History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 50

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998

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The general efficiency of the regiment had impressed the commanding general and on the Ioth day of September when trouble with Aguin- aldo was first expected the South Dakotans were selected as the best fitted of all the soldiers in the Philippines to take the field and were taken to Manilla and held under marching orders until the crisis had passed. The regiment was quar- tered in Manilla as follows: The First and Third Battalions in San Miguel, then consid- ered the finest residence district in the city, and the Second Battalion was encamped in the Mala- canan grounds, the residence of the governor general. As a further mark of distinction, the regiment was required to furnish guards for Major General Otis, Major General McArthur and Brigadier General Hale. This compliment to the men of South Dakota caused Colonel Frost to be more exacting in his requirements and the men were ordered to be uniformed in white, have their shoes shined, their faces clean shaven and their arms and accoutrements per- fectly spotless when they went on guard. This was so noticeably different from other regiments that the First South Dakota became known in

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Manilla as the "dress parade regiment." It is needless to say that such requirements could not be enforced with provoking anamadversion and they became the subject of newspaper comment at home.

But the First South Dakota was no more distinguished for its discipline and dress than in other respects. The men were better fed than the men of the other volunteer regiments. At a time when the regiments were complaining of the ration received, the officers of the First South Dakota were watching the meals so closely and were preparing the bills of fare so judiciously that the men were better fed than had ever been the lot of soldiers in the field before. The chief commissary officer asked Colonel Frost for bills of fare for one week to send to Washington to show what could be done with an ordinary gov- ernment ration.

It should not be understood that the food for the soldiers in the Philippines had been what common sense should have dictated. The quan- tity supplied had been abundant and the quality was all that could be desired for sol- diers in a temperate or cold climate, but the government ration was in nowise suited to the tropics. That fact was pointed out to the au- thorities by medical men over and over again. But red tape did its deadly work and soldiers went on eating pork, beans and potatoes in a climate where they should have had fish and fruits and light vegetable diet. Major and Sur- geon Louis L. Seaman, of New York, who had studied dietetics in every climate, said to General Otis and his staff that it would be just as sensi- ble to put a Filipino at the north pole and ex- pect him to keep warm eating fish, rice, mangoes and bananas, as to expect American soldiers to keep cool and well in the tropics eating hog and hominy. Major Warne, of the South Dakotas, urged the same views upon the government's re- sponsible representatives, but all such advice was ignored, and the constant report to Wash- ington was, "We have in the Philippines the best fed army in the world." This stupidity cost more lives than all the Filipino bullets.

During the month of December relations be- tween the American and Filipino soldiers became

greatly strained. Colonel Frost believed that hostilities might commence at any time, conse- quently the liberties of the men were more re- stricted. They were required to be in their quar- ters constantly prepared for an emergency. The relations between the Americans and the Filipinos became much more strained after General Otis issued his proclamation of January 4, 1899, as- suming control of the Philippine islands and an- nouncing in diplomatic terms the fact that the government would be a military dictatorship. The Filipinos wanted liberty and Aguinaldo charged that the pledges made the Filipinos by Consuls Williams and Wildman had been vio- lated. General Otis ordered the American sol- diers to pursue a pacific policy and do nothing that would aggravate the bad feeling. Forbear- ance by the Americans was mistaken by the Fili- pinos for cowardice and in consequence all the insulting epithets which come so easily to the tongue of the oriental was heaped upon our vol- unteers.

On January 7th Aguinaldo issued his procla- mation declaring himself commandant of the Philippines and asserting that General Otis was an usurper. The first act of hostility by the Fili- pinos toward the South Dakotans occurred near Block House 4 on the night of January 10th and came near costing Private Smith, of Company E, his life. Smith was sentinel on outpost when he was approached by two Filipinos. Just as they were passing one of them made a vicious stroke at Smith with a bolo, a short heavy sword carried by the natives. Smith dodged just enough to save his head from being split open, and received a bad cut down the side of his head and face. It was against orders for a sentry to keep his gun loaded, but Smith had disobeyed orders and quick as lightning he brought the Springfield to his shoulder and shot the nearest Filipino dead. Shoving another cartridge into his gun, he fired at the other Filipino, who was running just as rapidly as his legs could carry him. That the shot took effect was shown by a trail of blood found the next morning, but how badly the would-be murderer was wounded was never learned.

