The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc

miletus12
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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 14, 2023 23:47:09 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 14, 2023 23:47:09 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 13th-99

Several letters came today. Very hot.

1. US 8th Corps' war diary reported 92 degrees Fahrenheit or 34 degrees Celsius this date. Want to know what it is where I am at right now? 30 degrees Celsius, which is not too bad. No rain.

=======================================================================

Diary of Chriss A. Bell May 13, 1899

Saturday. 21st Infantry start for lines near Waterworks also some regulars start for Lawton’s division to relieve Oregon. In afternoon get Carmetta [and] get Miss Bowman. Go to convent where I bought 2 Spanish & two Philippine bags also some doilies 7 a nickel of Juna [jusi] Cloth. Took some pictures of girls at work & mothers. Then started out through Paco to San Pedro Macati a fine trip through a fine country.

Every inch in rice fields well cultivated. Country is rolling in nature and hills & through a jungle of bamboo etc. Took several pictures along the road and several at San Pedro Macati from Gen. Kings old headquarters. Returning reached home at supper time. Took supper at Chinese restaurant with Tuft & Freeman.

2. He neglected to mention all the burned villages and the depopulation, did you notice?
3. The Philippines is beautiful, but as Robert A. Heinlein wrote: "Nothing is more beautiful to a wanderer than 'home'."

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Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Saturday, May 13th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Clear, with heavy clouds in the sky but no rain. A breeze tempered the heat. Read a chapter in Numbers & a psalm. The latter to bring myself into a devotional frame of mind. Prayer, then cooked breakfast as usual. The entire forenoon & afternoon till about 2.30p.m. ~~I remained at home taking things easy in order to husband my strength for a busy time next week~~. Read Weekly S.F. “Call”, dipped into the Houston “Post”, posted up on the histories of ancient & modern libraries. Also read the “American” & “Freedom”.

Private Perkins of the 3d Reg’t Artillery, who is troubled with rheumatism call to see me. Is a backslider. Had a talk with him about returning to Jesus but he negatived the proposition.

While taking lunch – lemonade, butter, bread & bananas. Orderly Clayton Scott rode up to No. 2 bringing a side of canvassed breakfast bacon from Kline of the U.S. Commissary Dept. Made some lemonade for Scott. He brought me $1 American Silver, donation from A. J. Merritt, U.S. Gov’t mule packer. Wrote out a receipt & sent it by Scott to Bro. M. Requested S. to ask furlough tomorrow in order to help me at the prison & hospital. Prayed together & we parted. I went to the Escolta & patronized a Spanish barbershop for a shave. Then hasted to the U.S. Commissary warehouse in Barrier San Nicolas where I found Serg’t Henry Kline of K. Company 1st California Vol. Inf. who sent me a supply of groceries which I think he drew from the Gov’t. Paid K. $2 U.S. coin for the same. He handed me a chair & we had a lengthy talk about S.A. affairs. Advised him to return to Jesus & make good memories on the Philippines while here, so that pleasant memories may follow to the homeland after he has returned there. Kline replied in effect that he has made the worst record of his life since coming to Manila. Bidding the backslider good-bye I returned to town, purchased 1 can of oatmeal at a Spanish store, do. candles then home again & cooked supper.

4. Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”

9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam as confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

5. Mutiny in the ranks or RACISM? Do you think the cockroach got the message, or did he stay Unreconstructed? What do you think, reader?
6. Psalm 15

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.

7. The cockroach flunked that one.
8. PVT Perkins told the cockroach to get bent. You can tell whenever that happens. "Backslider" is a code word.
9. Theft of government services and supplies. And he called his enabled pilferer; PVT Kline; another "backslider"? Know what the cockroach was? I will give you a hint: He was a corrupter of youth.
10. Another Spanish barber muffed the opportunity to reform the cockroach.
11. A dozen candles still will not help the cockroach to see "the light".

========================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Saturday, May 13th, 1899

Weather is hot as ever in the morning. We have general inspection in arms and quarters. A good sign, mail leaves Cavite today. Came off guard at 5 p.m. I am not feeling well. Have a bad cold, also rheumatism in both legs and right shoulder.

12. Influenza?

Last Edit: May 24, 2023 2:56:12 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
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To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 15, 2023 0:50:20 GMT

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Post by miletus12 on May 15, 2023 0:50:20 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 14th-99

On No. 5 outpost up road towards Taytay. Left Spear, Acting Corp. and came in and sung. Two ladies were out –the first I’ve seen for many a long week. Clear, but plenty of fire along the hills.

1. Welch had about a dozen ladies on the hook by now. He was a busy chap.
2. See MAP.

3. Not a whole lot of progress on the southern front for the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves.

===============================================================================

Diary of Chriss A. Bell May 14, 1899

Lay around quarters all AM. At two met Miss Dunne who took me for a drive. Out out toward the waterworks as far as Deposit where we were stopped. Came back & went out toward old Kansas line pass the Department hospital. Stopped at Cemetery and got flowers. Rode home [in carriage] through Tondo arriving at 4:30. Chicken dinner then guard.

4. Meanwhile, the 2nd Oregon Furniture Thieves were having a jolly time in the backwash of MacArthur's northern front campaign.
5. The El Deposito or (The Resevoir) is the place (Waterworks) where some fighting still flares up from time to time.

The History of El Deposito, the Biggest Spanish Artifact in the Philippines

By NICAI DE GUZMAN | Sep 19, 2019.

PHOTO BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The largest remaining Spanish-era artifact in the Philippines (and possibly, the world) isn't a church or a school. It's the El Deposito water reservoir, the 150-meter-long waterway system that played an important role in San Juan's hygiene and the country's history. Though currently buried beneath San Juan, recent restorations have it set for a 2020 reopening. Before that happens, here's a quick history of El Deposito.

The Origin of El Deposito

It all started with Francisco Carriedo y Peredo, a man who made his fortune on the galleon trade. He arrived in Manila in 1772 and, after accumulating his wealth, was gracious enough to donate P10,000 to the city of Manila in 1783.

His donation was intended for the construction of a waterline, but Carriedo's original proposal was rejected. In 1869, however, Genaro Palacios, an engineer who previously worked on the San Sebastian Church, took it upon himself to realize the project. The reservoir was going to be the central piece of an entire water system and it was aptly named after one of its most generoous sponsors, Carriedo.

Materials were brought in from all over the country and the world. Local molave wood was used, as well as stones from Meycuayan and volcanic rocks. Palacios even shipped in coal from Australia.

The entire structure consisted of a central canal connected to 25 smaller ones. Each canal was five meters high and three meters wide. All in all, the water system was capable of holding 56,000 cubic meters of water, which later on supplied up to 300,000 people from all over Manila. To keep the water fresh and free from contamination, ventilation shafts and filters were also used.

