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.

by Charles Rendell Mabey

The insurgents had long since seized upon this important place as it furnished an inexhaustible supply of food for their armies. Besides being far out of the way and difficult of approach, she became the military station to which the famished and fatigued insurgents looked for support and rest. Major Grant early noticed the importance of the town and thereafter he labored incessantly to bring about its capture by the Americans. Finally, on the 18th, he succeeded in getting a fleet of gunboats, launches and cascos headed that way. Captain Pratt and Lieutenant Franklin attempted to make a landing on the shore in front of the town, but they failed as the water was too shallow. Five miles farther up the beach they made a profitable landing at the mouth of the Pagsanyan river. However, as this was blocked with obstructions of bamboo and rock, no effort was made to sail up the stream until three days had elapsed. Then the impediment was removed.

During the time which intervened between the 21st and the 28th little was done with the exception of attending to some needed repairs on the boat. On the 28th the gunboat advanced to the south of the Balucan river, where another delay was caused by the obstructions placed there by the natives. The country skirting this place was thickly covered with brush and low trees, very much like bayou. When about a mile and a half up the stream the enemy opened fire at a range of about 500 yards, which was returned by the guns on the boat. The fire was heavy and the insurgents evidently concluded that they were too close for comfort, for their fire slackened materially in a very short time. The "Laguna de Bay" and the "Napindan" then came down the stream. As the latter started to follow the larger boat the pilot was hit in the hand by a bullet and before he could recover himself the little craft had run aground. When the "Laguna de Bay" went to her assistance she also struck a bar and was held fast. The boats were compelled to remain here under fire until the tide came in and floated them off.

The work of the gunboats was without extraordinary interest until April 8th. On that day the fleet steamed up Pasig with twenty cascos and seven launches in tow. One thousand five hundred men, with two days' rations, two light artillery guns and necessary horses, composed the expedition, which was commanded by General Lawton. Among the troops were detachments from the Fourth United States Cavalry, the Fourteenth United States Infantry, the North Dakota, Idaho and Washington volunteers, the Sixth Artillery and the Signal Corps. This force reached Jalajala on the 9th and then awaited the arrival of the entire fleet. The place of advancement and attack—Santa Cruz—was mapped out and then the fleet steamed ahead. About five miles from Santa Cruz the "Napindan" ran into a point close to the shore and opened fire. Here the works were silenced, after which the troops landed. Under cover of the guns of the "Oeste" other men also disembarked. With Lawton aboard, the "Laguna de Bay" advanced toward the town approaching to within 300 yards of the shore. Some troops in cascos were put ashore. After a survey of the situation the boats went out into deep water and advanced from the right, while the troops encamped to the west of the town.

The next day a general advance began at daylight. The American forces came up to the enemy's position and opened fire. This was a signal for action on the part of the boats and after moving in closer they opened a heavy fire on the insurgent works. The troops placed south and west under General Lawton drove the natives northward while those posted along the shore of the river, aided by the guns on the boats, did considerable damage. Large bodies of the natives broke for a place of safety and while attempting to escape through a marshy open field many of them were killed. Shells actually mowed them down in heaps. By this time the lines of the infantry had been completely formed for an advance and the gunboats ceased their work. Shortly afterward our forces took possession of the town, and a message was received from Lawton saying he had established his headquarters in the church.

On the 11th the boats steamed up the lake and ran close to the shore near the mouth of the Pagsanyan river, where they opened fire on the town of Lumbaog, toward which the land forces were advancing. This fire was kept up until the infantry reached the place and took it. A message was received from General Lawton to the effect that he had captured the town of Pagsanyan; also that six launches had been captured there and were at the town. The "Cavadonga" at this time sailed up and relieved the "Oeste." The guns were on the hills north of Orani and after a time the infantry took possession, for a flag from the church tower called for a boat to be sent to that place. The "Laguna de Bay" responded, went up the river and shelled Paite and Sinilaon until darkness ended her usefulness for that day. The troops had in the meantime checked the native advance and camped at Paite.

From this time until May 7th little was done by the boats. A greater part of the time was spent in making necessary repairs. On the last mentioned date a Macabebe named Soteros Gatdula reported for duty as pilot, and under his direction the fleet steamed across the bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Passing up this stream the boats shelled the towns of Guagua and Sexmoan. At the former place a fire had been started and a launch in the river was observed to be in flames. A party was sent out to try to save this craft, but she proved to be of little value and the attempt was abandoned. Two Spaniards claiming to have been held as prisoners by the natives, and a Filipino suspect were taken aboard.