From the time General Otis issued his procla-

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mation the South Dakotans were required to sleep in their clothes. It was a long month of vigil and alarms, trying alike to the nerves and the patience of the officers and men. More and more insulting became the Filipinos. "Americano coward" was shouted from the Filipino trenches and it was common for our soldiers to hear that one Filipino could lick five of them. The tem- pers of the Americans were sorely tried, and it was only by excellent discipline that serious riots were averted.

At last the clash came. On the night of Feb- ruary 4th, about eight o'clock, Private Grayson, of the Nebraskans, shot and killed a Filipino lieutenant, who did not halt when ordered. The Filipino outpost at once fired on the Nebraska outpost, and within a few minutes a battle was raging round the entire city. The battle began near the South Dakota outpost, under command of Lieutenant Foster, which was under a heavy fire almost immediately. Colonel Frost hastily assembled his men and, leaving four companies to guard the district, he hurried forward eight companies to the support of the outpost. The small force there had been hard pressed and were hastily drawn in by Lieutenant Foster. Colonel Frost deployed Companies F and I, the former under Captain Brockway and the latter commanded by Lieutenant McClelland, and pushed them to the extreme limit of the out- post without opposition. The remaining six companies were held in reserve about one-half mile in the rear.

Immediately in front of the outpost was Block House No. 4, held by a strong force of Filipinos. Colonel Frost wished to take the block house, but was not certain of his authority and was starting back to telegraph for instruc- tions when he met General Hale, the brigade commander, and asked if it was desired that the South Dakotans take the offensive. The Gen- eral said "No" and rode with Colonel Frost to the outpost, which he ordered left there with a guard to hold the position. He ordered the re- mainder of the regiment to march to the tele- graph office, about a mile to the rear, and wait orders. Later the companies with Colonel Frost were ordered to their quarters.

But what of the outpost? Parts of Compan- ies F and I had been left under Lieutenant Colonel Stover to hold the position and with them, at Colonel Stover's request, was the regi- mental adjutant, Lieutenant Jonas H. Lien. The position was exposed to an oblique fire from Block House No. 4 and the Chinese hospital, both occupied by Filipinos armed with Mauser rifles. The position was known as "the island," it being a long narrow strip of ground covered with bamboo and flanked by rice fields which looked like a surrounding sea. There were no earth- works or other shelter from the Filipino fire. Lieutenant Colonel Stover threw out sentinels and the men laid themselves down in a semi- circle, a portion facing the block house and the remainder facing the Chinese hospital. At one A. M. on the morning of February 5th the senti- nels, or Cossack posts, were relieved, just as a bright tropical moon was rising, touching jungle and field with its soft light. All remained quiet until about three o'clock, when, without any pre- vious warning, the entire Filipino line opened a heavy rifle fire. Within a few minutes two men of Company I were killed and another seriously wounded. The Pennsylvania regiment, on Stov- er's left, opened fire on the Chinese hospital, thus diverting part of the Filipino fire from the out- post. A slight change was made by Stover in the disposition of his little force, shielding it somewhat from the block house fire. Here came a most severe test of discipline. The men were ordered not to return the Filipino fire, as the flash and white smoke of the black powder used in the Springfield rifles would clearly outline the position of the little band and expose them to `annihilation by the fire from the enemy's earth- works and the block house. Lieutenant Colonel Stover, Adjutant Lien and Lieutenant Jennings walked constantly along the line in the rear of the men encouraging them and cautioning them to hold their fire unless the Filipinos should try to advance. Meanwhile the deadly hail of bul- lets was kept up, nothing indicating the position of the Filipino lines except the slight flash of their rifles resembling the glint of a firefly. Lieutenant Colonel Stover and Adjutant Lien had just stepped to a position where Stover's

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horse was hitched, when a bullet broke the poor brute's leg, making it necessary that it be killed.