Before El Deposito, residents relied on wells, esteros, and rivers for water. Unfortunately, these sources of water were usually contaminated and it was not surprising to learn that, at that time, Manila residents suffered from waterborne diseases.

The water coursed through Marikina River to Santolan via five kilometers of cast iron pipes. It also became the water source of fire hydrants and fountains, the most famous of which is the Carriedo Fountain. The project totaled to P110,000 when it was finished in 1882. It was named it El Deposito.

The War and El Deposito

The water reservoir became such an important part of the city that, in his plans to reclaim Manila, Andres Bonifacio thought to cut the water supply to Intramuros to cripple the city and make it easier to fight the Spaniards, who were heavily reliant on El Deposito.

The first leg of the plan was to capture El Polvorin, the gunpowder depot in San Juan del Monte. Though the narrative is largely contested (historian Jim Richardson contests the events in his book The Light of Liberty), many accounts suggest that Bonifacio and troops of about 800 soldiers armed with bolos and anting-antings skirmished with gun-toting Spanish guards, ultimately winning on August 30, 1896. The Spaniards retreated into the nearby El Deposito building.

The Katipuneros followed them but more Spanish reinforcements arrived from Fort Santiago. Around 150 Katipuneros died from the Battle of San Juan del Monte and 200 more were captured. This was officially the first major battle of the revolution. Despite losing, it was enough to ignite a sense of nationalism among Filipinos and threaten the Spaniards. In fact, just a day later, Governor General Ramon Blanco declared a state of martial law in Manila and seven nearby provinces.

Despite its role in the war, El Deposito continued to be used as the main water reservoir until the American Occupation. In 1903, Americans turned it into army headquarters, even numbering the tunnels to mark the areas where armory was stored. It was later captured during the Japanese Regime where it continued its life as a storage space. For a time, it was also used as a firing range, a hospital for patients suffering from tuberculosis, and later a bunker.

Recaptured after World War 2, the structures aboveground were heavily damaged. Unfortunately, it fell into decay and was used as a dump.

The Restoration of El Deposito

According to San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, the restoration of the reservoir started in 2016 when the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies conducted an assessment and excavation of the historic site. Two years later, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines started a cleanup.

Despite the sorry state of the reservoir, it was recognized by local historians as significantly important in the country’s history. The former site of the El Deposito building where the battle took place is now known as Pinaglabanan Shrine.

The shrine itself was unveiled on February 4, 1974. An obelisk depicts the Philippine flag and, in the background, a monument by Eduardo Castrillo stands.

Aside from this, the El Deposito museum was also opened to the public on February 2019. Located at Pinaglabanan Shrine, the two-storey museum contains a replica of a Carriedo waterworks hydrant, a detailed scale model of the aqueducts, and a visual history of the place. One of the galleries is even interactive as visitors can use virtual reality headsets to watch a recreation of the Battle of San Juan Del Monte. Entrance is free in museum, which is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The underground waterways, on the other hand, will open to the public in 2020. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told Inquirer.net that El Deposito has the potential to become a top tourist attraction in the country.

“Once complete, people can go down and walk inside and view the aqueducts,” Zamora told Inquirer.net. “It will allow people to go back in time.”

6. Filipinos built that place; not the Spaniards.

================================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Sunday, May 14th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

This to me has been one of the hard & apparently unfruitful days, in which failure appears to be the outcome of one’s best efforts, but my faith ~~claims that my God does not permit my time & strength to be wasted.~~

Read a chapter in Numbers, ditto a psalm, prayed & betook myself to the cook-pots. Breakfast over selected songs & lessons – latter in the New Testament for prospective meetings in Bilibid and the Second Reserve Hospital. In good season started out afoot for Bilibid after praying a second time for the Lord’s blessing on my efforts. Every Sunday since commencing meetings at the prison I have passed & repassed a two story residence with a Japanese flag hung outside the front. On a metal plate affixed to the door was inscribed the words “M. Viola Medico” Was at the corner of Alvarado alley and Paseo Azcarraga near the bridge. The house looked comfortable, all the more to me when going or returning thro’ the heat & seeing one or more men at ease up stairs apparently not putting themselves to discomfort or inconvenience in behalf of Christ & His Kingdom. This morning when passing to & fro as usual I saw a hearse with a coffin waiting in the street & an American sentry guarding the entrance & refusing permission to the undertaker’s employee to take the coffin in the house. The sentry explained to me that the Filipino doctor was murdered last night – throat cut – probably for money.

Until the power that be gave consent the coffin remained in the house two hours – about. I was considerably affected by this death. Death waits not the leisure of unconcerned sinners. They may ignore God & make their plans for this life independent of Him, but when the giver of life concludes they are not worthy of the space they occupy above the ground, they quickly descent into it.

A heavy shower came up when I arrived at Bilibid. I remained in that part of the one-storey building in the center of the courtyard now used for hospital purposes. Several men were in there. Had a chat on various subjects not neglecting matters pertaining to the Kingdom. This building contained the torture chambers under the Spanish regime. There is a large circular room in the center. In the bakery the baker said, is or was, the starvation well. Prisoners were put in there & starved. Prisoners were also operated in this place.

This Sabbath proved to be general inspection day. Provost Sergeant Houser disappeared to me. I could not find him until time was past for my meeting. I then distributed the few War Crys & went away disappointed; wondering if Houser kept out of my sight intentionally.

A few parched peanuts, a cup of lemonade & an orange served me for lunch. More prayer. Then by horse & car went out to Malate & got off the car at the corner of Calle Real and Herran. The 2d Reserve Hospital is built on the latter.

Arrived at the Hospital; immediately crossed to the nipa palm barracks. Learned that Co. D. 9th U.S. Infantry & another of the same reg’t left this morning for Malolos. So my hopes were dashed so far as securing Private Mason to assist me in a hospital meeting was concerned, I invited Rev. Owen to come, likewise requested Bro. Scott to ask Bro. Merritt to come over & help. Neither came. The latter I learned afterwards said he promised to meet a friend about that hour at the 1st Reserve Hospital. I called at the office. Saw Capt. (Doctor) Keefer, the physician in charge. He gave me permission to visit any of the wards but insisted that I notify him in advance when I want to conduct services as he could not prepare for impromptu services. Before calling on the Doctor I discovered Brother Archer Temple sitting at a table with a party of gamblers playing cards in a dormitory assigned to members of the Hospital force. Leaving the office I determined to give my time to Temple to get him back to Jesus if possible. Going to the door I called him by name. He came out looking very sheepish. Together we walked out in the yard towards the stable leaving the gamblers at the table. I talked to him straight but sympathetically. Urged him to repent, be whole-hearted, get Christ to take him back & once more & forever throw himself wholeheartedly into the service of his Lord. After considerable urging Temple promised that this should be his last game of cards & that he would commence anew. Must however return to the present game as he had won their money. Advised T to give the gamblers their money back & break off at once. Asked him to go with me into the stabe & pray. Refused. Requested T. to write me. His time will be up in about one week; expects to leave then. Confessed that this is his 3d or 4th experience as a backslider. Explained that the commencement of his downfall, dated from the time & I met him on the battlefield picking up dead & wounded.

