CHAPTER XX. WAR AND PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES. First Battle between Americans and Insurgents-A Desperate Engagement in the Night-Shells from the Men-of-War-Advance of the American Forces-Slaughter of Filipinos-Capture of the Water Works-Affairs in the United States During the Days of Fighting-Ratification of the Peace Treaty-Conditions of Warfare Around Manila-Frequent Skirmishes-Warships Shell the Insurgents -Americans Suffer from the Heat-A Fight Near Iloilo-Agoncillo Flees from Washington to Montreal-Divisions in the United States Senate. T HE first outbreak of hostilities between the Filipino insurgent forces and the American troops in the archipelago occurred at Manila on the night of Saturday, February 4. It was 8:30 o'clock when three venturesome Filipinos ran past the pickets of the First Nebraska Volunteers at Santa Mesa. They were challenged, and retired without replying. Once more they tried the experiment, were challenged and thrust back beyond the picket line. A third time they approached the Cossack picket maintained by the Americans at that point. Corporal Greely challenged them and then opened fire, killing one and wounding another. These shots aroused the insurgent line, stretching from Caloocan, near the bay, north of Manila, to Santa Mesa, in the rear of the city, and a fusillade was started at many points. The pickets of the First Nebraska, the First North Dakota and the First Montana regiments replied vigorously, and hot work began. The American outposts, however, held their ground until reinforcements arrived. At 9 o'clock the Filipinos attempted to rush the lines, and almost broke through the wavering pickets and breathless detachments which had hurried to their support. The Americans, however, grew stronger every minute. The artillery joined in the melee and soon from the bay Admiral Dewey's warships began to shell the insurgent positions. The Filipinos then concentrated their forces at three points, Caloocan, Gagalangin and Santa Mesa. At 1 o'clock in the morning the insurgents opened a hot fire from the three points simultaneously. This was supplemented by the fire of two siege guns at Balik-Balik and by advancing their skirmishers at Paco and Pardacan. The Americans replied by a heavy fire, but in the darkness they could have little knowledge of its effect. INSURGENTS MAKE A HOT ATTACK. The Utah light artillery at last succeeded in silencing the siege guns of the Filipinos. The Third artillery was pounding away at the flashes of fire showing the insurgent positions on the extreme left. The engagement lasted over an hour. During much of the time the United States cruiser Charleston and the gunboat Concord, stationed off Malabon, hammered with the rapid-fire guns of their secondary batteries upon the insurgent position at Caloocan. At 2:45 in the morning there was another fusillade along the entire line. By this time the United States monitor Monadnock was in position south of Manila and opened fire on the insurgent line near Malate. When daylight came the Americans advanced. The First California and the First Washington infantry made a splendid charge and drove the insurgents from the villages of Pato and Santa Mesa. The Nebraska regiment also distinguished itself, capturing several prisoners and one howitzer and a very strong position at the reservoir which is connected with the Manila water works. The Twentieth Kansas and the Dakota regiments compelled the enemy's right flank to retire to Caloocan. Fir ing continued throughout Sunday at various points. The American losses at the end of the battle were approximately 50 killed and 200 wounded. It was impossible to do more than estimate the losses of the Filipinos. All day Monday, burial parties were busy interring the dead who fell during the fighting on Saturday night and Sunday. Hundreds of dead Filipinos were found in the rice fields and were buried on the spots where they were found. The most THE FILIPINOS. conservative calculation placed the loss of the Fili pinos at 1,000 dead and 2,000 wounded. HEAVY LOSSES OF Late Monday afternoon, General Hale's brigade advanced and took the water works at Singalon. Four companies of the Nebraska regiment and a part of the Utah battery with two field guns and two Hotchkiss guns met the enemy on the hill a half mile out and a sharp engagement took place, in which the Nebraskans lost four men. The Filipinos were driven back, retiring in bad order. General Ovenshine's brigade advanced and took Paranaque, capturing two field guns. General McArthur's division advanced beyond Gagalangin without loss, the enemy retreating upon Caloocan. The action of the Filipinos in bringing on a conflict, stimulated to prompt action those United States senators who had been in doubt on the treaty question, thereby accomplishing a purpose diametrically opposed to what the insurgents desired. The treaty of peace negotiated in Paris by the American and Spanish commissioners, was ratified by the senate on Monday afternoon, February 6, the vote being fifty-seven to twenty-seven, or just one more than the two-thirds majority required. The tension had been great in the senate and there was considerable doubt whether or not ratification would be carried. The country, however, was gratified that the senate took this action, believing that the time to settle questions as to our disposition of the Philippines was after we had safely taken care of our own treaty of peace. On the same day, Senator McEnery of Louisiana, who was on the doubtful list but finally landed on the ratification side, offered a resolution