would be spilled. + +Buffaloes were used like oxen in this country. They were much larger, +however, of a dark brown color and very easily frightened. When one +started to run away no man could hold it. I have seen them run 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 against a stone building, +knocking himself down. He arose and ran on as fast as before. Those that +run at large will get in the water where it will cover them and stand +with their noses out for half a day. + +The fourth day out at San Pedro Macati we had a bush skirmish and some +hard fighting for about two hours. + +This was my first fighting and I have to confess to being a little +frightened this time, but kept my nerve on all other occasions. We ran +them back from the trenches and out of sight. They were not to be seen +even by the aid of field glasses any more that day. We could not +estimate the number of killed, as they left none on the field. + +The first sergeant of my company was slightly wounded in the chest by a +spent ball, from which he recovered in a few days. I was near him and +heard the bullet strike him; it almost felled him. This was the first +soldier I saw wounded. + +The way the bullets were coming I thought every one of us would be +killed, but no one was shot except the one just mentioned. Out-posts +were always stationed two hundred yards 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, who +would then rapidly fall back to our lines of trenches. This out-post +duty is very important and very dangerous, especially when the sneaking +Filipinos were in the community. + +Many nights the Americans would be aroused from their slumbers by the +enemy's attacks and efforts to surprise them, and we would lie in our +trenches and fire on them till they left. The enemy 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 underbrush. Our sentinels had orders not to +fire on them unless they made an attack, when the sentinels fired and +got back into the trenches as quickly as possible to escape being killed +by our own men. + +They violated the custom of the white flag frequently. A party of six or +eight would leave their lines with a white flag and advance a little +and wave the flag. A party of Americans would start to meet them. + +Every time the Americans stopped the Filipinos stopped. They tried to +get our men as near them as possible and when they thought they could +get our men no nearer they 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, but they only +succeeded in killing two, as far as came to my knowledge. After a few +attempts of this kind they were fired on regardless of their white flag +scheme. + +While at San Pedro Macati the First Colorado Volunteers would go out and +sleep all night on the hill-top. Some one was killed, or wounded, every +night this was done. But few Americans were killed before the 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. That evening orders +were received to return to Manila. We had been in the trenches the +greater part of the ten days at San Pedro Macati, and had two +engagements, one the fourth and one the tenth of March. + +We set out on the return to Manila late in the evening of March tenth. +We had a march of six miles to make. A heavy rain drenched the soldiers, +reaching the walled city of Manila about eleven o'clock that night. + +After a few days' rest Company "E" of the Twenty-third went up the Pasig +river on cascos to Laguna de Bay, a distance of fifty miles from +Manila. This is a body of fresh water twenty miles wide and sixty miles +long, and deep enough to float a large steamer. + +A gun boat, which stayed there in the bay, and of the same name, was +boarded by a part of our soldiers and steamed up the bay for the purpose +of capturing Santa Cruz. We had to go up in front of the town in full +view of the Filipinos, who saw the approach of the gun boat and left in +haste for the mountains. + +Our boat grounded and we had to wade out a distance of two hundred +yards. The bottom of the lake was uneven and by the time land was +reached we were wet from running into holes of deep water. On reaching +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 on the +mountains. When we left they returned, but before going we burned some +large buildings in which supplies were stored, mostly rice and sugar. We +returned to the gunboat and cascos late that evening. + +Captain Grant, of the gunboat, wanted to go about thirty miles up the +bay from Santa Cruz. We made the run in three hours. It was a very +bright moonlight night. The objective point was reached about eight +o'clock. On getting very close to shore an old priest was seen on the +dock waving a big white flag, which he continued to wave until we +landed. Captain Pratt took an 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 landing, but returned when the +old priest rang the church bell as a signal that all was well. We were +preparing to sleep in their bamboo houses, but Captain Pratt, fearing +some treachery, ordered us to the cascos and gunboat to sleep, but as we +were wet and muddy large camp fires were built where we could dry and +eat our salmon and hard tack before going on the boats. + +We had had some hard service for four days and felt very much like +sleeping, but the boats rolled and plunged until we could not sleep. We +were in a dangerous place. 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 did not appear to have +any arms. Next morning two cascos were loaded with captured wood and we +left this place to go down and across the lake to take another town. + +Our boats were anchored two miles out and an armed detail sent out in a +small launch to reconnoitre. It was found to be too strong for our +forces. A strong fort and almost three thousand Filipinos were in the +town. We remained in front of this place until the next 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 pursue this vessel, as our +boat was slow of speed and night was coming on. Nothing more was seen +during the night and next morning we went down the lake to the Pasig +river, which is the lake's outlet. Going down the river about five miles +we awaited orders from Manila. + +We were out on this expedition for ten days, part of this time on the +Laguna de Bay and the remainder in the Pasig river. + +We had a good time after starting back towards Manila, but little to do +and less to care for. While awaiting orders on the river we consumed a +great deal of time hunting chickens and ducks. These were very plentiful +and easily caught. We fared well on these every day for a week. We also +killed all the hogs that were necessary to supply 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 expectations of a good meal were exploded by +finding that the pigs were spoiled. After that we profited by that +experience and always ate our hogs as soon as they could be prepared. +The trouble about keeping fresh meat there was the hot, moist climate. +This would soon spoil it, especially if not dressed immediately after +being killed. + +On the ninth day of this expedition about twenty-five men went out on a +hunt for porkers. Six very good-sized ones were secured by this party, +to which I belonged. Another 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 party of soldiers caught +fifteen of these while the hogs and ducks were being secured. These +three parties returned about the same time loaded with the spoils of the +chase. + +The cooks tried to please every one and set us at dressing our game. +They cooked every hog, chicken and duck for dinner that day. There were +about ninety men in this company. This was one of the last three days +out on this expedition of ten days. The other seven were very rough and +hard ones for us. + +One night some of the men made a new arrangement about sleeping. The day +had been hot and clear and the open air was desirable to sleep in where +we could enjoy the full benefit of a nice cool breeze 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. Captain Grant looked out on deck at our +positions and said: "Boys, look out up there tonight. It rains here in +this country sometimes." The sky was almost cloudless and we thought +nothing of rain. + +About two o'clock I awoke, thoroughly drenched, and the rain falling as +fast as I ever saw it in my life. Any one who has not seen it rain in a +hot country has an inadequate idea how hard a tropical rain really is. +My blanket was perfectly wet and the water was standing on one side of +me in a pool. 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 it and resulted in severe colds in every +instance. The twenty-fourth of March we were about fifteen miles from +Manila, up the Pasig river, awaiting orders. The Pasig river is deep and +wide, large steamers being able to traverse its waters. A strong under +current made swimming difficult and dangerous. + +Observing some soldiers across the river at a deserted bamboo village I +decided to go over to them. I set out and swam till tired. Looking back +I discovered that I was about half way across the river. I swam until I +was almost too exhausted to raise one hand above the other. I could not +tell whether I was moving or not, except, perhaps, down stream. + +I was in a critical condition, but did not give up nor get excited. Had +I done so I believe that I would have drowned. I know of about twenty +soldiers who were drowned while trying to swim across the Pasig river. + +By struggling with all my strength I succeeded in getting across. I did +not know how I could get back without swimming and I decided not to try +that. I was very exhausted and rested and planned a long time. Finally I +found a piece of plank and getting on that I went across all right. This +experience was sufficient for me, and after that I never went into water +too deep to wade. + +We left our river post and went into Manila. On the way down the river +we met with an accident that might have been fatal to about fifty men. A +casco had been captured in the Laguna de Bay, and about fifty men, +including myself, went on board the captured vessel and were being towed +into Manila by a launch. Our vessels had to pass under the Bridge of +Spain. The captured boat was too high 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 my back in a close, narrow place where there was just enough +room for me to wedge into. The casco was being pulled to pieces against +the bridge and as it went farther under the bridge the rudder beam was +pushed around over me with such force that it left grooves in a piece of +timber not more than an inch above my face. It was that piece of timber +that saved me from being crushed to death. + +After the excitement had subsided a little I found that I had been +struck on one side and hurt, but only slightly. The launch tore loose +from the casco and before it could again be fastened another accident +threatened us. Several large sailing vessels lay at anchor along the +river and the casco was about to run into them. This accident was +avoided and we were landed and marched into the walled city of Manila. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + +Our company arrived at Manila on the night of March 24, 1899. The next +night our regiment was ordered out to re-enforce the volunteers in +capturing Malabon. This town was full of Filipinos, who were fighting +the volunteer forces then trying to capture the town. Our forces marched +to the north of the town and camped. Every soldier had to cook his own +provisions, if he ate any that were cooked. The march from Manila to our +camp was twelve miles. Every man carried one hundred rounds of +cartridges, knapsack and his provisions. The site of our camp was on the +bank of the Malabon river, which was reached at sunset. We had to cross +the river before camping and the only chance was to wade or swim. Some +could wade, but those who were short had to swim. We wanted to cross +without getting our blankets and provisions wet, but some were more +unfortunate and lost them. I tied my blanket and provisions to the +bayonet fixed on my rifle and crossed with them dry, but my person +suffered by the water and mud. Night had come on by the time the +regiment reached the camping side of the river and guards had to be put +on duty at once. Our blankets were piled up for no further service while +we were out on this expedition; the men, wet and muddy, had to pass the +night the best they could. There were supposed to be from 3,000 to 4,000 +Filipinos near by and our night camp was a hazardous one. Everything +must be done with the utmost caution. + +The men, wet and muddy, fought mosquitoes all night and had no rest. The +Filipinos could be heard all night busily tearing up the railroad track +and destroying a bridge a few hundred yards from us. They dug pits in +the ground and built fires in them, over which the track rails were +placed till hot enough to easily bend. Bending the rails, they thought, +prevented the Americans from using them again in shipping supplies over +the road. The site of our camp was a low, mucky place on the river bank, +where mosquitoes literally filled the air. + +That was the hardest night on me of all the nights of two years' service +in the Philippine Islands. I was so sleepy and tired next morning that I +could scarcely hold up my head, and my condition seemed to be no worse +than that of every other soldier in the regiment. Mosquitoes had bitten +me through my trousers and brought blood. Frequently I have been +sleeping after a hard day's service when the mosquitoes would bite my +face and the blood run out and dry up in hard drops. When I could not +get water to wash off these places I would scratch them off. In some +cases these bites were poisonous. I have seen soldiers with large sores, +caused by scratching mosquito bites. I was cautious about poisoning +during my service in the Philippines. + +The morning of the 26th, about four o'clock, I saw from my post, where +I had been all night, a big fire in the direction of Malabon. The +Filipinos had fired the town and left it. It was our purpose to capture +the place and take some forts on the river, but the tricky Filipinos +preferred burning their town to surrendering it to the hated Americans. + +Our forces took up the advance on the enemy, who stubbornly resisted us +from ten o'clock in the morning until four in the evening, when they +retired to Malinto and took another stand behind a stone wall and held +this position until driven from it by a charge. We had to advance up a +long slope of open ground for one and a half miles. Firing was kept up +rapidly all the way. The enemy was driven out and the town taken. About +thirty men were killed and wounded on the American side. The enemy's +loss was not known, but must have been very heavy. + +One poor fellow who was among the wounded in this battle I remember very +distinctly. He was first sergeant of Company G, Twenty-second Regiment. +He was shot through the head. The doctor dressing the wounds as he came +to the wounded saw this sergeant and said there was no use to do +anything for him, that he would die in a few minutes. The wounded man +replied that he would live longer than the doctor would and wanted his +wounds dressed. He lay there and talked to his comrades, who were around +him, and cursed the doctor for neglecting him. He remained in this +condition an hour or two and died. + +After a short rest in Malinto we marched about one mile south and back +to Malinto again. That night we marched to a point near a station on the +Manita and Dagupan Railroad and camped. We were then about eight miles +from Manila, and opposite Malabon, which is off the railroad and on the +beach near the mouth of the Malabon river. Our camp was located more +than two miles from where we had left our blankets that morning on going +into battle. A detail of ten men, including myself, was made out to go +after the blankets. They were obtained and we returned to camp with them +about ten o'clock that night. We had to cook our rations for supper +after our return, but being rather a frugal meal of easy preparation but +little time was required to prepare it; frying some bacon in mess kits +composed all the cooking; hard tack and canned tomatoes composed the +remainder of the meal. The ground with the starry heavens overhead and +one blanket was both house and bed. The next day we marched into Manila, +arriving about twelve o'clock. We remained there doing guard duty till +the 30th day of March. + +In the evening of the 29th orders were read out to provide three days' +rations, fill our canteens and each man to be furnished with one hundred +and fifty cartridges. We all expected a battle and were anxious for it, +but did not know where we were most likely to get it. Every one was busy +and anxious to be marching, especially the officers, who usually could +hardly wait for the time to come after receiving orders to march. + +We were to have supper on this occasion at five o'clock, but all we had +were some scraps and crumbs from the camp kitchen. + +Our orders were to march to Maricana, which was held by the enemy. We +marched twelve miles before camping. It rained before we started out +from Manila and cleared up, but left the roads very muddy and made +marching very hard. The twelve miles were made by ten o'clock. That +night the wet ground served as couch and one blanket as all the +covering. We had to recline, if we lay down at all, with gun and belt at +our side, ready at a moment's notice to meet the enemy's attack should +they swoop down upon us in camp. After a halt of six hours we set about +at four o'clock preparing breakfast, every man cooking his own rations +in camp kit and making coffee in a quart cup. + +Men were gathered around their little fires of wet wood on the damp +ground trying to burn wet wood and cook over the little fire it made. +Some of the hungry men had just succeeded in getting their fires to burn +and commenced to cook when orders were given to prepare for the march to +Maricana, which we were expected to capture that day and to take the +Filipinos prisoners or drive them into the neighboring mountains. It is +needless to say that those men who failed to get their breakfast were +ready to fight. They had an opportunity before many hours passed. + +From the camp it was five miles to Maricana. The march began at +four-thirty, while it was still dark, and we could move unseen by any of +the enemy who chanced to be lurking in our vicinity. We marched through +the woods and without speaking above a whisper marched close to the +enemy before we were discovered. Their sentinels in the church towers +were the first to discover our approach and give the alarm by ringing +the bells. + +Maricana is located on the bank of a river and we advanced within one +hundred and fifty yards of the opposite bank before we were discovered. +We advanced at double time and reached the river bank, when we lay down +and opened fire just as the early daylight was appearing. Our skirmish +line covered the whole town, in which the enemy were stationed as a +reserve force to their advanced lines along the river. This advance, or +outer line of the enemy, were fortified behind a stone wall. Our line +was at the disadvantage of being in the open ground. The lines thus +formed were hotly engaged for some time when the command was given to +cross the river and charge the enemy's lines. The river bank in front of +me was about ten feet high, but this offered no obstacle to me when +bullets were falling thick and fast near by. At the command to cross I +jumped and somehow got down the bank and into the water. Looking back I +saw no one else coming. The bullets were coming around me so fast I had +no time to form any plans and I pushed on into the water until it was +almost over my head. I remained in this condition until I saw my command +crossing about one hundred yards below me. I could not get out on the +bank to go down and decided I would wade down to the crossing place and +join our forces there. I was almost exhausted when I reached the shore. +The enemy, seeing our intentions to attack their line, remained behind +the stone wall and fired at us until we were nearly across. Then they +could stay there no longer and fled from their strong position. We +crossed and entered the town, capturing five armed men. The enemy beat a +hasty retreat, rather a pell-mell flight across the open country towards +the mountains, at whose bay they had entrenchments and a large reserve +force. The fight lasted from daylight till about two o'clock in the +evening. The battle of Maricana was as hard as any fought in the +Philippine Islands. About three thousand American soldiers were engaged. +Several were killed and a great many of the Filipinos. + +When an American was wounded his wound was dressed and some soldier's +blue shirt hung up near him to designate the place where a wounded +American was. In this way no one would be left on the field after the +battle when the dead and wounded were picked up. + +The Filipinos were not so well cared for. I saw a great many soldiers +run out of their way in order to step on a dead or wounded Filipino. +They would shout with joy at their punishment of the poor Filipino. + +I was near three Americans who were shot that day; two of them were +killed. The one who recovered was a member of my company. A ball passed +through his body, entering the back and passing out on the right side. +It didn't seem possible for him to live, but in one month he was again +at his post of duty. A lieutenant of the Fourth Infantry had his horse +killed under him. Jumping off he took out his field glasses and got on +his knees and began looking for sharpshooters. In less than a minute he +was shot through the heart and fell dead without speaking. I thought +every second I would get a bullet, for they were flying so thick and +close that I did not see how I could escape them. Before the battle was +over I wished I might be shot, for I never was so nearly dead in all my +life. My condition did not appear to be any worse than that of every +other American soldier. + +We were run almost to exhaustion and were awfully hot. I drank water +that day from ditches and holes when the water looked green and tasted +very badly. I knew the water was filthy and even dangerous to drink, but +I was not going to die for water when there was plenty of it near by. +During the heat of the battle I was lying down near an old soldier. We +were both trying to get cover. We were fighting hard with no protection +but the ridges in a large rice field which we were fighting over. Our +firing line was in a line of skirmishers. A bullet hit the ground in +front and between the old soldier and where I lay. It knocked dirt in +our faces. The old soldier looked at me and appeared to be very much +frightened. I only laughed at his funny looks. Before I got away from +that position I felt a hard shock on my chest. I thought that I was shot +at last and put my hand up to examine the wound. Finding myself all +right I looked at the ridge and saw what it all meant. A bullet was +buried in the ridge. I dug it out with my bayonet and kept it, and I +have it yet as a souvenir of that day's battle. I have several more +bullets which struck near me at different times and places. All of +these I treasure, for I do not expect to get any more bullets just as I +did these. + +The American loss at Maricana was twenty-four killed and nineteen +wounded. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + +After leaving the battlefield we returned to the camp we had left that +morning. The whole force was almost exhausted by the day's service and +marching was a slow, burdensome task. A great many men lost their +provisions in the battle or in crossing the river. Mine was lost in the +river together with my mess kit, canteen and haversack. Those who were +fortunate enough not to lose their rations of canned beef and hard tack +were enjoying a hasty meal. At this juncture orders from Manila were to +march to Caloocan Church that night, a distance of about twenty-three +miles. It was then getting late in the evening and this march to be made +before camping was not very pleasant news to already footsore and tired +soldiers. Before marching out of sight of our camp men began falling +out. I marched about half an hour and had to fall out of ranks and +straggle along as best I could. My company set out for Caloocan with one +hundred and twenty-eight men, only eighteen of whom marched through that +night. The others were scattered along the route, footsore and worn out. +Many of them pulled off their shoes to relieve their blistered feet and +marched barefooted and carried their shoes in their hands, and, like +myself, stopping almost every hundred yards to rest a few minutes. We +were afraid to stop long at a time. We would have become too sore and +stiff to move. + +We continued to move along in this tedious, toilsome way as rapidly as +possible. My party of three were proceeding as best we could. In the +darkness of the night we lost our way by taking the wrong road and went +into a small town, where we found a few white men, one of them a doctor +belonging to the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers. He made many +inquiries about us and our regiment and asked all about the battle +fought that day. He looked after our welfare by