Entered houses to secure things & rec’d a spiritual backset. A nurse from the surgical ward came out while we were talking & rattled away stating that a man could be a “good Christian” & smoke cigars. He found no likeminded men in our party but was given light as God gives it to me.

Wended my way homeward in a sad mood. Stopped at the Cuartel Meisig to visit Ex-Sergeant Golden – a backslider Salvationist of long standing. Was absent.

Private Clayton Scott called soon after my return. More bad news. Saw Bro. Merritt smoking a cigarette at the Gov’t mule corral. Smoked for the benefit of his stomach. Am afraid he will prove another spiritual failure unless he exhibits a different spirit. God gives me peace in my own soul, but my sorrow & anxieties are chiefly in behalf of other people.

While Scott was here in came Private Golden of K. battery. Face with a big patch on it & his left hand helpless. While out with Private McMeek in above Malolos, had an encounter with 4 Filipinos. Hand to hand struggle in the water. Filipino with a bolo – big sharp knife – raised to strike. Pushed the man’s two arms down & kicked him in the stomach. Was slashed on the cheek & in the hand, but when the Filipino’s hands were crowded down before he could recover Golden blew the top of his head off with his Kragg-jorgenson rifle. G. is married or mated to a Filipino woman.

It was past 6 p.m. when I commenced cooking supper. Was very glad when Rev. & Mrs. Owens invited me to supper.

Accepted their offer without need of coaxing. At the supper table they told me that the Roman Catholics of the United States & this country intend to fight against Protestantism and missionaries not of their own church. I am convinced that the Roman Catholic church will be or rather is now preparing its plans for a tremendous coup; that it will fill up the cup of its iniquity to the brim by treating the world to a colossal St. Bartholomew massacre & that the United States will receive an awful baptism of blood. More than one straw to me has pointed in the that direction during the past of 4 & 5 years. I hope my interpretation of portents is incorrect. Rome has always been the aggressor but now she is on the defensive & is fighting for her existence. The nations are slipping out of here grasp; she is wedded to the past; her death struggle promises to be terrible; but she is doomed. God will take her in hand if I understand Revelation & will bring her pride down into the dust.

7. Devil he meant.
8. Numbers 13 I wonder what this one will be?

Exploring Canaan

13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. 4 These are their names:
from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

Report on the Exploration

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

9. Bunch of pessimists were they not?
10. How about that psalm? Psalm 37.

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever,

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.[d]
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future[e] for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

11. But remember, the cockroach is not made of the stuff the Filipino people are, reader.
12. Was it American dirty-work? There were some curious background incidents where "foreign agents" and intermediaries found it unhealthy to either betray the Katipunan or the Americans. This was one of those incidents.
13. The cockroach missed the signal completely.
14. More tall tales.
15. Of course Houser was out of sight. The cockroach was a pestilence, but a politically connected pestilence. The best method to deal with an expletive deleted like that pestilence is avoidance, lest his contamination rub off on you.
16. That about sums the cockroach up does it not? Note PVT Temple's testimony... as the cockroach recorded it.

Explained that the commencement of his downfall, dated from the time & I met him on the battlefield picking up dead & wounded.

Corrupter of youth. I find it remarkable how the cockroach condcemns himself in his own writing.
17. The corpsman had the cockroach dead to rights.
18. SGT Golden was an unusual case, who mustered out to play the "black market", so of course the cockroach knew him. Refer to 15, reader.
19. ~~You have got to be kidding me?~~
20. The account of hand to hand combat with bolo men (Filipino PATRIOTS), is unusual this early in the war, but will be more common later. The practical matter was that the American line soldier was ill trained in close quarters fighting and was not prepared to either knife fight or use a pistol in a near presence fight. Thus many casualties will be incurred due to this lack of training. It did not help that the Krag was an awkward weapon to use as a fencing staff. Of course, as always, if the Americans were not there as imperialists in the first place, 8,200 of them would not be knifed or mutilated.
21. PVT Golden did what soldiers do when they are lonely and far from home. At least he was not parading around in Filipina dresses.

22. Bummed a meal off the Owens.
23. And here you get a glimpse at a sick deluded mind's inner depraved thoughts. Scratch something like the cockroach and watch the "crazy" emerge like pus.

============================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Sunday, May 14th, 1899

This has been a very quiet day. We all attended services at 10:30 a.m. I wrote a letter in the afternoon and spent almost all day in quarters. I am not better but I’m not on the sick list. Twenty-four men are on the sick list in quarters, 14 in hospital, 7 on detached duty.

7. I would point out with INTENSE SARCASM that those men were mostly Roman Catholics.

Last Edit: May 15, 2023 2:11:39 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
Squadron vice admiral

To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 16, 2023 3:31:43 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 16, 2023 3:31:43 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 15th-99

All quiet last night. The boys are “stagnating for a fight.” Scouts do all they can to scare ’em up. Went to Pasig to see Lt. Col. Fife about my map. Came home with H²O carts & it rained & blew. Stayed in shelter under a mango tree. Very tired.

1. On the southern front, the situation was stagnant. If the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves had to use water wagons, then what happened? The actual advance along the Pasig must have had 2 problems:
a. rain catchers and sill traps were either not available, or not working.
b. the Pasig itself was not considered potable?

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Diary of William R. Johnson May 15th 1899

After a weeks good rest and with full supplies we left Baliway [Baliuag] today and struck out farther into the wilds. Most all the villages are deserted a sure sign of the enemy.

2. Deserted villages: it is a sure sign that the Filipino citizens flee from the invader.

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Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Monday, May 15th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Hot day; heavy clouds on the horizon but no rain here.

Expected to visit Cavite but got left. The ferry boat changed its sailing hour from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. Out of bed early to catch this boat. Read a chapter in Numbers, prayed and cooked breakfast, but my haste ended in failure. From the ferry turned my steps up town, first to the Imperial Photograph gallery, 20 Calle Barbosa, Quiapo. They turned over to me, the Spaniards, film and prints, out of 36 exposures I feel quite bad over this matter. Am of the opinion that either ignorance or carelessness caused the failure. Paid the firm $2 Mex for their work but do not care to trust them with any more work of that nature.