After the firing had been kept up for about thirty minutes a courier arrived from General Hale instructing Colonel Stover to hold the posi- tion at all hazards. It was the key to the situa- tion, and had the position been forced it would have opened the nearest road for the Filipinos to reach the business portion of Manilla. Sergeant Major Doolittle was ordered by Colonel Stover to go to the telegraph office in the Colorado lines, about one mile away, and report that the outpost would be held to the last man, but that reinforce- mens should be sent at once, as the distance on each wing to the American forces would allow the enemy to pass between them and outflank him.

The duty assigned to Doolittle was a danger- ous one. The moon was shining bright, and there were many patches of open ground to be crossed within close range of the Filipino rifles. He made the trip safely, being under fire for a mile. It was a dangerous feat, but it was a mil- itary necessity, and Doolittle was destined to again distinguish himself before morning and win a promotion to second lieutenant.

As soon as firing began the South Dakotans began to look about for means of entrenchment. They loosened the ground with their bayonets and began scraping it up in front of them with their army plates. It was slow work in the hard ground and Adjutant Lien remarked to Colonel Stover that there were a few tools in a reserve tent about a half mile to the rear and offered to go after them himself, which, he said, would pre- vent sending a man from the firing line. Ser- geant Major Doolittle overheard the conversa- tion and volunteered to go. Leiutenant Colonel Stover hesitated to give permission owing to the exposure in passing over the open ground so close to the Filipino forces. But Doolittle did not wait for permission. He set off across the rice-fields with the bullets singing about his head like a swarm of bees. He soon returned with the tools and work on the entrenchment began in earnest. The earthworks were constructed from one clump of bamboo to another, the men

taking advantage of the ground and working in the shadows when possible. Lieutenant Colonel Stover had walked to one end of the semicircle to see how everything was getting along when the enemy's fire suddenly freshened up. He returned to his position near the center where he found Adjutant Lien in the middle of the largest open space digging like a section hand, and as cool as such work in a tropical climate would admit. The rest may well be told in Colonel Stover's own language. "I asked: 'What are you doing there, Mr. Lien?'" said Colonel Stover. ""'Did I not leave you in charge of the end of the line?' 'Yes,' said Lien, meekly, 'but as soon as the boys began digging in the moonlight the Filipinos be- gan a heavy fire from the block house. I was afraid some of the boys would be hit, so I or- dered them into the shadows and began the work myself.' "That," added Colonel Stover, "was the only act of disobedience which occurred that night." It was characteristic of Adjutant Lien, who had the courage of a bulldog and the tender heart of a woman. He exposed himself reck- lessly, but was always afraid some of the boys would get hurt. While the men loved Lien, it was but natural that they should get angry when he made them quit work in the open while he threw up the earthwork himself.

The Filipino fire slackened about four o'clock in the morning and was being kept up in a des- ultory way only, when Colonel Frost arrived at five o'clock with six companies within about one- half mile of the outpost and reported to General Hale that he waited orders. While waiting. Colonel Frost posted Company H on the right of the old outpost guard and G on the right of H, nearly at right angles to it. M was placed on right of G and Company A was placed in front of a small plantation about one hundred and fifty yards to the right of M. L and K companies were held in reserve under the slope of the hill. Mean- while Major Howard was sent to relieve Lieu- tenant Colonel Stover, who, with Adjutant Lien. reported to Colonel Frost and asked him to look over the situation. Colonel Frost, with Adjutant Lien, rode to where the outpost had been located during the night. He found that Major Howard

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had changed the position of the troops to a more sheltered one.

The fire on the night of February 4th by the Filipinos had not been bloodless for the South Dakotans. Privates William G. Lowes and Fred E. Green, of Company I, were killed and Arthur E. Haskell, of Company I, was wounded.