declaring that there was no intention on the part of the United States to annex the Philippine islands or admit their population to citizenship; that after we had prepared them for self-government we would dispose of them as will be best for their welfare and ours. This resolution went over for action at a later date. THE MCENERY RESOLUTION INTRODUCED. By the night of Tuesday, after three days and nights of intermittent fighting, the insurgent forces had been driven back ten miles to the east and south of Manila and five miles to the north where they still had lodgment in the vicinity of Malabon. The advances of the American troops had never once been checked, the enemy being scattered like rabbits. First the canebrakes in front of advanced positions were shelled and as the lurking rebels broke from cover to seek safer quarters, they were raked with a withering cross-fire from the rifles of the Americans, who then advanced in irresistible charges. The Filipinos did their shooting almost exclusively from behind trenches, or from ambushes in the thickets, except that sharpshooters in the treetops were kept busy. The Filipinos wasted a vast quantity of ammunition, but they almost invariably shot too high, so that while the killed and wounded on the American side made a distressingly long list, the escape of the troops from an appalling slaughter, considering the intrenchments everywhere, the junglelike growths of vegetation suitable for ambushes, and the short range firing from native huts, was almost miraculous. On the side of the rebels the dead had literally fallen in heaps. There were swarms of armed men everywhere in front of the American lines when the fighting began. Tottering old men and little boys, armed only with knives, huddled in the trenches with the native riflemen, and many of these how many will probably never be knownwere shot down along with the more formidable warriors. CHILDREN AND OLD MEN IN THE TRENCHES. Caloocan became the scene of fighting as the Filipinos were driven farther from the city. On the evening of February 7, Lieutenant A. C. Alford of the Twentieth Kansas infantry and a private of that company were killed and six others of the regiment were wounded while reconnoitering. The party was in a jungle when it was attacked by the enemy. Two companies of the Kansas regiment were sent to the relief of their comrades and drove the Filipinos into Caloocan, penetrating to the very heart of the town. Meanwhile gunboats shelled the suburbs. General Otis finally recalled the troops, but the natives misunderstanding the retreat, failed to take advantage of it. The outskirts of the town were burned. Two days later another conflict occurred at Caloocan. General McArthur's forces lying north of the Pasig river was swung into the town and routed the Filipinos after a lively battle. Before the men were in the field, however, shells were thrown from the guns of Admiral Dewey's ships for a full half-hour. The natives were badly demoralized and had lost heavily before the real fighting began. The American land forces were hurried forward at 3:40 in the afternoon and within two hours the enemy were utterly routed and the village was reduced to ashes. The next stronghold where the insurgents made a stand was Malabon, out of which place they were driven by the American troops on February 11, setting fire to the town as they retreated. The monitor Monadnock and the cruiser Charleston shelled the insurgent outposts and drove them toward the mountains, while the American column was advancing. In THE INSURGENTS. the attack the American army suffered a loss of two MEN-OF-WAR killed and nine wounded, the insurgent loss was heavy. After the retreat of the insurgent forces, plans showing a meditated attack upon Manila were discovered. Fighting before Manila was now interrupted for a few days, except for unimportant skirmishes between outposts of the opposing armies. The American authorities in Manila, however, had quite enough to do to guard the city from threatened uprisings. It was believed at one time that there was a plan to burn the city and many alleged conspirators were arrested. It was well understood that the people of the city and the suburban villages were in sympathy with the insurgents and would take any chance to assist them. On February 14, some of the rebels having taken possession of houses near the outposts, a skirmish followed and nine men in a California regiment were killed and wounded before the enemy were driven out. A gunboat shelled the villages, driving the Filipinos toward the famous lake, Laguna de Bay. By this time the American outposts were extended to a position twelve miles beyond the city. Another skirmish occurred on the Tariquina road on February 18, in which some twenty Americans were killed and wounded. A day later word came that the California volunteers had abandoned Guadaloupe church, setting it on fire, and retired to San Pedro Macati. The rebels still held the country in the vicinity of Guadaloupe, Pasig and Patero, despite the efforts of the gunboats to dislodge them from the jungle on both sides of the river. The heat was intense and increasing daily, so that the American soldiers were suffering greatly from the weather to which they were not accustomed. There was a daily list of casualties cabled to the war department by Major-General Otis and the list of killed, wounded, and those dying from disease grew steadily. CASUALTIES TO THE AMERICAN At Iloilo conditions were equally strained, but hostilities had not progressed to such an extent. After weeks of waiting in the harbor |