Returned homeward. Paused at the post office & rec’d several packages of paper (1) “Christian Alliances” monthly

(2) Easter Number Toronto War Cry. These two I am certain were sent by Bro. Fletcher of Boston, Mass. Are marked copies (3) Houston “Post” and S.F. weekly “Call”.

Before returning home purchased $1 Mex worth of shells. Am endevouring to make my cabinet as complete as possible.

Dinner of lemonade, orange & peanuts.

Sergeant Wm C. Freeman of the U.S. Engineer corps, dropped in to see me this afternoon. We had a talk on personal religion. Urged him to get saved, seek Christ with all his heart, not rest until God gave him the spirit of adoption. F. appeared sincere & gave me close attention.

Private Perkins (backslider) 3d Reg’t U.S. Heavy Artillery called about dusk. Talk on war & military matters.

Read papers at space bits of time.

Catalogued some of my curios & wrapped them; also wrapped some for Lawyer Duncan of Oroville Cal.

3. The time change of the ferry could have not possibly been related to the cockroach's desire to visit Cavite and make of himself asa pest, so I do not claim it was so. I still find it funny to read though.
4. Numbers 14

The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!”

41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

5. The odd thing is that the military advice offered:

Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea

The enemy holds the choke points and the easy approach routes, where he can kill funnel you, work around his flank and come in behind him. GEN Wheaton who has bungled the southern front and stalled around Markati should have read today's reading.
6. Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

7. If Wheaton needed to read Numbers 14 for tactical common sesnse, then the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves should have paid attention to those parts of Psalm 107:33 forward as to how water and food supply for them is a direct function of their incompetent ethical administration and prudent morality. TGhe enemy will not salt the wells as much if you do not behave like pillagers, looters, murderers and bandits.
8. Treat a business with scorn and they will reward you as you have treated them. The photographic studio gave measure for measure, or as the Spanish would say: "Every pig gets its Saint Martin", which means, since the pig gets slaughtered at that feast, sort of translates into the American expression: "Don't worry, buster, you are going to get exactly what is coming to you."
9. Mail call is another supply of toilet paper. The cockroach bought some more free seashells.
10. SGT Freeman and PVT Perkins paid Milsaps visits. He preached at them and it was NSA.

===============================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Monday, May 15th, 1899

The weather is fine. I received a pass to go to Manila at 9 a.m. Spent most of the time in Manila at the hospital visiting. Company C fellows all are getting along splendidly. The hospital is as full as ever. I also visited my old German friend. Returned at 4 p.m. My legs are as bad as ever.

11. As for the 10th Pennsylvania Train Bandits, they remain scattered all over, with most of them in hospital. If I were SGT Asendorf I would eat some bananas. Those leg cramps are a potassium deficiency. Has he not watched and seen his Filipino PATRIOT opponents carry bananas for exactly this reason when they march?

Last Edit: May 16, 2023 4:27:02 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
Squadron vice admiral

To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 17, 2023 3:40:01 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 17, 2023 3:40:01 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 16th-99

Sent with detail to Pasig to wait for cascos with our lockers. The idea was to go out in lake & drop down to Taguig but they were left at mouth of “Smith Run” and at 1 p.m. we started with them and got home, past the bamboos, fish traps and ruins –up the swift stream, Very wet. I telegraphed from Pateros for eight men. The hardest work I’ve done since I joined the Army. Was completely tired out. All my things are O.K. & now have clothes, paper &c.

1. River recon that was botched. They were sandbarred.

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Diary of Edward Avery Bumpus In Camp, MANILA, P.I., May 16, 1899.

DEAR MOTHER: Buenas dias ! (good morning), Como la va ? (how are you). My last note was written just before I received orders to go on a scouting expedition toward the San Juan River three miles in front of the outposts. I took two men and a corporal with only our arms (the men all had one hundred rounds in their belts and I had my revolver) and a canteen. We started about 3 a.m., and after going through rice fields and occasional clearings with breastworks scattered about, by burnt villages and remains of gardens, with occasional wells, we reached a sunken road and then the San Juan River.

I send a newspaper and a priest’s dispensation, taken, while scouting, from a very picturesque Spanish church near the San Juan.

2. Ah, now reader; we see his new found "Spanish" heritage.
3. This was a successful reconnaissance.
4. I keep wanting to write his name as Bumped Off.

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Diary of William R. Johnson May 16th 1899

We passed through the city of San Miguel de Mayuma [Mayumo] today, the Division Scouts took the town which shows that the enemy is somewhat demorilized.

San Miguel is a beautiful town at the base of a mountain range.

5. See MAP.

That is about where the US 22nd Infantry is.
6. Division Scouts indicates a company of attached "Philippine Scouts" of the Igorot peoples. Inside the Filipino-American War, there was a smaller and nastier civil war that split along "ethnic" lines. The Americans quickly detected this schism and recruited on that basis. Much like the Apache Wars, where the White Mountain Apaches were pitted against the Chiracaua Apaches and the Pima tribes. The "Regulars" were "Indian Fighters" who took every scrap of advantage they could find against the Katipunan, no matter the source or despicitude. They needed that advantage.

======================================================================================

Meanwhile: from the Filipino perspective and long overdue.

Diary of Santiago Barcelona May 16th, 1899

Paterno, upon assumption to power, as President of the Council of Secretaries, made the following appointments:

Felipe Buencamino…………………………. Foreign Affairs
Hugo Ilagan………………………………….. Finance
Severino de las Alas………………………… Interior
Mariano Trias………………………………… War and Navy
Leon Ma. Gerra[1]……………………………… Agriculture, Industry and Commerce
Aguedo Velarde……………………………… Public Instruction
Maximino Paterno…………………………… Public Works and Communications

This was known as the Paterno Cabinet.

The Mabini Cabinet was composed of:

Apolinario Mabini……………………………. President
Mabini………………………………………… Department of Foreign Affairs
Teodro Sandico……………………………… Department of Interior
Mariano Trias (Arcadio del Rosario, acting) Department of Agriculture
Gracio Gonzaga…………………………….. Department of Fomento
Baldomero Aguinaldo………………………. Department of War and Navy

Cruz Herrera (acting)……………………….. Department of Public Instruction

The Foreign Affairs portfolio was given to Cayetano Arellano, who, however, did not assume office after taking his oath.

Once the Paterno Cabinet was established, peace negotiations were considered based on a proposal of autonomy patterned after Canada’s. In fact, he gathered in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Generals Luna, [Pio del] Pilar, and other chiefs to deliberate on the idea. Buencamino read a well-reasoned proposition; but it was taken by those present with reserve. The officers left for their posts, the majority of whom reserved their opinions.

The American advance, arrested in Calumpit, finally broke the line by attacking Quingua, then Pulilan, from which point they penetrated Calumpit suffering many casualties. They continued advancing to Apalit, Santo Tomas, and San Fernando, where they stationed themselves for a few months. Since the capture of Calumpit, the Filipinos fortified Bambang and established the capital of the Republic at Tarlac.

