The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912Blount, James H. (James Henderson)
History
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912
Blount, James H. (James Henderson)
Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946; Philippines -- Politics and government -- 1898-1935
striking insurgent detachments wherever found and driving them toward
the line of the railroad. By November 13th, Lawton's advance had
turned to the westward, according to the concerted plan of campaign
above described, garrisoning, as fast as they were taken, such of the
towns of the country over which he swept as there were troops to spare
for. We knew that Aguinaldo had been at Tarlac when the advance began,
and every officer and enlisted man of the command was on the qui vive
to catch him. By November 18th, General Lawton's forces held a line of
posts extending up the eastern side of the plain, and curving around
across the northern end to within a few miles of the gulf of Lingayen.
On November 6th, General Wheaton set sail from Manila for Lingayen
Gulf, with 2500 men of the 13th Regular and 33d Volunteer Infantry,
and a platoon of the 6th Artillery, convoyed by the ships of the
navy, and next day the expedition was successfully landed at San
Fabian, "with effective assistance from the naval convoy against
spirited resistance," says Secretary of War Root, in his annual
report for 1899. The navy's assistance on that occasion was indeed
"effective," but such passing mention hardly covers the case. In
the first place, they selected the landing point, their patrols
being already familiar with the coasts. As soon as the transports
were sighted, about eleven o'clock on the morning of November
7th, Commander Knox, the senior officer present, who commanded the
Princeton, and Commander Moore, of the Helena, went out to meet and
confer with General Wheaton. This done, the landing was effected
under protection of the navy's guns. Besides the naval vessels
above named, there were also present the Bennington under Commander
Arnold, the Manila under Lieutenant-Commander Nazro, and two captured
Spanish gun-boats small enough to get close in shore, the Callao,
and the Samar. The troops were disembarked in two columns of small
boats towed by launches. Lieutenant-Commander Tappan in charge of
the Callao, and Ensign Mustin, commanding the Samar, were especially
commended in the despatches of Admiral Watson, commander-in-chief
of the Asiatic squadron. Both bombarded the insurgent trenches
at close range during the landing, and Mustin actually steamed in
between the insurgents and the head of the column of troop-boats,
so as to intercept and receive the brunt of their fire himself, and,
selecting a point about seventy-five yards from the enemy's trenches
whence he could effectually pepper them, ran his ship aground so she
would stick, and commenced rapid firing at point blank range, driving
the enemy from his trenches, and enabling Colonel Hare of the 33d,
and those who followed, to land without being subjected to further
fire while on the water. [260]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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