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Jan. 23, 1900

Ran into Albay Bay and came to anchor about 11 A.M. about a  mile from the town of Legaspi.  The trencher can be plainly seen from here and the rebels have a flag flying from a fort on a hill to the left of the town.  The Eng w ship Plover went in to the town with a flag of truce to take off Br subjects  the boat was met at the beach by several mounted insurgents.  The boat put back with out anyone so I don’t suppose there were an Eng in the town.  Pullled in to within a half mi of the town where the niggers can plainly be seen.  Get into the boats at 12 M and wait for the ball to open.  When the Nashville flies the blue peter we are to dig in.  Our company has 80 men in the Nashville boats, G and H each 20 men in their own boats.  Had dinner, punk and willie, in the boats.  At 1 P.M. the signal went up from the Nashville and she commenced firing.  We cast off and raced for the beach amid a storm of bullets.  We were well up with the leaders when a sailor in our boat was hit in the thigh it put him out of business and we dropped behind and didn’t land till 3rd being followed by G & H’s boats which were pulled by their own men and consequently not so fast.  Formed skirmish line on the beach lying down and fired three volleys.  While lying on the beach a bullet struck the sand between myself and the next man, so close either of us could have touched it, covering both of us with sand.  After firing three volleys and we charged up the trenches over ground covered with thick chapparel and through a waist deep rice canal.  The trenches were about 5 ft high and at least 12 feet thick, and were built of sand faced and backed by bamboo.  We went over them in a jiffy and found several dead and wounded niggers.  We pushed on to the town about an eight of a mi. away firing as we ran whenever we saw something to shoot at.  We drove some of the nig. Into the river which flows through the town and picked them off as they swam.  When we reached the centre of town we were suddenly stopped by a trench running parallel to the beach, extending between the godowns and facing inwards backed on the seaward side by a high stone wall concealing it from the Nashville.  Lt. Perrington took 14 men of whom I was one, and forced and entrance & into the house on the left of the trench, forced a window and dropped down into a carriage house; Through a crack between the doors of the house we could see 9 niggers under a porch running at right angles to the trench and took turns firing at them.  The nearest was not more than 14 ft away and the fartherest not more that thirty.  I got my man through both lungs and left arm.  After killing them all off we forced the doors and ran out into the porch where we found ourselves in the rear of the trench and finished off 5 more.  One nigger, a Lt took a chance and ran across and open space and although the entire co. fired at him he escaped.  Another one lay down in the trench, pretending to be dead, and so escaped death.  The total casualities at this trench were, one Am. Off. wounded in hand & 1 Sarg wounded in arm, 29 Filipinos killed and one captured.  After finishing the dead we pushed on and drove the Is into the thickets and killed and captured as many as we could find.  A bunch of us got in to Fil. hdquarters and looted it.  I got two rings and a neck chain.  Took the bolo and dagger from my man and a bow & arrows from another but had to ditch the, bow and arrows, them as we started for Albay less than a mile distant.

when approaching the town an insurgent Battery on a hill let go at us but they fired high and it’s a good thing they did for from the way their shot tore up the roofs the guns must have been loaded with barbwire & beer bottles.

It was said there were 6,000 niggers at Albay but They didn’t wait for us to get among them but took to the woods as soon as we charged.  In the large on Albay Co’s F G & H and 80 men of Co C took part.  Co E staying in  Legaspi to clean up the remaining rebs and guard the town.  I took a small Fil. flag from the corner of a trench.  H Co. and part of C went up the hill and took the fort and four old brass cannon without resistance. Pv Bauer of our co acting as point went into the fort first and lowered the flag, which he kept, and when the rest came up found him drinking champagne which the nigs had left in their haste.  Found some Reb. *correspondence which I am unable to read but will keep as it may be valuable. On our way back to Legaspi was fired on by a nig in a house to which we replied but when we forced an entrance only found a dead woman so the “hombre” must have escaped as it is hardly probable that she fired the shot.

On getting back to Legaspi some of us were placed on guard.  I and several others were detailed to pick up the dead.  Picked up over a hundred dead and about 50 wounded and there must be others.  Some of the dead are simply torn to pieces.  Some of the Krag bullets made small holes on entering and a hole as big as a mans head where they came out.  Picked up one stiff with 14 holes in him.  Some of them are certainly punctured.  Jerry Maher gave one of the wounded a cigarette buts.  He took a couple of drags and croaked.  Forche shot a nigger, who was cooking a chicken for some of our fellows, in a place which will keep him from sitting down for some time.  Pv Turley found a bag of gold which was taken from him by Major Berrs.  He was drunker than an owl.  The niggers are outside of the town firing at our outposts.

Many buildings in the town are burning.  Went abroad the Castelleano about 9 P.M.  All of us have loot of some kind bolos, spears, bows and arrows, jewelry, revolvers, field glasses, etc.

I have a bolo, spear, 2 arrows, dagger, pair of *womans wooden soled shoes with carved leather tops, two rings, gold chain, flag, two bottles of cognac, and a pair of pants.  Our Top Sargent Kuhns was wounded in the foot by a spear.