It must have been May 9 when Congress was convened at San Isidro, resulting in the resignation of the entire Mabini Cabinet. Once the “unreasonable” person^1 was out of power, the conservatives spread the news everywhere that peace had been declared. It even reached the mountains, and was a powerful reason for those taking refuge in the environs of Biyak-na-bató to return to their homes. Numerous families went back to the towns believing that very soon peace would be a reality.

I went to Malolos after I left Polo. Then I accompanied the family of Mariano de Santos to Baliuag and San Miguel de Mayumo. When the latter was captured by the Americans, we took to the sitio of Balaong[2] near Biyak-na-bató. We had two houses here for two large families. We had to provide thirty-three cavans of palay or more and some sacks of salt for a year’s supply.

We moved into the houses. The family of Nazario Constantino was joined by his brother-in-law, Santos de Castro of Polo with his three sons, his cousin Teresa, and the family of Lucio Ongsiaco; and that of Santos was joined by the mother-in-law of Nano[3] with her companions. The two houses were full.

With the capture of San Miguel, fearing that the Americans might conduct an inspection, we spent the night in the Tañganan cave. The next day, about midafternoon, we returned to the house and found the other members of the household preparing to return to their respective homes, as news of peace were being circulated all around from mouth to mouth. During the night, all our belongings were placed in the carts that had arrived from San Rafael.

The next day, May 15, all of us, riding on the fifteen carts, were on our way to San Rafael.

Major Soriano and I should have stayed behind; but we believed it to be our duty to take them as far as the environs of said town. It must have been about 5 o’clock in the afternoon when we saw the town proper from afar, but we had to pass through the populous barrio of Caiñgan towards which we were riding. Soriano and I should have returned by now; but at the insistence of the young girls who invited us to dine with them, we accompanied them to the barrio about 7 in the evening.

[1]Leon Ma. Guerrero.
[2]Balaon.
[3]Mariano de los Santos.

7. ^1 I suspect the "unreasonable person" refers to Aguinaldo.
8. From the context of this time, it was apparent that the Katipunan had split into two factions: there was the army in the field who were fighting desperately to convince the Americans that the imperialist adventure was a fool's errand, which it was, and the REMFS, who wanted to cut a deal. As an American at this present age, I know that I would have been in the Samuel Clements camp of negotiated settlement, as both the US and the Philippine Republic could get what they wanted with association rather than conquest or "victory". But even so, there is a bit of cloudcuckoolander in some of the working assumptions adopted by the Paterno faction. It is not as if Aguinaldo had not tried four times to "cut a deal". It had not worked in the past four tries, why should five be different?

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Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Tuesday, May 16th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Feel tired tonight & more like retiring to bed than writing a diary.

Am kept on the jump from morning till night.

Read a chapter in Numbers, a psalm, prayed, cooked breakfast, then turned to & wrote & copied my 26th weekly letter to Lieut Col. Alice Lewis, New York and a letter to Admiral Geo. Dewey, who sails in the “Olympia” next Saturday for home. I thanked the Admiral for permitting me to visit the vessels of his fleet thus making the services possible I led on the “Concord”, “Raleigh”, “Charleston”, “Baltimore”, “Monterey” and “Monadnock”. The letter finished I went down to the post office and mailed them. Rec’d a letter from Bro. Wm Eletson of the Flagship “Olympia”. Requested me to see him in case I have any message to take home. Is to leave the hospital to on the “Olympia” Friday & sail Saturday. Concluded to go over to Cavite tomorrow morning (D.V.)

Met. Rev. C. Owens in the P.O. Together we called at the new American barbershop, opened yesterday for the first time. We waited a weary time for our turn to get shaved & then had to pay 50 cents, Mexican, for the shave!

Rev. Owens paid me $17.50 mex. rent for his room in No. 2, for the month April 16 to May 15th. Receipted for the money. Got back home just in time to escape a heavy shower. Took a lunch & after the shower cleared away. Owens called a quilez or we two drove down to the Post Captains Office. At the quay I hired a sampan for $2.50 mex. 3 Filipino boatmen, to take us out to H.M.S. “Powerful” and back. Crawling in under the low bamboo roof. Owens & I cut down close to the floor on a seat about 2 inches above the bottom. It was on hard row out & back to near the sea wall. Here our boatmen threw a line to some bargemen who were being towed in by a tug. After that we went flying over the bay and up the Pasig.

My visit to the “Powerful” was in answer to a letter of invitation written by Private Wm Hy. Barnes, Mess 48; Royal Marines. Took 1 copy London War Cry & 1 copy London War Cry & I copy Toronto do, Easter edition. A marine received us at the landing. Had only 30 minutes to 4 p.m. when visitors must go ashore. During this brief period. I met & spoke to 3 of the 9 comrades. One of them is in the hospital. A comrade shared us over part of the vessel. The war vessel is a monster. The Britishers hold service on the upper deck every night, amidships but the attendance is small. There are many backsliders on board. When we left one of the comrades asked me to call again. There are 840 men on the vessel.

From the quay (Pasig) landing O & I walked back to No. 2. Met Mr. Randall, British Bible Society colporteur & a negro sitting in a Chinese store. We halted. Talk. Answered their question stating we were just in from H.M.S. the “Powerful.” “Are you not afraid to go abroad?” inquired. “Oh no,” I replied, “England is our friend.” Negro. “Yes – the most friendly of our enemies.” Owens. “England can whip the United States can whip England”. “We had better part company or there’ll be trouble”. Exit Owens & the writer.

Cooked supper after my return home & now for bed is past 9.

9. Numbers 15

Supplementary Offerings

15 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘After you enter the land I am giving you as a home 3 and you present to the Lord food offerings from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the Lord—whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings— 4 then the person who brings an offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of olive oil. 5 With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.
6 “‘With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah[c] of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hind of olive oil, 7 and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
8 “‘When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord, 9 bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil, 10 and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 11 Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. 12 Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.
13 “‘Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when they present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 14 For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among you presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, they must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.’”
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you 19 and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord. 20 Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor. 21 Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

22 “‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses— 23 any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come— 24 and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering. 25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering. 26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.
27 “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28 The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.
30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. 31 Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’”

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’”

Well, let us see how that was supposed to work out? For our Filipina dress wearing cockroach, the passages clearly indicate that he was to be expelled from the Tondo and then put to death by throwing baseballs at him. Are we not glad that we have a better way today?
10. Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.

6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Kind of mild on the hypocrisy there.
11. Dewey sent back a form letter.
12. If you expected American shaves, you should have expected American prices.
13. See IMAGE.

HMS Powerful The USS Brooklyn could have taken her.
14. The African gentleman was correct.