It was decided early in May to make an effort to pierce the waters of the Rio Grande de Pampanga, which leads to Calumpit and beyond far into the heart of the enemy's country. The first efforts to search out the channel were made by the "Cavadonga" on May 9th. Soteros Gatdula, a Macabebe pilot, was directed by General Otis to undertake the task and the "Cavadonga" started on the cruise into the unknown waters early in the morning. Near the mouth of the river the boat suddenly went aground, and when the tide rose, and early in the day the boat was joined by the "Laguna de Bay." The channel was then located by the Macabebe and there was no further difficulty in forcing a passage up the wide waters of the river, the largest on Luzon Island. For a long distance up the river the territory is occupied by the Macabebes, the ancient and traditional enemies of the Tagalan race. A large crowd of these friendly natives was on the shores of the river as the boats passed up and they filled the air with cheers and cries of "Viva los Americanos," which the soldiers replied to in variegated and wonderfully woven Filipino phrases. One obstruction was met in the river consisting of cocoanut poles, but the Macabebes assisted in removing these from the path of the boats. Without having fired a shot, early in the afternoon the boats arrived at Calumpit, where troops of the infantry were stationed.

On May 14th the "Cavadonga" was sent out on a reconnoitering expedition up the river. On the way up Sexmoan and Apilit were passed, and it was observed that all the natives fled from the river as soon as the gunboat approached. The country is heavily timbered on both sides of the river, and there was no evidence of a hostile attitude on the part of the natives until the boat swung round the curve leading to San Luiz. Almost through the entire distance the shores were lined with Filipino intrenchments, but it was discovered that these were unoccupied. Lieutenant Webb was out on the bow capstan, entirely unsheltered by the meagre 3-16-inch armor with which the craft was encased. Just as a curve was rounded in front of San Luiz a long line of straw hats and the bores of fifty rifles were seen facing the boat from the port side, no more than fifty yards away. Lieutenant Webb was scanning the opposite shore with his glasses, when the lookout discovered the enemy on the port side. Sergeant Ford Fisher called out a sudden warning to the Lieutenant and reached out towards him. Just then the volley came. Fisher reeled backward with a bullet piercing his brain. Instantly the bow one-pounder and the Gatling gun on the port side tore the Filipino intrenchments. Bullets pelted fast against the slight armor of the cruiser. Fred Mitchell, one of the men at the Gatling gun, was wounded in the hand. The "Cavadonga" turned round almost where it stood and slowly moved back, and during a wonderful skirmish in which the native and American frequently fired in each other's faces at a range of twenty yards, raked the Filipino works with the fast-firing machine guns. The fighting only lasted thirty minutes.

When it was over Ford Fisher, who was still breathing, was placed on board the "Oceania," which had remained about two hundred yards in the rear during the fighting, and almost at the moment he was laid on the craft he expired. The "Oceania" sped quickly down the river with the dead body of the Sergeant, but frequently the "Cavadonga" stopped to suppress the desultory fire from the natives who had fled during the early part of the action. It was learned afterwards from the "padre" at San Luiz that fifty insurgents had been killed during the engagement, and when the Utah men arrived there a few days later a long line of new graves in the walled cemetery told a tragic story of the ending of the fight.

On the evening of this day the Seventeenth Regular Infantry and a battalion of the Ninth Infantry advanced up the Rio Grande from Calumpit over the old Apilit road under the leadership of Major Kobbe of the Third United States Artillery. Early the next morning the "Laguna de Bay" and "Cavadonga" started up the river and most of the way kept within view of the troops on the shore. Occasionally the gunboats moved ahead and daring scouts could be seen calmly looking into vacated Filipino intrenchments. The enemy was encountered several times along the shore as far as San Luiz and all intrenchments were bombarded by the "Laguna de Bay" some distance to prevent a repetition of the disastrous surprise of the day before. When San Luiz was neared white flags could be seen floating everywhere, and on arriving there it was discovered that the whole body of insurgents had disappeared into the interior. The boats remained at this position during the night, and early the next morning resumed the advance ahead of the infantry up the waters of the Pampanga. During this journey large numbers of Filipinos were met in cascos with their families and all their earthly possessions, making their way down the stream. About noon the boats reached Candaba without a hostile shot having been fired during the whole day. Here Major Grant was met by the Mayor of the city, who stated that he had forced the soldiers to evacuate in order to prevent the bombardment of the town and the subsequent loss of life among the people of whom he was guardian. An evidence of the hasty departure of the natives was found upon entering the town, for a guard list giving the names of the officers and enlisted men of the guard was found posted on the walls of the town hall.