When Colonel Frost and Adjutant Lien started back from the outpost, a little after day- light, Filipino bullets were whistling around their heads at such a rate that a detour was thought best, instead of going across the exposed country fronting the block house and the Filipino earth- works. On reaching headquarters Colonel Frost sent word to General Hale that he was waiting orders. At nine fifteen A. M. General Hale sent his aide to Colonel Frost with an order which was not an order, but a shifting of responsibility from his own shoulders to those of the colonel of the South Dakotas. He said he would have five shots fired by the artillery at the block house and five at the entrenchment, after which, if Colonel Frost thought proper, he might charge. The Colonel formed the regiment with Lieuten- ant Colonel Stover in charge of the right, Major Howard in charge of the left, while he personally commanded center. The artillery fired five shots at the block house, only two taking effect with slight damage. Two shots were then fired at the earthworks, with a long interval between the shots. After waiting impatiently for the third shot, Colonel Frost placed Company L in the gap between Companies A and M and Company K in echelon on the right rear of the line and or- dered a charge. The men sprang forward eag- erly, halting twice to fire. They carried the earthworks and rushed to the block house. The enemy fired a few shots and then retreated for shelter in the woods. The South Dakotans rushed around the block house and fired at the retreating Filipinos, bringing down four of them, one of whom died afterwards.

Having orders not to advance beyond the block house, Colonel Frost halted his men for a breathing spell. At eleven A. M., while resting, the South Dakotas saw the Tenth Pennsylvania Regiment move out on the left and take the Chi-

nese hospital and disappear in the woods be- yond. There was continued and heavy firing in their direction, but the South Dakotas could not see what the fight was about. At 3 P. M. Colonel Frost received an order from General McArthur to form on the right of the Pennsylvania regi- ment and advance. Companies A, F and I were left to guard the flank under Major Howard, and the other five companies were formed in line of battle with Colonel Frost in command of the left; Lieutenant Colonel Stover in charge of the right, while Adjutant Lien worked along the line between the superior officers. The line moved forward in skirmish order, the center company guiding on the right dome of La Loma church. The advance was maintained at quick time for about eight hundred yards, under fire all the while without returning it. The men were pant- ing and exhausted, and where there was a sunken road running across the front of the line Colonel Frost ordered the men to lie down and return the enemy's fire; at the same time the volunteers were given an opportunity to rest for a moment. The fire from the Filipino force in the church was terrific, though high. As one of the privates ex- pressed it, "the boys had a roof of lead over them." After firing a few rounds Colonel Frost ordered an advance with quick time. The men dashed forward about one hundred yards when they were again ordered to lie down and fire. Three volleys were fired, when another advance was ordered in quick time, the men firing as they advanced. Just then Colonel Frost saw the Tenth Pennsylvania, which he had passed, on his left in the rear pouring in a heavy fire. Con- sidering the fire dangerous to the South Dako- tans, he called them to advance to the firing line. For some reason the volunteers from the Key- stone state paid no heed, but continued to fire from the rear. Colonel Frost was afraid to ad- vance with such a fire in his rear, so he shouted louder and louder. Finally swearing at them in a vigorous manner, and calling them some most unmilitary names, he ordered them to come on the line or quit firing. But the Pennsylvanians neither advanced nor slackened their fire. In desperation, Colonel Frost sént Adjutant Lien

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over to induce the Pennsylvanians to move for- ward to the line. About a score got up and moved forward after the Adjutant, but returned to their own line when they found they were not followed by their comrades.

The South Dakotans had been pouring heavy volleys into the Filipinos while they were wait- ing, but now advanced again, charging some hurdle work entrenchments from which the fire had been most active. The South Dakotans ran forward with a yell, going over the trenches and driving the Filipinos before them in a panic. The enemy ran for shelter behind the wall of the church, but the volunteers were too swift for them and more than fifty were killed in front of the church. The South Dakotans rushed over the walls and round the flanks and through the yard, carrying all before them. When Colonel Frost was standing on the wall surrounding the church, he saw Colonel Hawkins, of the Tenth Pennsyl- vania, with a small force of his men, come up under the wall from which the enemy had been driven. This is mentioned because on the day following the fight an effort was made by the Keystone volunteers to claim the credit of having captured La Loma church. Colonel Hawkins and his men took the Chinese hospital in gallant style, for which they should be given ample praise, but their conduct was not creditable in front of La Loma church and their effort to rob the South Dakotans of well earned glory was de- spicable.