============================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Tuesday, May 16th, 1899

The day has been dandy all day. At 8 a.m. I reported to sick call and was taken off duty. I have much pain in both legs and right shoulder. The doctor thinks I have symptoms of fever but I know it is nothing but rheumatism. We only have 35 men for duty.

15. It could have been rheumatoid fever from strep throat?

Last Edit: May 21, 2023 5:51:29 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 17, 2023 23:07:57 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 17, 2023 23:07:57 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch 5/17/99

Col. sent for my maps. 2nd Batt. Ordered home. Ins. Sent a few shots at church and scouts had a little brush today.

1. No, I do not know why the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves shot up that church. What 2nd Battery?

================================================================================

Cockroach.

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Wednesday, May 17th, 1899

Cavite, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Hot, cloudy weather. Slight shower in Manila.

Up early. Ready a psalm, prayed and hastened away without cooking breakfast. A banana or two, cup of lemonade & punched peanuts took the edge off my appetite. Paid 20 cent at the Cavite ferry landing on the Pasig & boarded the boat. At 7.30 a.m. the same backed into the stream and we dropped down the Pasig into Manila bay. We passed part of the 23d U.S. Inf. on casco, being towed by a tug out to a steamer. The flag of rebellion has been raised on the Sulu islands. The 23d are under orders for Jolo and ?.

When I arrived in Cavite about 8.30.a.m struck out for the Naval hospital in the Arsenal. Was disappointed. Bro. Eletson had been removed to the “Olympia” on or two days since the steward or head nurse as the case may be scouted the idea of Eletson having beri-beri. Said he is troubled with malaria. Spoke to several men (patients) about salvation & left a War Cry. Turned to go back to town. Dealt personally with 2 Sailors about Christ & eternal life. One, Edmund Henninger of the cruise “Charleston” claimed to be a New York Salvationist. Is hardly more than a boy. Advised another boy, (backslider) with him to return to Christ. These & other seamen were pushing a push car loaded with ship stones. The sweat streamed down their faces. Gave Henninger a New York War Cry & bade him adieu. Passed on to Fort San Felipe. The sentinel at the sally-port permitted me to enter. Entered K company’s quarter, 10th Pennsylvania, to have a spiritual talk with Private Jas. Hillman, a backslider. On my way to the Naval Hospital met him on the drill ground in front of the fort & tackled him about his soul. Called at his quarters to follow up the first attack by appointment but he was absent. Left a War Cry on his bunk. Sat down on a chest & with an audience of 3 Pennsylvanians, as usual availed myself of an opportunity to advertise the saving power of Christ.

Crossed over to the Ice Factory to see Chief Engineer Miller. The plant was undergoing repair. Got in a few words with Miller (who was busy) about the state of his soul & the prospects for meetings. Replied that Glunz & Jackson are trying to put up a tent in the town for services.

Passed on up Calle Arsenal & at the General Hospital out the sidewalk unexpectedly ran upon Bro. Andrew J. Smith who is now in charge of a ward. Told me Bro. Verweibe intended going over to Manila on the 2 p.m. Gov’t ferry. I climbed the stairs & after waiting a few minutes shook hands with him back in the bakeshop. Inquired after the state of his soul. We arranged to cross to Manila on the Gov’t ferry providing they would pass me; if not I would come later on the 4 p.m. citizen’s ferry. Verweibe said he expected to remain over night in Manila. Invited him to stay with me.

My next move was to the guard house just outside the San Roque gate, where the American sentries are stationed. A conversation with the troops followed – got in a few words for the Lord.

Returned to town & on Calle Real stopped at the “International” restaurant. Kept by a Spaniard or one who looks like a Spaniard & talks Castellana. Paid 50 cts Mex for a poor dinner. After eating called at the 10th Penn. Regimental Headquarters & asked a lieutenant who was adjutant acting for Lt.-Col. Jas E. Barnett for a pass to Manila on the Gov’t ferry. “Certainly” said he. One was issued immediately. Thanked him. Going down stairs to the street door, urged the sentry there, a backslider Baptist, to return to Jesus.

Back to the arsenal again. While waiting for the the ferry boat to leave, more salvation talk with men there, making 12 or 15 dealt with personally about their souls during the day in Cavite & Manila. The Lord directs my labor, to His name be glory for all the good accomplished.

Bro. Verweibe came down. The sailor at the gang-plank let me go aboard without looking at my pass. Verweibe for some reason unknown to me did not come aboard. I felt sorry for this. I left Cavite 2 p.m. & arrived in Manila shortly after 3. Immediately walked up to the post office. Rec’d an “American” daily. On the street purchased from a Filipino some land & sea shells for my collection.

At home rested myself a little & read the newspapers. Private Perkins of the 3d Heavy artillery called to bid me good-bye. Will proceed to the front tomorrow morning. Says every available soldier is being sent out of barrack & hospital to the scene of action. Bade Perkins adieu & sent my love to the artillery boys. The perverseness & stupidity of the Filipino leaders is forcing a stern alternative upon the American army to kill as many as possible. The daily American now publishes news which dashes the fond hopes of the volunteers. They may have to remain 6 months longer instead of returning home immediately.

When Perkins departed I turned to and cooked supper.

Everything is quiet tonight. To my God be praise & glory. Amen.

2. Mormon monkey was happy.
3. See MAP. The US 23rd Infantry is headed into the bad places.

4. That tore it; the Sulu Sultanate was in rebellion. The "sultan" had cut a deal and now he broke his treaty with the Americans. This unnecessarily spread the fighting and introduced a real horror show to the southern islands when he did this. The Americans were wrong, but that does not obviate his foolishness. He broke his word and this brought down the ensuing horror of war.

5. (INTENSE SARCASM)=> The cockroach wandered about and made a pest of himself. Eight sales pitches. 8 NSA. 0% success. Two of his proposed victims had actually hidden out on him!
6. Engineer Miller blew him off.
7. Understanding Milsaps by now I wonder if Verweibe was invited because the cockroach was "lonely"?
8. The sentries told him to "get bent" and stop bothering them.
9. The adjutant who gave him the pass on the government ferry should have told Milsaps to swim for it.
10. Milsaps was lucky that the sentry did not chuck him in the gizzard. (Bayonet him in the guts.)
11. A dozen more people pestered. No named successes, so it is safe to presume 12 NSA and 0% success.
12. It looks like...

Bro. Verweibe came down. The sailor at the gang-plank let me go aboard without looking at my pass. Verweibe for some reason unknown to me did not come aboard.