providing us with +shelter and beds, but there was something else we wanted before +sleeping. We were perishing for food and all we had between us was a +small can of bacon, a ten cent United States coin and one small Spanish +coin (a paseado). With these we went out to buy bread. We found a +Chinaman and bought a piece of bread that was so hard we could scarcely +eat it, but we made a very good meal on that and the bacon. + +We slept on a good spring bed and I awoke next morning in the position I +was in when I fell asleep. I was so stiff and sore that it was miserable +to have to move. After breakfast we went into Manila and took the +railroad for our command. + +A number of soldiers arrived after we did and reported for duty. All the +provisions that I ate on this expedition, which lasted three days, would +not have made more than one good meal. Before my party reported at +Caloocan one of the other two and myself were reported captured by the +Filipinos, or lost. That night we all went back into Manila to resume +guard and patrol duty. Police duty was all done by soldiers until a +force of Macabees was organized. The Macabees are enemies of the +Filipinos, and soon became our allies and were very good soldiers and +police. + +Manila has a population of nearly 400,000 people of different tribes and +nationalities. It is the capital of Luzon and the most important city of +the Philippine Islands. The energy and enterprise is due to foreigners. +There are several miles of narrow gauge street railroad and a system of +electric lights. + +To mingle with these people it is necessary to know two or three +languages, if not more. Spanish is the prevailing language. Most of the +business men can speak several languages. + +The Chinese are the filthiest people there. I have seen hundreds of them +living in their workhouses where a stench was arising too great for a +white man to approach. These filthy people cook, eat and sleep all in +this filthy hole. Their principal food is rice and soup. One dollar of +United States currency will buy enough for one person to live on a whole +month. When the Americans first entered Manila it was very filthy. The +air reeked from the accumulation of filth during the siege of the city. +This made the place a little worse than usual. It took the soldiers +three months to clean out and clear out the streets. + +The only thing apparently that kept down a great deal of disease and +death is the continual blowing of the sea breeze. + +Those killed in battle outside the city had been carried in and buried +in shallow holes, or probably I would be more correct in saying, about +half covered with earth and left that way for dogs to scratch up and +pull about by the arms and legs. + +I have seen dead Filipinos carried out of the hospital, thrown on carts +and carried to the burying ground and handled like dead hogs. They would +be covered a little and left to the dogs. I don't believe I ever looked +towards the place without seeing dogs there eating and pulling the +bodies about. + +Hundreds of beggars are to be seen squatted down at all public places +and on the street corners. They do not sit down like Americans. This is +the case with all the natives. They sit in a peculiar, squatting way, +which is positively tiring to any one else but these natives. + +The Filipino men wear trousers rolled up high and a long white shirt of +very thin material, the tail hanging out over the trousers like a +sweater. They wear nothing on the feet and most of them wear nothing on +the head. They are not fond of clothing, and many wear very little, +almost going nude. They find a great deal of pleasure in the possession +of a gun and it seems that they are content with a gun, fighting and +running in the mountains. They care little for life and will fight till +killed. + +A squad of Filipinos was captured near Manila by some of the Fourteenth +Infantry; when they were approached to give over their guns to the +soldiers they would make a motion like giving up a gun, but instead jump +back and attempt to shoot a soldier. If he succeeded in shooting an +American some other American would shoot the Filipino. Several were +killed in this manner. + +When a Filipino is captured his greatest desire is to keep possession of +his gun, and sometimes fight for its possession after being captured. + +The Filipinos are a natural race of gamblers; they gamble and trade, +many of them, for a living, refusing to work as long as they can get +anything to eat without working for it. Their principal cause for +idleness is the cheapness of their living, rice and fish being their +principal food. They will catch fish and throw them in the hot sun for +two or three days; they are then taken up and smoked and burned a few +minutes over some coals and chunks, and then eaten. + +If any Americans are watching them they will say, "mucho chico wino," +while eating this delicacy of their indolence and filth. The Filipinos +and native tribes are extremely filthy in their eating, as well as +everything else; they eat almost anything that an American will refuse +to eat. + +The Macabees is another negro tribe on the Island of Luzon. They are a +much better people than the Filipinos and more intelligent. This tribe +is hostile to the Filipinos, and fight them whenever an opportunity is +offered. + +Two regiments of the Macabees were organized and equipped by the +Americans, and placed in the field against the Filipinos, and they made +very good soldiers. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + +I missed being placed on a detail of twenty-five men to serve on a +gunboat; I wished to get out on some kind of service and leave the +regular and dull service in Manila. I missed this detail in all +probability by being out in the town when the detail was being made out. +I tried to get on when I returned, but failed, the detail having been +made out already. This detail from my company saw much more service than +those remaining in the company. + +Their discharges show a record of more than a dozen engagements. They +served in this detail five months, and had plenty of hard service. They +were only paid once during the five months; a few of them, however, were +not paid until discharged, if I was correctly informed. Their +descriptive list was lost, causing two men to have to serve ten days +longer than they enlisted to serve. + +Much "kicking" was done by men in other parts of the service who were +not paid for a year or more, but all to no purpose. + +I was on the alert for another detail to be made and to get on. At last +I succeeded, on the tenth day of April, in getting on a detail of only +ten men to perform guard duty on a dredge boat that was dredging at the +mouth of the Malabon river. This was twenty miles from Manila. The +object of the dredging was to make a channel in the shallow water at the +river's mouth sufficient to enable gun boats to enter the river, which +was deeper after leaving its mouth. This was very slow work, requiring a +great deal of time and labor to perform it. This dreging had been going +on for a month. We were on duty there for ten days, and, judging by what +I saw, it must have required two months' more work to open the desired +channel. + +From our station numbers of natives could be seen on shore, and passing +up and down the river. It seemed that the country was full of Filipinos. + +We watched them a great deal. Their methods of catching fish was very +interesting to us. They never used a pole, hook and line as we would. At +night great crowds could be seen, each one in a boat, and carrying a big +torch. They would be near the beach, going out but a little way from the +edge of the water; they would beat and splash in the water, and drive +the fish into large traps or nets, just like a hunter driving quail into +a net, only the fishermen were more noisy. + +After beating the water and banks until it was supposed the fish had +gone into the net, or trap, they were left in it until next day, when +they were seined out. Great quantities were caught in this way. + +Another method of fishing was to get in a boat with a long gig and move +the boat slowly, and when a fish was near enough gig it. The large fine +fish were only caught in this way. + +Our detail returned to Manila in the evening of April tenth, and +remained there until that portion of the 23d Regiment was ordered to +the Island of Jolo, where we started on the seventeenth day of May. I +had been in the old walled city of Manila a little more than six months; +part of my regiment had been there ten months. We had had very hard +service there, and the close confinement, almost like imprisonment, made +us glad to change, and held out a hope that we would find easier service +and more interesting. + +The wall of the old city of Manila extended entirely around the old +city. The sally ports and all the streets were always guarded until no +soldier could go outside without exhibiting a pass to the guards signed +by the company and commanding officers. All the time that I was +stationed there I was never out without the required pass. + +Guards were stationed on top of the wall, and made it unsafe to try to +climb it to get out, although I have seen this done by means of a rope; +men would pass out this way and stay out as late as they wished to and +return. + +This was not safe. Even the guards did not discover the attempt, for the +wall was not less than thirty feet high, some places even higher, and +forty feet wide. Stone houses are built in this wall, and used for +military stores. On top of the wall on the sea-side were three hundred +large cannon when the city was surrendered to the Americans. Around the +old Spanish arsenal about two acres were covered with cannon balls, +guns, bayonets and rifles, all scattered about in a mass until it was +difficult to get over the ground. It required two months of the +American's time to pile up and arrange these munitions of war +surrendered by the Spanish. + +After the treaty of peace all these were returned to Spain. + +A great many Spaniards live in Manila, and are subjects of Spain. They +have some very peculiar customs. One that came to my notice is that of +the courtship of a Spanish youth and his sweetheart. + +The young man is not permitted to enter his sweetheart's home, but +stands on the outside and makes love to her though the iron bars of a +window. I saw a great deal of this before I learned what it all meant. + +The Spanish seemed to have a very bitter hatred for all Americans just +after the fall of Manila. When we first entered the city the Spanish +women would throw anything that menaced us in passing the streets, from +their windows. They would do anything to harass and endanger the lives +of Americans that they could think of without exposing themselves too +much. Starvation was staring them in the face when the city was +surrendered. They had been reduced to rice almost wholly for sustenance. +The pay of the Spanish soldiers was very small. I was informed that it +was only six dollars Spanish per month, equivalent to only three dollars +of United States currency. Yet this meagre sum had not been paid for +several months. + +A Spaniard is not a very frank, attractive looking fellow to an American +soldier. He has a sneaking countenance, and a disposition out of harmony +with that of the American. However, this opinion may be modified +somewhat with those able to speak Spanish and become better acquainted +with them. Being unable to speak their language I was barred from this +possibility. + +Luzon and some other large islands are very fertile, and under proper +agricultural management would yield millions and blossom as the rose, +but as yet they are blighted by the uncivilized natives. A man would be +taking his life in his hands to go out into the country and try to +engage in anything. As conditions existed when I was there, bands of +hostile Filipinos were scouring the whole interior, and frequently were +bold enough to raid near the American posts, leaving devastation +wherever they went. The soil is very fertile, a warm temperature and +plenty of water to irrigate with if desired for that purpose. + +The natives use the most crude implements, and have but very little +knowledge of farming, and are too indolent to put into practice what +little they do know of soils and crops. It seems to make little +difference what season they plant in. The climate is always warm, most +of the year extremely hot; too hot for an American or white man, to +labor in. It is just the climate that suits the negro. Chinese and +negroes work for fifty and sixty cents per day. + +A very fine tobacco is raised, and most of it exported. A