Colonel Frost sounded his assembly and drew his men to the right of the church and moved after the Filipinos, driving them in the direction of Caloocan. Arriving on the crest of the hill. he observed that both flanks were exposed and halted his men to wait further orders. Colonel Hawkins, who was at Block House No. 2, with part of his force, sent word to Colonel Frost that orders had been received to retire. Seeing him fall back, Colonel Frost formed his force in a column of fours and moved in the same direc . tion. On the march he met General McArthur, who demanded, with considerable asperity in his tone, to know why Colonel Frost was there. The Colonel replied that he had taken La Loma

church. The General asked if the left flank had not been left open. The Colonel said it had not, but had been well guarded by three companies. The General looked over the ground, covered with dead Filipinos, and said, "There are plenty of indications that South Dakota has done good work to-day."

During the fight Private H. J. McCrackan, of Company H, was killed and Private Frank T. McLain, of Company G, Hiram W. Fay, of Com- pany I, Benj. B. Phelps, of Company K, and Eugene E. Stevens, of Company K. were wounded. From the time the figliting began on the evening of February 4th, in front of Block House No. 4. until the La Loma church was taken in the afternoon of the 5th, the South Da- kotans had been under the hottest fire and had done the hardest fighting. Their discipline was perfect and their courage superb.

Colonel Frost was ordered to hold the in- trenched line with Block House No. 4 near the center, with the left extended to within three- quarters of a mile of La Loma church and the right nearly to Block House No. 5. The Fili- pinos occupied the town of San Francisco Del Monte, about one mile east of Block House No. 4. from where they poured a constant and most annoying fire into the trenches of the South Da- kotans. No move was made until the morning of the 23d, when, at about seven-thirty o'clock, heavy firing was heard on the left of the line, then under command of Major Howard. Lieu- tenant Colonel Stover had the right of the block house and Colonel Frost took his position with Company B at the center. The attack had been made on the outpost of six men under Lieutenant Hawkins, of Company B, who held the position manfully until Company A, under Captain Fuller, and Company B, under Captain Sessions, came to his relief. The enemy had also attacked How- ard, whose battalion replied with a heavy fire from their Springfields and were gallantly sup- ported by part of the Utah Battery. Colonel Frost saw that the enemy could be outflanked and accordingly directed Adjutant Lien to take Companies A and B and the men of the brass band who had laid aside their wind instruments

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for the more deadly, if less musical rifle, and move up the ravine, form a line on the crest and pour a flank fire into the enemy. Captain Fuller with A was first in position and as soon as he opened fire the Filipino fire slackened. Cap- tain Sessions with B and the band soon got in line and opened fire, the enemy falling back and moving toward the right. Colonel Frost saw that an effort was being made to outflank the flanking party under Adjutant Lien and had it quickly withdrawn to the trenches. They had scarcely got to the trenches when a heavy fire swept across the position they had just left. This fire was quickly replied to by the right under Lieutenant Colonel Stover, and the Colorado on his left flank, and soon silenced the enemy in the direction of San Francisco Del Monte. Colonel Frost was much pleased with the con- duct of Adjutant Lien and Captains Fuller and Sessions, all of them showing coolness and judg- ment in handling men under fire.

The South Dakotans lost in killed Private Oscar Felker, Company C. and Sergeant William B. Smith, Company M, who was wounded and died within a few hours. The wounded were Privates Fred Tobin, Company B, and Martin Eide, Company M, and Musician Charles Hult- berg. Company M.

Then came another long period of waiting while the men in the trenches were kept on the alert by the Filipinos, who fired in a desultory way almost daily and nightly. A slight attack occurred on the night of the 27th, but the enemy were driven off, the regiment having two men wounded, Private Herman M. Bellman, of Com- pany B, and Sergeant Robert B. Ross, of Com- pany L. Firing on the outposts was continued and the South Dakotans slept on their arms and in their clothes until March 25th, when the ad- vance on Malolos began.

Here I may digress from the story of the campaign to record the death of a brave young officer, Lieutenant E. A. Harting, of Company A, who had been detached from the regiment and was in command of rifles on board the gun boat "Laguna De Bay." On February 14th he was attempting to land a gun on the shore of the

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 50

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 998

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998