...Brother Verweibe blew the cockroach off.
13. Seashells for company, and the cockroach had to "buy" them.
14. The "artillery boys" probably did not need that sort of "felicitation" from the cockroach.
15. And we end the day with "Hong Kong Tea". If I was a different kind of human being, i would feel a little empathy for the cockroach, but as he should have never come to Manila and confined his essential evil to his own shores; I regard him as a waste of 5.5 liters of oxygen per day.
16. Psalm 31.

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish o my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

On which side of the equation (^^^) do you think the cockroach is?

CYNICAL Miletus

=================================================================================

Diary of William R. Johnson May 17th 1899

We pressed rapidly onward in the hopes of reaching San Isidro in time to rescue about 20 Americans among them is Lieut. [J. C.] Gilmore off the “Yorktown”, but we were too late for the insurgents had moved them and barely stopped long enough to fight. This (San Isidro) has been the Capitol since Malolos fell, I wonder where they moved it to this time, We are about 100 miles from Manila now.

`17. See MAP.

18. Lieutenant Gilmore will be a guest of the Filipino people for quite a while. This was a botched rescue mission to save a botched rescue mission. (The Siege of Baler.).

=================================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Wednesday, May 17th, 1899

The weather is fine. I spent all day in quarters. My legs are so bad that I can’t walk at all.

19. Now we are back to the potassium deficiency? Where is that chest pain and heart inflammation? Make up your mind, Asendorf!

Last Edit: May 18, 2023 23:07:58 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 19, 2023 0:21:18 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 19, 2023 0:21:18 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 18th-99

Hot and quiet today.

1. Weather report from near Markati.

================================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Thursday, May 18th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Copper change is getting very scarce. Yesterday I traveled once on a street car without paying fare and today twice because the conducted when collecting fare could not make change. The reason for the scarcity given that this copper money is worth more in Spain than it is here, hence speculators are sending the coin out of the country.

Yesterday I saw standing on the Escolta a white man dressed in a Salvation Army uniform, i.e. every thing save the cap, band, badge and S. buttons. If he is a Salvationist he is trying to hide his identity. I was told that that Salvationist dressed in uniform came here, by an outsider who claimed to have come over on the same boat with him.

Wrote & copied three letters this forenoon (1) farewell to Bro. Wm Eletson of the Flagship “Olympia” (2) to Mrs. Lt. Col. Brewer, Newark, N. Jersey putting her in Eletson’s trail to secure a biographical sketch of him by “Harbor Lights” when he arrives in New York (3) Bro. Geo. Berry, Hospital, Corregidor island, asking him to let me know by Saturday’s mail what arrangements can be made for lodging & food 2 nights & one day in case I came over by next Tuesday to hold a meeting there.

Went down to the post office & mailed the letters. While on the car, looking out of the car window I saw Bro. Hans Verweibe coming down the Escolta going towards the bridge of Spain with another man. Verweibe did not come to see me as I expected he would.

Purchased more shells from a Filipino man for my collection, which is assuming respectable proportions. This afternoon Bro. J. Merritt dropped in to see me. I was agreeably surprised. Asked me to go out for a walk with him as he wanted to learn the city. I escorted him through the notorious Tondo district & explained the points of interest to him as far as the Isabel 2d canal monument; also asked him about the state of his soul. Said he is getting along well spiritually. We prayed together before starting out. I was greatly & agreeably surprised to learn that he is doing well for which I praise God.

God the Holy Ghost blessed me with His love in my soul that night; praise to His glorious name.

Paid $35 Mex. rent to Mrs. Isabel Wood for month of May.

Rev. & Mrs. Owens had a candy pulling to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of their marriage. The Presbyterian missionary, Rev. Rodgers, Bro. Glunz & several other men were present.

2. See MAP.

See IMAGE.

3. Sarcastic comment; there was enough solutions to this alleged copper shortage that the cockroach's excuse for stiffing the people on fares is not valid. The Americans issued "stamps", the Philippine government issued stamps and paper currency to monies down to 5 centavos and the Americans brought in a monthly payroll.
4. So other con men are trying to muscle in on the cockroach's gig? No surprise there.
5. Stoker Eletson must have been one of the cockroach's "favorites".
6. The army doctors on Corrigidor will be sure to want the cockroach among them. (SARCASM).
7.

Bro. Hans Verweibe coming down the Escolta going towards the bridge of Spain with another man

By now, reader, if I have to spell it out, I do not know how to write it more plainly. The cockroach NEVER married. No WOMAN would have him.
8. INTENSE SARCASM => see 7.?
9. Hong Kong Tea and seashells.
10. Three weeks arrears on rent.
11. Candy pulling was a weird custom to import into the Philippine Islands.

================================================================================

Diary of John Henry Asendorf Thursday, May 18th, 1899

The weather is fine. Was taken to the regimental hospital this morning where I stayed until June 4th suffering from inflammatory rheumatism and fever. Both stayed in quarters until the 6th and then left for Corregidor Island to recuperate a little until June 10th. While there I had a splendid time hunting and fishing and I kept no record of anything during this time.

13. Rheumatic fever diagnosed at last.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 20, 2023 2:10:04 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 20, 2023 2:10:04 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 19th-99

Was on outpost down river last night. Mosquitos are awful there but do not bother us in church. The scouts jumped the Filpino PATRIOTS early, and I went out, and took position in open on rt. side of line. We advanced slowly, firing at every puff we could see, when about half way to old ins. trench we were suddenly fired upon from a new trench built last night, at a distance of 100 feet. The boys charged the breastworks and the Filipino PATRIOTS turned & run into open within 100 feet of me. I had some splendid shots –as about 30 or 40 of them came out in a line, run around a bamboo thicket and into the bushes. One had a sash over his shoulder –was running, stooping. I pulled low on him & he fell back clutching his back, but he got up & ran. Three flips were laying there dead. One had a charmed shirt which is supposed to protect from bullets. The wearer had a ball thro’ his back & it came out thro’ his heart. I took the shirt as a relict of superstition. We had to advance slowly as we were afraid of ambush –so, it gave them time to get to next line of trenches. I tracked the red-sashed officer as far as we went, and think he is mortally wounded. We got one Captain and quite a good number of others, perhaps 25 all told. We took one man shot thro’ lung to camp. When he came to he tho’t we would kill him. He said their officers made them fight. One dead man was naked and covered with tattoo marks. It was quite a fight.

1. During the American Revolutionary War, one "trick" the British army used against our militias, was to charge with the bayonet and yell as loud as they could. This would cause the militia to panic, turn and flee, allowing the British soldiers to volley ours in the back. Then Baron von Steuben taught us better. Stand your ground. They may stick you, but you will shoot at least two of them dead before they get you. We modified the British trick a bit, by using the skirmish line charge to flush a covey of defenders out and then have the support body shoot them when they broke and ran. We learned that one to counter the Unreconstructed Confederates who tried that old British trick on a couple of New York regiments who had not seen the elephant yet. The UCs did not like the New York duck hunting exercise they received one expletive deleted bit.