cigar factory +in Manila manufactures a great quantity of cigars. + +Rice is easily raised, and is the principal food of the natives. + +The rough rice is husked in a very crude way; a wooden trough, or dug +out, is used to put the rough rice in, and chunks of wood are taken in +the hands, and the rice is pounded with these until the husks are all +broken off, the rice taken out and separated from the husks. + +Sugar is an important crop, and is extensively raised. No less than +fifteen sugar mills could be counted from the top of the walls of the +city of Manila. + +Under improved methods of agriculture that country would be a wonderful +one in the production of sugar and rice. + +The Philippines will, in all probability, become important in the near +future in the production of minerals, principally gold. There are some +very good veins of gold ore in the mountains of Luzon, some of which I +saw myself. Several pieces of stone on which gold was easily seen, were +picked up by the men of my regiment. I saw rocks with both gold and +silver in them. The men would not tell just where they had found them. +They probably thought that at some time, after their service expired, +they would return and work the places found. + +I knew one man, an old, experienced miner, who would spend the Sundays +out in the hills and around the foot of them, where he was not exposed +too much to the enemy, prospecting for gold. He was successful in +finding good indications of rich minerals. He appeared to make a +confidant of me. At one time he showed me a lot of gold and some silver +that he had found out on his prospecting tours, but would not tell me +where they came from. He told me that when he was discharged he +intended to return and work the mines. I knew that the paymaster had +considerable money belonging to this old miner, who told me he should +invest it in the mines, and in purchasing mining machinery. + +I saw and heard enough to cause me to believe that when the natives are +civilized, and when men would be safe in the mountains, that the mines +in the Philippines will attract more people than the Klondike ever did. +There are advantages in the Philippines which are not found in the +Klondike region, the most important being the climate, not considering +the quality of the mines, which I believe to be equal to that of the +Klondike. + +The mountain regions are rich in various minerals. + +In the Island of Mindanao coal has been mined ever since Americans have +been there. + +This country will find out in a few years what is in the Philippines. I +believe it is a rich country. Almost anything can be raised that is +desired in the line of field and garden crops; fine timber is plentiful +and saw mills are yet unknown. I don't believe there is a saw mill in +the Island of Luzon. All sawed timber is imported that is used at +present; not much is used in building as most of the houses are built of +stone or bamboo. The frame buildings which we have in America are never +seen there. All the native houses and small towns are built of bamboo, +and covered with grass. The bamboo grows very large, the joints are two +and three feet long, and some of the larger bamboos are as large as a +common tree. They are the same thing that people in this country know +as canes, the difference being in their size only. Houses are built of +bamboo without the use of nails. Nothing for flooring but the naked +earth. Split bamboo is worked into the houses fastening the whole +together. I have seen the natives build houses, and have no other tool +than a large knife. The roof of grass is fastened on with strips of +bamboo, and is three to four inches thick. This roof is superior, in +point of comfort, in a hot country, to that of anything I ever saw. I +have been in the hot sun and in metal roofed buildings, and on going +into a grass covered house the difference was noticeable immediately, +the grass roofed house being much cooler. + +Manila is built of stone; the buildings look very old, but are good yet. + +One night when the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment was on police duty, and +no one was allowed on the streets after seven o'clock at night, with a +fellow soldier I started out to go to a dance outside of the city walls; +we knew that if we were caught we would be court martialed. To avoid all +the risk possible we went out before seven o'clock, and took chances on +getting back to quarters safely. We could not return to our quarters +without passing sentinels, that much was certain, but how to pass them +safely was the question then most important to us. I had an army pistol, +and with that in my hand I directed my friend to play the part of a +prisoner and march before me. We proceeded in that way only a short +distance when a guard halted us. I explained that I had a prisoner +carrying him to headquarters. The guards were to see orders for a pass +or whatever orders I might have, but this one allowed me to pass on with +my prisoner without showing any orders. We passed in by all the guards +and patrols on the streets, and were halted and some questions asked and +answered, but none of them asked to see any orders regarding my +prisoner, who all the time was just in front of me. I was afraid that +every guard and patrol would demand my orders, and then our scheme would +fail, and we would be in trouble. I told them it was late and I must +hurry in with my prisoner, and so we passed them all and reached our +quarters in safety. The men worked a great many schemes to get out and +in, but it was for my friend and myself to play the part of prisoner and +guard first. + +I never tried any more schemes on the guards, but was always in at +night; I did not like to risk so much just for a little fun. We were +very careful about keeping our little scheme from the officers, but told +some of our comrades about it, and enjoyed the joke with them. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + +On the seventeenth day of May the Thirteenth Regiment and two battalions +of the 23d Regiment went on board the Spanish transport, "Leon," and +sailed for the Island of Jolo. + +I was a member of one of the battalions of the 23d. We boarded the +"Leon" under a Spanish crew and sailed under the Spanish flag. The +"Leon" was a large vessel of rapid speed, and made the run from Manila +to the Island of Jolo in a little more than forty-eight hours, a +distance of 800 miles south of Manila. Land was in sight almost the +entire voyage. We passed through straits and seas, by Iloilo on the +Island of Panay, Cebu, Negros Island, through the sea of Jolo to +Zamboanga on the Island of Mindanao, and to Jolo. The group of islands +forming the Sulu Archipelago is the southern islands of the Philippines. +The "Leon" sailed into the Jolo Bay in the evening on the nineteenth of +May. A large force of Spanish soldiers was stationed in the town +performing garrison duty. Our force was to relieve them, and they were +to return to Spain on the transport "Leon." On the twentieth of May we +went ashore. The Spanish soldiers seemed to be very glad to be relieved +and return to Spain. + +The garrison was short of rations, and the soldiers were living very +hard when we relieved them. These Spanish soldiers were the last who +left the Philippines for Spain. + +We were landed in small boats, which could not carry very many men. The +boats were rowed by Chinese. All supplies have to be carried in by these +small boats. It is a very slow and tedious piece of work to land the +contents of a large ship, and requires several days to do the work. + +Captain Pratt was in command, and Company E was ordered out to the block +house, which stands about one thousand yards back of Jolo, and towards +the mountains. A guard detail was made out, and the Spanish soldiers +were relieved. I relieved the first Spanish of his post at Jolo. When I +approached him he began to speak in Spanish and tried to make me +understand what, I supposed, were his orders he was turning over to me. +I could not understand him, and told him to go. Of course I had enough +orders without his, if that was what he was trying to explain to me. + +The Spanish went to work with a rush getting everything ready to leave. +They had been there for a long time. I learned that the commanding +officer, who was an old man, had been there twenty-eight years. In the +evening at two o'clock the Spanish flag on the block house was hauled +down by the Spanish soldiers and the Americans unfurled to the breeze +the Stars and Stripes. The Spanish seemed to be very much grieved, the +officers wept; the Americans were jubilant. Everything passed into our +hands, and the various responsibilities of the place with all its +dangers also passed to us. The natives, who belong to the Mono tribe, +are treacherous. We knew nothing about them and their intentions. Guards +were put on duty at once, six being around the block house so that a +Morro could not get in if the attempt were made to enter it, and thus +made it a place of security to our troops. The Morros a few years ago +massacred more than one hundred Spanish soldiers in the block house +Astora. It was a cruel and treacherous piece of cunning of savage +barbarians. The Morros had been warring against the authority of Spain, +and causing the Spanish troops much trouble. At last apparently tired of +rebelling, the Morros agreed to make peace with the Spanish. According +to an ancient custom of the Morros, when making peace with an enemy they +would give pearls or some other gift to their enemy. The captain of that +Morro company was going to make peace, according to this custom, and +taking some fine pearls and a body guard of one hundred of his men he +entered the enclosure where the Spanish soldiers were lined up in two +columns with unloaded arms to receive them. The Morro captain and his +body guard marched between these lines, and as the guard neared the +Spanish captain the Morro advanced with his pearls, and getting near the +Spaniard instead of giving him the pearls he quickly drew his sword and +dealt the Spanish captain a death blow. The Morros, who understood the +prearranged treachery, opened fire on the Spaniards, who were helpless +with unloaded guns, and the entire garrison of more than one hundred men +was massacred except one man, who, in the noise and consternation, +succeeded in crawling into a sewer pipe, and through it into a big +stream of water, and escaped without injury. The Morros gave the Spanish +a great deal of trouble, probably as much as any other tribe of the +Philippines. The Morros have a bad record. I believe that I had rather +fight the other tribes than the Morros; they are more treacherous than +other tribes. They go armed all the time with the bolo, a large knife +carried in a wooden scabbard. From the oldest man down to little boys, +they all carry the bolo or a big knife. I have seen old men, so feeble +they could scarcely walk, carrying a fine bolo. They will not part with +them day or night, but keep them as their only friend, refusing to let +any one take them from their hands to merely look at them. These arms +are very fine, and range in cost from five to fifty dollars. They are +manufactured of the very finest steel, the handle of many of them is +made of silver and finely engraved. The edge is kept very sharp. The +blow of this dangerous weapon is generally enough to kill a man. I was +informed that a Morro never struck his enemy but two blows with his +bolo, one on each side; if that did not disable him the Morro would run +for his life. + +A steel armor is worn by a few of them, to furnish protection to their +bodies. But most of the tribe would rather risk their life than wear +anything, even clothing. Only a piece of cloth is worn around the waist +and loins. In this piece of cloth is carried a box containing a stuff to +chew called beadle nut. Only the married men are allowed to use this, as +they have a law prohibiting its use by the single men. It is a soft +green nut growing on a tree which looks very much like a hickory tree. A +piece of the nut is placed on a leaf, which is always carried in the +chewing box, and some salve is also placed on the leaf, then the piece +of nut and the salve is rolled up in the leaf, and the chew is ready for +use. The married men can be very easily distinguished from the unmarried +ones simply by the use of this, which makes the chewer's mouth as red as +red paint and the teeth black. The teeth of the single men are very +white, but just as soon as one marries he begins chewing beadle nuts, +making his mouth red and teeth black in a few days. Their marriage +customs are not exactly like ours in America. A Morro