Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1899 — FALL OF CALUMPIT. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FALL OF CALUMPIT.

MACARTHUR-S DIVISION ANNIHILATES REBEL FORCE. Sight Americans Are Killed-Day of Desperate Fighting Crowned with Victory—Filipinos Flee to Hills—Calnmpit ths Key to Northern Luoip^ A dispatch from Manila says: "Gen. MacArthur’* division, 0,000 troops, auuihilated the insurgents at Calnmpit Wed-

nesday. Aguinuldo’s troops made a stubborn resistance, but were driven to the hills. Eight'Americans were killed. Ca* lmnpit is tbe key to the whole of northern Luzon. The defenses surronnding Caliimpit were stormed by Gen. MacArthur at 11:30 o’clock, and were taken by the American troops at 1 o'clock in the after- * ~’v< T *Jd *“r*Cl r # v - “The defeases are hreH-cJostiraeted-mu-placements on the

bank of the Ragbag river, formed so as to make an angle along/ a high bluff. Gen./ Hale flanked the ini treaehments with thff Fifty-first lawn, tbe\ First North Dakota' and the hirst Nebraska volunteers. Gen. Wheaton moved along the railroad

with the Montana and Kansas regiments in front, guarding the supply train, which carried three gnns of the Montana regiment on armored cars. Col. Fnnston of the Kansas regiment, after swimming the Bagbag, was the first in the rebel intrenehmeuts. Gen. Hale was separated from Gen. Wheaton by the Quinga river, which empties into the Bagbag. He made a junction by swimming the river, taking guns and mules. Gen. Wheaton’s command, the Kansas and Montana volunteers, daring the night had repaired the bridge over the Bagbag

river. The volunteers then crossed and attacked the Filipinos in the trenches, and after a short but sharp fight forced the enemy into Calumpit. Here Aguinaldo’s army fought desperately.. For the first time the Filipinos employed artillery.

They brought two gnns into action in the trenches before Calumplt, firing modern shrapnel, which buret over the heads of Gen. Wheaton’s men without effect. The American loss in the morning’s fight was three killed and three wounded. The Filipino loss'was small, but they were well protected by their earthworks. The Filipinos adopted the same tactics as at Malolos, contesting tbe American advance on their headquarters and then abandoning them when the capture of the place was inevitable. The advance of the Americans Tuesday was marked by a stubborn resistance by the Filipinos and occasional severe fighting. Gen. MacArthur’s advance began at 9 o’clock in the tnoruing. Gen. Wheaton, commanding tbe Kansas and Montana regiments, with three guns of the Utah

battery and two troops of cavalry, marched along the railroad, his line on the right reaching to tbe Bagbag river. On I the other side of the' river was Gen. Hale with tbe lowa, Nebraska And South Dakota volunteers. Tbe left of the American line on the rail-

road was strengthened with an armed train. - For two miles the advance was without incident. Then the enemy’s trenches* running across the Americans’ front, were encountered, and the train was moved forward and shelled the insurgent position. The Filipinos responded in lively fashion. Gen. Hale’s brigade made a brilliant advance over open ground to the Chico river. They were exposed to a galling fire from tbe enemy’s trenches at tbe junction of the Bagbag and Chico rivers. The lowa regiment made a detour to the right to flank the trenches, and when this movement was executed the Nebraskans and South Dakotans swam the river, drove the enemy from their positions, and pursued them for half a mile before they were recalled. Before this was accomplished, however, Maj. Young, with the guns of the Utah Artillery, dashed through a village that had been burned and protected the Nebraskans and South Dakotans as made tljeir way across the river. The artillery lost one killed and three wounded in making their dash. The Filipinos had the advantage of the fighting by the Chico, as they had cleared tbe country of everything that Would appear a protection to the Americans. The attempt to wreck the armored train of the Americans by weakening the bridge over the Bagbag was a failure, t’art of the bridge fell in with its own weight before the train reached it. The American loss in thd two days’ operations was twelve killed and thirty-nine wounded. The known rebel loss is seven-ty-five killed in front of Wheaton’s brigade Tuesday aud about 200 killed and wounded in front of Hale’s Monday.

GEN. M'ARTHUR

GEN. HALE.