The Utah Batteries: A History: A complete account of the muster-in, sea voyage, battles, skirmishes and barrack life of the Utah batteries, together with biographies of officers and muster-out rolls.Mabey, Charles Rendell
History
The Utah Batteries: A History: A complete account of the muster-in, sea voyage, battles, skirmishes and barrack life of the Utah batteries, together with biographies of officers and muster-out rolls.
Mabey, Charles Rendell
Philippines -- History -- Philippine American War, 1899-1902 -- Regimental histories -- United States; Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Regimental histories -- United States; Utah -- Biography; Utah Artillery
The Tennesseans left the Nebraskans in charge of the Deposito and
disappeared off to the right. Late that night Lieutenant Webb and the
fatigued warriors of Santa Mesa joined Lieutenant Gibbs at the Deposito,
where they bivouacked with the prospect on the morrow of an advance upon
the pumping station, four miles beyond.
The movement upon the pumping station was not easily accomplished; there
were several sharp skirmishes on the way. Though the power of the
insurgents seemed to have been broken on the previous day, there were
some in whom the spirit of resistance was not entirely extinguished and
they contested the march of the Americans with vigor. When the move was
made on the morning of the 6th the artillery was under the personal
command of Major Young. A straggling line of infantry deployed on either
side of the road and with the artillery in the rear the forward movement
began. Scarcely half a mile from the Deposito the moving column
encountered a small body of Tagalans, who opened fire. Once more the
angry guns pealed forth in menacing thunder and the terror-stricken
natives retreated for the kind shelter of the bamboo thickets beyond.
Two similar skirmishes happened farther up the road. About a mile and a
half from the Deposito the mutilated body of Dr. Harry A. Young was
found lying by the side of a ventilator. Some distance back the body of
his horse had been discovered. Major Young was the first to locate this
gory evidence, which mutely told the tragic story of the end of Dr.
Young. All the clothing had been rent from the body, a bullet hole was
in his forehead, and a bolo wound from the elbow of the left arm to the
waist told the tragic story of how he died. The supposition is that the
Doctor was surprised on his way to the Deposito, where he had an
appointment with Major Young, and took the wrong road, which led him to
a grim death in the Tagalan territory. A few minutes later, while the
body was being conveyed to Manila, the Major calmly commanded his men in
a rush with the enemy, in which eighty of them were killed. This
exhibition of splendid courage was ever after an inspiration to the
Utahn when he felt like being disheartened.
Gradually the uncoiled infantry line pushed back the recalcitrant
natives, and late in the morning the heights above the beautiful
Mariquina valley were reached. Here the artillery was placed in
position, and, with the Mariquina Church steeple as a target, the town
was bombarded. Now and then a shuddering shrapnel was sent shrieking
after fugitive bands of Tagalans, who made all haste for the protecting
shelter of the mountain on the opposite side of the valley.
From that place they were content to look with dismay upon the
death-dealing monsters which frowned from the hill above the bulwarks.
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