can marry a woman, +or buy one for a price ranging from fifty dollars up to one hundred and +twenty-five dollars. After marrying a woman or buying one, if she +doesn't suit her husband he doesn't have to wait for a court to set +aside the marriage, but can simply let her go and proceed to get another +in the same manner. + +The men are prohibited from having a plurality of wives at one time, but +are allowed to have just as many as they desire, simply getting rid of +one and then getting another. + +The women wear big legged trousers, which only reach down to the knees. +Sometimes women are seen with more clothes on, but they look as if they +were torn almost off. The clothing of both men and women is worn out +before they ever change. A few who lived in the towns wore more clothing +than those in the country. The men wore pants which seemed to cling to +the skin, they were so tight. Those in town were no cleaner than +outsiders. They get so filthy and slick that an American can smell one +as far almost as he can see. The more clothes a Morro wears the filthier +he is. Those wearing no clothing, except the girdle around the loins, +are the less filthy. Nothing is worn on the head and feet. + +Leprosy is a common malady, as well as numerous other diseases of the +skin. All of which doubtless arises from the filthy habits of the +people. Doby itch is very common. It is a very bad skin disease, and +hard to cure when it gets a firm hold, and will have fatal results in a +few years in that warm climate. One doctor said that it would require +three or four years' careful treatment to cure an acute case of doby +itch in another climate. + +Almost every day I saw a bad case of it. The legs will become swollen, +and large knots and tumors cover them until walking is extremely +painful. It is easy to contract doby itch. About two weeks after I +reached Manila the first time, I discovered a small sore spot on my leg, +which looked like ringworm. I was informed that it was doby itch, and +that I should have it doctored before it spread. I began to treat it, +and it itched seemingly to the bone, and began to scatter. I would wake +at night scratching and clawing the itching spot, and lie awake for two +and three hours. I had to trim my finger nails closely to keep from +ruining my leg scratching it. It continued this way for several days +before I checked it. Many of our soldiers had a similar experience, +some of them much worse than mine. I guarded against it afterward, using +all the precaution I could to avoid it. A friend of mine who enlisted +when I did, caught a severe case of the doby itch which kept him in an +almost helpless condition for eight months. He was finally discharged +for disability, a wreck for life, without anything but a small pension +of about eight dollars per month. + +To the Morros again. There is a class whose religious teaching is that +when one of them kills seven white men he will go to a better country +when he dies. He thus makes sure of his entrance to what is heaven in +their religious belief. + +The Americans soon learned to distinguish one of this class, and watched +them very closely. One of them will not wait for much of a chance to +kill a white man, but will make his chance to do his deadly work. I have +seen a great many of them, and know that they attempted to kill our men +on duty as out-posts. They would not have any guns and would go to the +walls of the fort and try to scale them to get to the Americans and kill +them with bolos. Without trying to kill them the soldiers would shoot +towards them to drive them away. When one of their number dies the grave +is dug one day and early the following morning the funeral begins. Every +one carries something to eat, a big bottle full of beno (a native +beverage) and a bottle of whiskey. Four men carry the corpse on two +small poles, all the others fall in behind in column of twos and then +they proceed to the graveyard, drinking their beverage and enjoying +themselves. The crowd stays at the graveyard all day, and drink and +carouse until they are well filled with liquor, and all get drunk. This +is the program every time one of them is buried. It is a big picnic for +them. + +Once a year regularly they prepare some of the best rations they have +and carry them to the graves and leave them there through the night, +believing that these are enjoyed by the dead. I learned that this was an +ancient custom of theirs, having been learned probably from the Chinese. + +The Morros seem not to care for anything, not even for life. A large +number, probably two-thirds, never had any home. They did not know where +they would go, and seemed not to care. + +Some of the islands had two or more tribes of negroes, who would have a +governor to each tribe and make laws for themselves. If natives of one +tribe crossed the line into the territory of another and stole fruits, +cocoanuts, of anything else, and the injured tribe could catch the thief +or thieves, their heads were cut off and their bodies left on the spot. +This is according to their laws. Beheading for theft, and leaving the +bodies where they were beheaded. I have seen five or six in this +condition two or three times. + +One tribe would sometimes array itself against another for battle and +fight till great numbers of them were killed. Our troops stopped several +such battles by going out where they commenced to fight. As soon as we +would arrive they would stop fighting, and there seemed to be an end of +the trouble between them. They appeared to be in great fear of our +guns. They have a few old rusty guns, which are only used to fight +enemies of other countries; never using them to fight each other with. +When General Bates made a treaty of peace with the Sultan of Jolo, the +sultan was received by General Bates the first Sunday in May, 1900; we +were drawn up in line and presented arms to his excellency. The sultan +was to maintain peace on the island of Jolo, for which he was to receive +500 dollars Mexican coin every month. We presented arms to him, and were +forced to treat him with great honors. I can assure the reader that for +myself it would have been more pleasant to have gone out to meet him on +the battlefield, and when I speak thus I feel safe to make the assertion +that many more were of the same disposition. + +After these formalities were over I had opportunity of examining the +guns of the sultan's body guard, also the ammunition. The guns were so +rusty that I would have considered it safer to be shot at by one of them +than to shoot the gun. The barrels were almost closed with rust. + +A lot of the bullets were wrapped with cloth, and stuck in the shells. +Some of the bullets were loose, and some were driven in very tight. All +of the shells had the appearance of being in use a long time, and that +they had been fired as many times as they would stand. + +A man was taking his life in his hands to go out into the country alone. +Many people have been killed in this way. There is a tribe that would +cut off a man's head for amusement, or to see how it looks. + +Guards were kept on duty all the time, and no American was permitted to +go outside of the wall without having a pass. This was kept up for a +long time after we went to Jolo, and was then restricted to one thousand +yards from the fort, and no less than four men together. The Morros gave +us very little trouble, doubtless the result of extreme caution. They +never had an opportunity of making any demonstration, so it is uncertain +what they would have attempted had the opportunity been given them. They +are too treacherous to be trusted about anything whatever. + +They have very little knowledge of firearms; probably the only guns they +ever had, and also those of the sultan's body guard, were old, worn-out +guns given or sold to them by the Spanish. With our improved rifles I +believe that one man could withstand the attack of twenty of them armed +with bolos, that is to say, were the American in some fortification, and +opened fire on the Morros when they came in his range. They, of course, +would not fight in this way, their method being one of sneaking +treachery. They slip up behind the unsuspecting victim and behead him +with their bolo. + +I was anxious for them to engage the Americans in a fight. I desired to +know something more of their methods, but they seemed not to care to +fight us. They are a wandering people, seemingly with no definite +purpose. As night suits their sneaking better than open day time they do +as much traveling, or more, in the night than in the day time. They +could be seen on the hills around Jolo with torches moving about all +night. When we first went to Jolo and saw these torches at night we +thought they were signals, and close watch was kept on their movements. + +They evidently made some preparations for resisting us at first, and +stored away such arms as they could obtain, for later I saw twenty-eight +new Mauser rifles hidden in an abandoned house on the beach. Another +soldier and I secured a pass and went, at the risk of our lives, beyond +the limit of our pass, and on this outing discovered the hidden Mausers. +We went up the beach about fifteen miles, and went into two towns where +there were a great many Morros. We watched their movements very closely, +and kept at some distance from them, and never bothered anything or any +one. They watched us very closely, and acted to us very strangely, but +made no effort to get near us. We were a little frightened and thought +it safer to get away from them, when we started on our return, the +nearest and quickest route that we could. Our pistols were no doubt the +instrument of keeping them away from us, and at the same time tempted +them to kill us to secure them. + +Some of the soldiers were afterwards killed, and their guns and +cartridges taken. It was very dangerous for two or three men to be out +in the woods away from any help. In the mountains of Jolo and Mindanao +are wild cannibals, who would kill and eat a white man should he be +found in their midst. We were not allowed to go out in the mountains, +but the places where we were prohibited from going by orders of the +commanders were the places most desirable of all for us to slip out and +go to. The dangers to us by going out were only fascinating rather than +hindering. + +It was my belief while there that the natives were gathering up and +storing away arms and ammunition preparatory for resisting the Americans +when they thought the proper opportunity was offered. The guns I saw +hidden in the house on the beach, and many other things, led me to this +belief. They claimed to have some big guns posted back in the mountain. +Whether this was true or not I am unable to say, for we never went to +ascertain the correctness of the story. While stationed at Jolo a vessel +arrived loaded with ammunition for the sultan. It was discovered and +taken into custody by the custom house guards. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + +All the larger islands have an abundance of game, wild hogs, chickens +and deer. Wild dogs are plentiful in the woods. They are very wild, +running off almost at sight of a man. At night they seem to be bolder +and come around the outside wall and howl so much that people are kept +awake all night. + +A detail was sent out by our commander's orders to lie in hiding and +shoot them when they approached near enough. We could see them away off +during the day in the grass, but could not get to shoot them. The only +chance for that was to hide at night and wait for them. We frequently +went out and killed a number of nice fat wild hogs and carried them in +and feasted while they lasted. These animals were very wild, like the +dogs. A man on the ground could not get near enough for a good +shot--they would discover him and run. We would climb a tree and wait +for them. + +The town of Siasse, on Tai Tai Island, was the station of Company H for +three months. Morros almost swarmed on the island. The captain of the +company permitted a squad of men every few days to go hog hunting when +the supply of meat began to get short. Some of the Morros were trusted +by the soldiers and were allowed frequently to go out with the soldiers +on a hog hunt, as these trusted ones were thought to be harmless. One +day the captain sent out five men early in the morning to hunt hogs. +They hunted until tired in the evening, when four of them sat down to +rest and play a few games of cards, while the fifth went to the beach +near by and bathed his feet. + +A crowd of Morros, twenty or more, gathered around the players to see +the game. The soldiers were not afraid of them doing any mischief, as +the Morros appeared friendly and quiet. As the game progressed and +became more interesting the players became less conscious of their +position, and those standing around. + +To be more comfortable and have better use of their bodies and limbs +their belts were taken off and laid by them with their guns. The Morros +gathered around the soldiers saw the opportunity for mischief and seized +upon it at once. They seized the soldiers' guns and belts, while six of +them drew their bolos and began their deadly work. The first soldier who +was struck with a bolo had his head cut off at one blow. The soldiers +were making a desperate fight for life against what seemed no chance for +success. Two soldiers were killed in the fight, another grabbed for his +gun; getting hold of it he received a heavy blow on the head with a +club, was cut dangerously in the neck, but succeeded in securing his gun +so that he could fire it. The firing frightened the Morros, who +commenced running. The soldier on the beach ran back where he left his +comrades when he heard the shooting, but the Morros were then out of +sight. Two soldiers lay on the ground dead, another was cut so much that +he bled to death before they could get him back to camp, while the one +who did the shooting had a terrible wound in his neck and had received a +heavy blow on the head. + +It was a long way to camp, and one boat with room enough for two +oarsmen. Night was almost on, and the situation was perilous in the +extreme. The man who was not in the fight carried the dead and wounded +men to the little boat, and set out for camp as rapidly as possible. As +above stated one more died while being carried to camp, making three +dead and another with his head almost half off. The sea was a little +rough, and only one man rowing, with a feeble help of the wounded man +with one hand, made slow progress. + +Camp was reached at three o'clock next morning. The wounded man +recovered but could not turn his head; when he looked around he had to +turn his whole body, and was discharged from the service for disability. +He draws a pension of thirty-six dollars per month. Next day after the +Morros killed and wounded the hunting party, sixty men were sent out to +capture the murderers. The chief of the Morros was offered a large +reward for capturing them and turning them over to the Americans. The +Morro chief captured them, turned them over to the Americans, who then +failed to pay the reward as previously promised. Six Morros were all +that were guilty; these were bound together, carried out of camp and +shot. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + +Seassa is situated ninety miles south of Jolo. Few of the men liked to +be on duty there. At first entrance of our troops they had to go into +camp, as there were no barracks. Barracks were built later at Seassa and +Buangior by the soldiers stationed at these places. The captains of +those companies were mean and cruel to their men, and worked them very +hard. Some men were almost killed by the hard work at these barracks and +in the swamps cutting timbers for their construction. Some while at work +in the swamps had mud slashed in their eyes and almost put out. The mud +poisoned them. Some had their feet poisoned by the black mud. The +captains made the soldiers do the work, instead of hiring natives, and +kept the money appropriated for this work and used it for their own +benefit. + +A soldier had no opportunity to report such frauds. If he wrote to the +department commander to report anything without the permission of his +immediate commander he would be court martialed. And of course an +officer guilty of such conduct was not generous enough to permit a +private to report his conduct to a superior officer, and thus the +privates were ill treated by some unscrupulous officers. + +The hardships of the service were greatly increased or diminished +according to the honesty and unrightness of the officers in command. A +private is only a tool in the hands of his officers, and can be managed +just as they please as long as the private remains in the service. I +always thought it better to obey all orders, agreeable or disagreeable, +and serve out my time of enlistment and get a good discharge, and then +be free and independent. I enlisted merely to get the experience of army +life, and to know just what the service really is. I found out to my +satisfaction all about the army that I cared to know. The army is all +right when its officers are all right. But many of them fall far short +of the standard--officers who will not give a private justice as he +should. + +A few soldiers deserted the army. I cannot blame a man much for it. Some +had good cause. But to desert the army in the Philippines and attempt to +get away from the islands is almost impossible. Any one leaving there +must have a passport to present when they attempt to go on board any +vessel, and then if the passports are not properly executed they cannot +go on board. + +I know of a few soldiers trying to get away, but the farthest point they +reached was Hong Kong. They would be caught very easily. + +The one who reached Hong Kong was apprehended by English officers and +returned to Manila and delivered to the American authorities. + +One man who enlisted in Manila was discovered to be a spy for the +Filipinos, securing all the information possible for the advantage of +the Filipinos, and conveying it to them at every opportunity. This spy +had gone with a company to which he was assigned, to Bungio for duty. +While at Bungio he induced two other soldiers to desert their company +and go with him to the Filipinos, promising each a commission in the +Filipino army. He was an officer in the Filipino army, and a very +dangerous man, resorting to all kinds of schemes and treachery to +accomplish his purposes. Having pursuaded two soldiers to go with him +they seized a small Morro boat, and with their rifles and a good supply +of ammunition they set out in the darkness of the night headed for the +island of Mindanao. Ninety miles of water lay before them and their +small boat. They encountered a rough sea, lost their bearings, and +finally the boat capsized, and they lost their clothing and one gun +after a battle with the sea for three days. Instead of reaching Mindanao +they drifted on the Island of Jolo, about twenty miles from the town of +Jolo, almost starved to death. In preparing for their trip they had not +thought as much about rations as about ammunition. They fell into the +hands of the Morros, who carried them to Jolo and delivered them to the +Americans, who placed them in prison. Two of the poor fellows' feet were +blistered all over by marching over the hot sands, having lost their +shoes when the boat capsized. These two were unable to walk for some +time. They were tried and sentenced to terms of imprisonment from five +to six years. This was the common fate of all who tried to desert the +army and get away. + +I was on duty on several islands and in many towns in the Philippines, +but Jolo suited me better for service as a soldier than any other place +I was in. I was on duty in Jolo for thirteen months, and know a great +deal about the place. Most all the soldiers who did service there liked +it. Sailors enjoyed their visits to Jolo. Quite a number of sailors told +me that they had been in a great many towns of the tropical countries, +but that they would rather live in Jolo than any of them. The most +undesirable feature of the town is that there are no pleasure retreats +except to go to the mountains and among the Morros, and besides, we +soldiers were confined very closely within the walls and on duty. The +town is very small. A man can walk all through in less than an hour. + +I have known of recruits on going into Jolo express their delight at the +idea of doing duty in such a fine place, and wish they could stay there +the three years of service for which they had enlisted. But in less than +two months, seeing the same things every day, they wanted to get away, +and would have given anything for an opportunity to go to another post. +Everything became monotonous, and seemed somehow to be wrong. + +This seemed to be the common experience of all. The town is beautifully +laid out with broad streets, which are set with beautiful shade trees +that are green winter and summer. A person can walk all over town the +hottest days and be in the shade all the time. + +Three small, but very nice parks with beautiful and delightfully +fragrant flowers and shrubbery lend a charm to the town. + +I have been walking out in the town at night, and would smell the sweet +odors from the parks for two or three blocks away. This was not +occasionally so, but all the time. The soldiers enjoyed sitting in the +parks and on the piers at night, taking in the cool sea breeze after a +hot day. I have seen as many as three and four hundred soldiers sitting +out on the piers before going into quarters. + +As in all other parts of the Philippines, chicken fighting is a favorite +sport in Jolo. Outside of the city wall is built a grand stand and pit +for chicken fighting. It is all enclosed, and ten cents (Mexican) +admission is charged unless you have a chicken to enter. Some fine +chickens are entered in these fights, and a great deal of money is put +up on them. Gambling is not prohibited, and chicken fighting is engaged +in every Saturday all day long. The natives will gamble away the last +cent they possess before they will stop. A suburban town of Jolo is Buss +Buss, nearly half as large as Jolo, and built out over the water on +bamboo poles driven into the mud, and left projecting above the water. +The houses are then built on these poles. + +Buss Buss is built over shallow water, running out over the water for +one hundred and fifty yards. The houses are all built of bamboo. This +seems to be a Chinese town. Many Chinese live there and engage in +business in Jolo. Chinese are engaged in various kinds of business in +Jolo, but all live in Buss Buss. The Chinese and Morros are not +friendly, and it is probably due to this fact alone that caused Buss +Buss to be built. + +Major Sweet was in command of the post at Jolo for some time. He would +not allow more than one hundred Morros inside the city walls at one time +for fear of trouble with them. The Morros supplied our forces with +vegetables, fish and fruit, which they brought in and sold to us. To +prevent the town from filling up with Morros a strong guard was +stationed at the gate, which was closed at six in the evening and opened +at six o'clock in the morning. The Morros would be crowded around the +outside of the gate every morning waiting for it to be opened to go in +and dispose of their produce. Frequently there would be twice as many as +were allowed inside at one time. When the gate was opened they would +rush for it, but not more than one hundred were allowed to pass inside. +When one disposed of his produce, etc., and returned to the gate he was +allowed to pass out, and another from the outside could pass in, and so +on until all had been in and passed back. + +Not far from Jolo, out towards the foot of the mountains, is a coffee +field. There are several others on the island besides that one. In these +coffee fields a great many Morros work all the time gathering and +cleaning coffee, etc. The method is like all others of theirs, very rude +and poor. They dig out long troughs of wood and place them in running +streams in such a way that the water will run in at one end and out at +the other. Into these troughs the unhusked coffee is poured, and then it +is tramped under the feet of the cleaners until the husks are all +broken off and float away with the water. The coffee is then taken out +and sacked and dried out for shipping. This is the only method I ever +saw in use for coffee cleaning. + +Tropical fruit is everywhere abundant. The bread fruit tree grows in +Jolo to a great size. The fruit is about the size of a cocoanut, except +it is of a flattened shape. It is covered by a thin soft hull easily cut +open with an ordinary pocket knife. The first time that I ever saw the +fruit I ate half of one. I thought it as good as anything I ever ate. I +believe it will alone sustain life. Cocoanuts and bananas grow in +profusion. Cocoanuts are cut and dried, then exported. Oil is +manufactured of the dried cocoanuts, which is of excellent quality. We +used it to oil our rifles all the time we were stationed in the +Philippines. Chinese and natives caught quantities of fish, which were +cut up and exposed to the sun several days to dry. The fish get almost +black in this process of drying and smell badly before they are dry +enough to be sacked and shipped. I saw a great deal of this business, +but never learned where it was shipped to or what use was made of it. + +Hemp is produced from a native plant growing wild in the forests, and +looks something like the banana plant. It is baled and exported in great +quantities. Natives bring in small bundles of it from the mountains. Red +pepper grows abundantly in the woods on the high and dry lands. It grows +on a small bush, which is loaded with the pods, which are very strong. + +The natives in all the islands make a beverage of the dew which +collects in the cocoanut buds. This dew and water stands in the buds and +is collected early in the day. It is called tuba, and is liked by all +the soldiers. I drank but little of it. I saw soldiers get drunk on it, +and be crazy for a week. It is like all other beverages of the islands, +but little is necessary to make a man drunk. + +About twice every month we went out on a practice march for one day, +only leaving about one company on guard. Every man would carry his +dinner, and have almost a picnic, enjoying it much more than at other +times and places, when we would be marched out in double time several +miles and have a hard fight. We went out on these practice marches up +the beach and returned across the mountains, stopping to rest frequently +and and gathering and eating cocoanuts. If any Morros were around we +would give one a cent of Mexican money to climb the trees and get +cocoanuts for us. The trees are hard to climb, but a Morro seems to +climb them very easily. He will tie a piece of hemp just above his +ankles and go right up a tree by jumps until the top is reached. Having +secured the cocoanuts we would cut a hole in them and drink the icy +water in them. This water is very nice and cold, and is particularly so +to hot and tired soldiers. + +When we would start out on what was a practice march most of the men +would think we were going out to fight, and would not know differently +until we returned, for it was generally known only to the officers where +we were going or what the object of the march was. Sometimes we would +have a long, hard march, and always through the woods and forests, for +there were no roads. In the forest marches we frequently chased monkeys, +of which the forests were full. We saw more monkeys in Jolo than in any +other island we were on. Sometimes when three or four monkeys would +discover us they would make a great noise, and, jumping from one tree to +another, keep in one direction, and all the monkeys within my hearing +would join in the procession, and keep up the noise and jumping. The +trees would appear to be full of monkeys over us, all jumping in the +same direction, and making a great noise. We amused ourselves and added +to their trouble by throwing stones at them until they passed out of our +line of march, which was frequently half an hour. The wild ones are hard +to catch. Young ones, too young to climb well, were easily caught, and +some were captured for pets. + +Natives would catch them and sell them to the soldiers. + +The Sultan of Jolo was fortified about ten miles across the mountains +from Jolo. He lived in his fort with his army. My last practice march +was made for the purpose of viewing the sultan's position, and to know +something about his forces if we had to fight them. It was about ten +o'clock on the morning of the 13th of May, 1900, when our commanding +officer in great haste issued orders to get ready at once. We all +thought we were going to fight that time. We were formed into a +battalion as hastily as possible, under the commander's orders, who was +present on his charger, and directing everything. We were soon moving +out to no one seemed to know where, except our commander. No dinner was +taken with us this time, only guns and as much ammunition as we could +carry. We marched about five miles before halting for rest. It was very +hot, and several soldiers fell out overcome by the heat. Some doubtless +fell out to avoid a battle, as they thought. Two men just before me, +whom I knew were great cowards, and who feared that we were going into a +battle, decided that they could not face an enemy. I heard them talking +about falling out ten or fifteen minutes. Their minds were made up to +fall out and avoid fighting; one said that he would fall out if the +other would stop to take care of him. This suited them exactly, and out +they went, and were left behind. Our march was continued until we +crossed the top of the mountain, and from the other side we could see +the sultan's fort and trenches below us. It was then about three +o'clock. We rested and looked at the sultan's fort, and looked over his +position carefully. This was the object of the commander in marching us +out there. He was expecting to have to fight the sultan, and decided +that we should see his location and know as much as possible the +conditions we would have to meet in fighting his forces. Returning we +arrived in Jolo in the night. + +Our commander expected the sultan to attack our position, and wished to +know just what to expect of us, and how quickly we could get into +position to defend the fort. To ascertain this, and also to keep us in +practice, a call to arms was given every month, when every man would +get out and string around to the port holes in a very few minutes. Every +soldier went as if he expected to have to fight. There were five +companies of the Twenty-Third Regiment in Jolo while I was on duty +there. Besides these one company was stationed in the Astoria block +house, one company at Seassa and one at Buanga. These companies did not +have as hard duty as the companies in Jolo, but every three months a +company was sent to relieve one of these posts, and the relieved company +would come into Jolo, where it could have the same duty and drill that +the other companies had in Jolo. The companies at each of the three +places just mentioned were relieved every three months. + +Company E, of which I was a member, went to the Astoria block house +about two months before we left Jolo and the Philippines. My company was +doing guard duty at the block house when orders were received for +recalling one battalion of the Twenty-Third Regiment, called the depot +battalion, made up of sick men and those with less than six months' more +service under their time of enlisting. + +Those who had less than six months to serve were given the opportunity +to stay or to return to the United States. I was not slow to accept the +chance to return and was truly glad of the opportunity. + +The transport Warren came to Jolo for the battalion on June 15th. The +transport had come by the Island of Negros and Cebu, and took on board +a battalion of soldiers who were going to return to the United States. + +The "depot battalion" was made up of sick men and those who had short +times. It was several days before we left Jolo. The men who were going +as sick and disabled were examined by the physician. Those he believed +could not endure the climate long and be able for duty, he recommended +to be returned to the United States, and those who could endure the +climate and proved to be healthy, stayed, unless they were of the class +of short-time soldiers. + +A man could not stand the climate of the Philippines many years unless +he was very healthy and acquainted with tropical climates. + +I do not believe the Philippines are a white man's country. I have heard +doctors tell soldiers that if they stayed there, that five or six years +would be as long as they could live. + +Two friends and I had decided that when we served out our time that we +would return to the United States by another route than that taken in +going over, and thus make the trip around the world. We would go through +the Mediterranean Sea to London and then to New York. But when the +orders came that we could return on the government's time, and by a +different route, we decided at once that we had seen enough of the +world, and that the route taken by the transport would be long enough +for us, and satisfy our thirst for travel. + +The soldiers who had been taken on board from the islands of Negros and +Cebu landed at Jolo, and went into camp, where they remained for eight +days awaiting preparations of the soldiers at Jolo. + +I was transferred from Company E to Company K on June 18th, and with +those who were returning to the United States went into camp outside of +the wall of Jolo in a cocoanut grove, where we stayed till the +twenty-third day of June, when we boarded the transport Warren and +sailed for Manila. Manila was reached on the morning of the twenty-sixth +of June, where we stayed until the first day of July. A great many +soldiers were added on at Manila, many wounded men and fifteen dead +soldiers were put on to carry back to the United States, where the dead +were sent to their relatives for burial. + +While waiting a few days for all preparations to be made I obtained a +pass and entered the city for the last time and viewed everything that +was so familiar to me when on duty there. + +It was during this short stop of only a few days that we heard of the +trouble in China. + +Three regiments of United States troops were immediately ordered to +China: the Sixth, Ninth and Fourteenth Infantry then at Manila. The +Ninth Infantry went on board the transport Hancock, which was lying +alongside our transport, the Warren, and sailed just before us on its +way to China. + +A rumor was circulated that our transport was sailing to China, and that +we were going there for service. A great many very foolishly believed +the report. + +July first the Warren sailed from Manila bound for San Francisco. The +first day out from Manila, late in the evening when supper was eaten, I +ate very heartily, and went on duty in the stern of the transport. The +sea was rough, and gave the transport a rolling motion. Shortly after +going on duty my head commenced swimming, and I was ill. A soldier told +me that I was sea-sick. I had never been sea-sick and knew nothing about +how a person felt. At last I vomited freely, and in less than an hour I +was all right, except the swimming sensation of my head, which lasted a +while longer. This little experience was all that I had in going over to +the Philippines and returning to the United States. + +The fourth day from Manila we arrived at Nagasaki, Japan. The following +morning the transport was ready for inspection, the crew having worked +most all night preparing for it. Every man on board and everything had +to be inspected before we were allowed to enter the harbor. Nagasaki has +a fine, deep harbor, where steamers and war vessels coal and take on +supplies. Many large ships are in the harbor at all times. + +The bay leading into the harbor is between hills which are almost +entitled to the name of mountains. It is apparently a hilly and rough +country to the traveler entering the bay to Nagasaki. On the left-hand +side of the bay on entering is a large marble monument standing on the +side of the hill. This is a monument in memory of Japan's first king. Of +course I did not read the inscription, it being in Japanese; but the +monument can be seen at a great distance. I learned about it from a +resident of Nagasaki. While in Nagasaki I also learned that the Japanese +are the hardest working, or rather the most industrious people, and +receive the least compensation for their work of any race of people. Ten +to fifteen cents per day is the regular price of labor. Several hundred +are constantly employed in coaling vessels that enter the harbor. The +coaling is done in a peculiar way. A line of men pass baskets filled +with coal from one to another while the empty baskets are passed back to +the place of filling by a line of children standing close enough to +reach out one way and get a basket and pass it on to the next one +standing on the other side; thus a continuous chain of baskets is kept +going until the vessel is sufficiently coaled: the filled baskets going +one way and the empty ones in the opposite direction. Men, women and +children all work. Apparently no one is idle. + +The lot of woman is extremely hard. A mother will fasten her child to +her back and work all day with it there; sometimes it is asleep and +sometimes it is yelling, but it is all the same to her. Children there +do not receive the attention they get in America, but are handled +roughly, and soon have to work, beginning work almost as soon as they +can walk. + +Hundreds of small boats, large enough to carry two or three people, are +always ready to carry passengers to and from the ships and the landing +for ten cents (Mexican). They are not allowed to charge more. + +These small boats are provided with sides and a roof like a small house, +into which passengers can go and close the door. + +When you get ashore there are hundreds of little vehicles called +jinrikishas, which look something like baby carriages with only one +seat and an umbrella. The Japs will come trooping around jabbering to +you to ride. You get in one and a Jap will get between a small pair of +shafts and trot away with you, and go that way as long as you want him +to for ten cents an hour. The traveler can go anywhere he desires in one +of these vehicles. They do not use hacks and vehicles as Americans do. I +never saw but one horse in Nagasaki. It was working to a dray, and was +almost worked to death. The Jap's back seems to be his most convenient +method, and almost the only one he has, of carrying anything. + +Another soldier and I walked through the city looking at everything we +could see. We soon discovered that almost every one was poking fun at +us, all because we were walking instead of riding in jinrikishas. It +seems that everybody there rides in them everywhere they go, and it +appears funny to them to see anyone walking the streets. Peddlers are +the exceptions, it seems, to this rule. A great many peddlers are seen +walking the streets to vend their wares, and they have a great many +articles that cannot be bought in America. + +Every Japanese house has a rug or carpet on the floor--these are very +nice articles. The funniest thing of all is the custom of stopping +everybody at the door and have them take off their shoes before entering +the house. They will not allow any one to enter their houses without +pulling off his shoes. The reason of this, to my mind, is the fact that +the rugs and carpets are made from grass and are very heavy, and catch +dirt very easily. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + +The Japanese are industrious, good natured and friendly people. They +treat every one kindly, and every one invited us to go into his house +and chat awhile. Our greatest difficulty was to understand them. They +appeared to be anxious to do anything they could for us, and considering +everything as I could see it in our short stay, I believe I would like +to live among them. + +A great many Europeans are residents of Nagasaki. It is a fine town, a +great deal of business is done there. The city is spread out along the +bay back of the city, and all around the bay, except the entrance to it, +are large hills, and on these a great many large guns are mounted. These +natural barriers enable the Japanese to make the city a strongly +fortified place. The government of Japan is good. Laws are rigid and +strictly enforced. Theft is regarded as a very grave crime, and is +punished with severe penalties. + +Men with whom I talked in Nagasaki seemed to desire to leave the +impression that Japan was well prepared for war, in fact better prepared +than most any other country. + +The transport Warren sailed from Nagasaki July ninth for San Francisco, +taking the northern route of the Pacific Ocean. This route is claimed +to be about two thousand miles longer than the southern route over which +we sailed in going to Manila. The ocean currents and winds make a great +deal of difference in which route a vessel is sailing in, and the +northern and southern routes give the advantage to the vessels. Ships go +the southern route from San Francisco to Manila and return the northern +route. + +After a few days out from Nagasaki we found colder water, which +continued most of the way to San Francisco, only getting warmer a short +distance from San Francisco. After getting out into this cold water the +temperature of the atmosphere also fell, and every man who had an +overcoat or even a heavy uniform put it on. Those who had only the thin +uniforms called khaki worn in the Philippines, suffered from cold. + +It was cold and disagreeable for all on board except the officers, who, +as usual, fared well at all times and in all places. + +There was a casual detachment of discharged soldiers numbering one +hundred and thirty-eight on board, two hundred and forty-one officers +and privates of the Twenty-third Regiment, sixty prisoners and +twenty-one passengers, a total of four hundred and sixty men on board +besides the crew. The transport Warren is a large vessel, and all on +board had plenty of room. + +Those men who were not thoughtful enough to start back to the United +States with their heavy uniforms looked somewhat pitiful crowding around +the engine rooms and boilers, and getting anywhere that offered some +protection from the chilly air and sea breeze. I was fortunate in not +being one of that number. I had plenty of warm clothing and fared well +returning. I was on the lookout for myself, and provided myself with +everything I desired, and had to call on no one for anything. My rule +was to look out for myself all the time I was in the army, and usually I +had everything I desired. If I wanted anything to use I always went +where I could buy it, and never borrowed from the soldiers. + +I always thought that was a good rule for a soldier; I noticed that +those who did that fared much better than those who did not practice +that rule. + +I never liked to loan my gun and belt to a soldier when he has all those +things of his own. But some soldiers would keep their guns polished and +oiled, and set them away and borrow guns and belts from other soldiers +to do guard duty with. These received the appellation of "orderly +buckers" by their comrades, and were too lazy to walk post and perform a +soldier's duty. Duty on the transport in returning to the United States +was very hard on those soldiers who were well. Almost every soldier was +on the sick report, and called by the soldiers the sick battalion. The +few who were put on duty had it to perform every other night. I was one +of the latter, and I considered it pretty tough too. Cooks on the +transports were assigned for one year to cook for the soldiers. They +were as filthy as hogs with everything they cooked. They cared nothing +about how the rations were prepared nor how nasty they were, just so the +cooking was over with as quickly as possible. They had no sympathy; +anything seemed to the cooks good enough if it did not poison him. On +our return we had plenty to eat if it had been cooked decently so that +men could eat it. The reader may say that it should have been reported +to the officer in command. This was done, and reported also to the +officer of the day, and the next day after the reports were made we were +given cabbage for dinner, and every man founds big worms in his plate of +cabbage. While the officer of the day was passing by one soldier had the +nerve to show him what was on his plate; immediately the officer of the +day went to the cooks about it and that seemed to end it. One soldier +found something in his plate that looked almost like a tarantula. + +Some of the officers and a great many privates had a monkey apiece. +Great care was taken of them by their owners. Two large monkeys belonged +to some of the crew. These and the smaller ones had the whole vessel to +run through and nothing escaped them--they were into everything. Finally +the commanding officer gave orders for all the monkeys to be taken up, +but the order was not carried out and he had the doctor chloroform the +two large ones and throw them overboard. That made the crew very mad and +sounded the death knell to all the monkeys on board. + +That night the crew very quietly caught every monkey and threw them +overboard--not one escaped. It was then the officers' turn to be mad and +they did everything they could to learn who destroyed their monkeys. One +old captain who had lost a monkey offered a reward of ten dollars to +know who threw his monkey overboard, but he failed to find out who it +was. I never heard such a fuss about as small a thing as a monkey +before. + +We arrived within one or two miles of the Golden Gate on July 30. The +transport stopped and the whistle was blown for the quarantine officers +and a pilot. We could not see land, the fog was so heavy, until we got +to the Golden Gate. The sight of land sent a thrill of gladness through +every one on board, especially the soldiers who were beholding their own +country, where they were soon to be discharged, and once more be free to +go and come at their own pleasure. Just before night we went to the +quarantine station on Angel Island and remained until morning, when +everything was taken off the transport. On the first of August we went +ashore at the Presidio wharf, landing in the evening. + +We were not received as royally as we had departed, no big reception was +awaiting us, although I am quite sure the soldiers would have enjoyed +one as much as when they were departing for the Philippines. I suppose +it was thought that when we went away that we would never get back. + +When we boarded the transport for the Philippines several thousand +enthusiastic people witnessed our departure and a great display of +patriotism was manifested. When that portion which returned when I did +were landing only one woman and a little boy were present to show any +feeling of rejoicing that we had not all perished in the Philippines +from the awful climate and the Filipino bullets. This great patriotic +display being over we went into camps at Presidio and remained there to +rest and await further orders, which came in a few days, as soon as +arrangements for transportation over the railroad could be made; and +then Companies I and L went to Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Companies K +and M were assigned to Fort D.A. Russell, Cheyenne, Wyoming. August +sixth we left San Francisco and arrived at Fort D.A. Russell in the +evening of August ninth. Companies K and M were under the command of +Captain Delair, who is a good officer. Captain Devore had command of +Company K, to which I then belonged and I remained with that company +until discharged. + +Captain Devore was a very good old religious kind of an officer, very +strange and different from any other officer. The most that he believed +in was to keep clean. He was very fond of seeing brooms, mops, picks and +shovels in use. He liked to see work going on. He seemed to be too +economical to eat as much as he needed of government rations. He would +never allow any of the company's funds to be spent for any purpose, but +was all the time adding to the fund. + +The company was allowed twenty pounds of sugar every ten days. Of this +Captain Devore would take off one pound for company funds. This is only +one example, or illustration, of many ways of adding something to the +funds of the company. + +The company cook was preparing prunes one day for dinner when the old +captain came around inspecting everything; the cook told him that he +was cooking prunes. The cook was then asked how the men liked them, to +which he was answered that the men would eat all that were being cooked +and then not have more than half enough. The old captain said there were +too many for the company--that six was enough for anyone. He further +said, "I don't eat but two or three and that is as many as I want." + +The company was always kicking about him. He was never pleased on +inspection to find something cooking. He liked to find the stove cold +and the cooking vessels all clean, then everything with him was O.K. He +would give a man who had had a number of summary court martials an +"excellent" discharge and some soldiers who were good duty soldiers and +never had a court martial would get "only good." I have noticed that if +he likes a soldier he will always get "excellent." He seemed never to be +governed by a soldier's record. I had "very good," all I cared for, as I +was so happy to get it. + +I left the army November 11, 1900, en route to Dallas, Texas, where I +remained a few days and went to Pleasant Point, where I spent several +days with two of my brothers, John H. and Juney H. Freeman. Here I met +many friends whom I had known before enlisting in the army and again I +was free to join them in their sports as I had done before. + +December twentieth, I started back to Georgia. I took the route via New +Orleans, at which place I stopped about thirty hours and took another +look at the old town. I wanted to look at it once more and compare it +to the time when I was in camps there. I satisfied myself and proceeded +on my homeward journey to the old red hills of Georgia, which I had left +five years and two months before. + + THE END. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's A Soldier in the Philippines, by Needom N. 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