================================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Friday, May 19th, 1899

Malolos, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Manila

Hot day, a clammy wet heat at Manila, but a drier heat at Malolos.

Up early & the usual rush. Read on chapter in Numbers, prayed & cooked breakfast. Walked down to the Port Captain’s office & caught the 8.30 a.m. train on the Dagupan R.R. The guard did not ask to see my pass; knows me now.

Got thro’ to Malolos without mishap. Crossed over to the encampment of Battery K, 3d U.S. Heavy Artillery, about 400 yards from the depot. Are lying on the ground generally, the men on mats, with bamboo & nipa roofs overheard. I found Private (Bro.) M. L. Devine (Landon) without trouble. Is unwell. Stomach troubling him. Devine took me to the shelter of Bros. F.O. Harris & Wm Heffelstine (church Christians) They provided dinner for me & later a supper of fried egg tea & bread. Dinner – hash, coffee, bread, mangoes and bananas. Filipino men and boys are winding in & out of the soldiers shacks all day, selling fruit, eggs etc.

Bro. Wm Heffelstine, counted out to me in greenbacks $200.00

Five ten dollar gold pieces 50.00

Total $250.00

To keep for the soldiers. This money belongs to different soldiers, but I receipted to him for it.

Bro. M. L. Devine also gave me in Greenback – – $10.00. From this $5 goes to the Tenth Leauge paym’t, some for a box of crackers, & the remainder I am to keep. Settlement may be made later as I advanced him $3 U.S. coin.

Following dinner, Devine returned to his shack, sick. Heffelstine fell asleep & Harris & I knelt & prayed. A Filipino man (peddler of eggs) watched us wonderingly. I tried to explain “Jesus Christ” to him. After prayer Harris & I struck out down the railroad & walked abut me mile to the abandoned Filipino trench now called Camp Grainbow after one of the 3d Officer. Here is camped part of the H. Battery of the 3d Heavy Artillery.

Private (Bro.) Frank Amie espied us & was the first to greet the 2 visitors. The boys appeared glad to see us. We lay down by an old machine (sugar crusher) in the shade and had a lengthy conversation not forgetting to bring the all important matter of salvation to the attention of the unsaved soldier present. Knelt on the grass & prayed. Harris Amie & myself. The unconverted men removed their hats reverentially.

Amie is troubled with dysentery & looks bad, & very rough. Took a Kodak picture of him.

Met Capt. O’ Hara. The captain is a devout Catholic but treats me very kind.

Walked back to K. battery. Took back more or less things for the boys to town.

Frank Amie turned over to me $3.10 U.S. coin Tenth League Paym’t. Mrs. Owens gave me a gold watch to take out to Bro. Lloyd Hummer. I turned the same over to him personally. Private Edward E. Pollock of K. Battery wants all the War Crys containing the write-up of the Philippine expedition by me. I am to write San Francisco H.Q. to take them to Mrs. Wm D. Pollock 3649, 17th St. near Church St. S. F. He wrote a letter instructing her to pay for the Crys.

About train time I went over to the depot. Heffelstine, Devine & Hummer kept me company. An extra train came down from the Bagbag river bringing the 1st Nebraska Vol. Inf. who returned from San Fernando. I called Private (Bro.) V. Heron, out & introduced him to Devine.

The regular train followed close behind the extra. It also carried Nebraskans. In my section were same 20th Kansas men who are recovering from wounds, also Harper ex-Serg’t Harper. The crowd was quite sociable. The Lord enabled me to take advantage of opportunities in the car & afterwards privately with Harper to bring before their minds Christ and salvation.

The Nebraska men got off at Caloocan. Looked queer to see Filipino prisoners following the command to do chores. Can hardly be shaken off. They like the “chow”.

No train slowed up at the depot before finishing the run to the river. Harper & I alighted.

When I arrived at home found my reading room lighted up. Four sailors of the transport “Pennsylvania,” who have been in the lock up 14 days were there. One was taking supper at Mrs. Owens table, I put an empty room at their disposal & told them to use my tent for a bed. This they were glad to do. Also gave Mrs. Owens 50 cents Mex. to buy eggs for them in the morning & will give bacon. She will cook the same for them. Names of the sailors. August Hagerlund, Victor Peterson, Mac Tagget and Peter Weigner. I prayed with the latter an old San Francisco acquaintance of mine, before retiring. He claims to be a Christian.

2. Numbers 16

Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

3. There is a lesson in there, which the cockroach missed.
4. The soldiers of K Battery US 3rd Artillery should have known better. They had a Dathan (^^^ the cockroach.), among them.
5. With the cockroach, it is alaways about money.
6. For the rest, know that the cockroach is a corruptor of youth and remember 7. from the previous day.

CYNICAL Miletus

================================================================================

Diary of William R. Johnson May 19th 1899

Still we advance; leaving San Isidro we had but gone about 5 miles untill we ran into an ambuscade. They (rebels) killed 7 of our men before they ran away but leaving a few dead themselves. We made Cabio [Cabiao] tonight we are traveling westward now toward the railroad where Gen. [Arthur] Macarthur is operating. The object of our expedition is to keep the insurgents from retreating east to the mts. While Mcarthur is pounding them along the R.R.

See MAP.

The US 22nd Infantry were too slow. The Katipunan rear guard shot them up as the main body escaped into the foothills.

Last Edit: May 20, 2023 2:42:14 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 21, 2023 4:46:58 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 21, 2023 4:46:58 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 20th-99

About 50 men drunk last night. “Hot time in Taguig.” Had our pictures taken today for “Campaigning in the Filipines.” It did not show a single bit.

1.See MAP.

2. The 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves were hard cider men. Not even moonshine phased them.

===============================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Saturday, May 20th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Hot and dry. Clammy heat. Wrote a letter to Lieut-Col. Wm Evans soon after prayer, a chapter in Numbers and breakfast which I did not cook. Mrs. Owens prepared the meal I furnished the bread, bacon and some butter. The 4 sailors partook thereof with us.

The letter to Lt.-Col. Evans requested him to send someone to Mrs. Wm Pollock in San Francisco with P. C. War Crys containing my articles re the Philippine expedition.

Had a long talk with Peter Weigner re himself and his fellow sailors. Said Col. Pope will give them transportation back to the United States but they must take some food aboard as food will not be furnished. I agreed to give $10 to purchase the same.

My next move was a hasty one, down to see Harry Kline at the U.S. Private (Bro.) Devine K. Bat. 3d Reg’t, Heavy Artillery. Kline wrote an order to Sergt. Wilson in another dept. the crackers to be charged to him. I paid K. 75 cts. American silver, then hastened thro’ the hot sun to the delivery dep’t near Binondo estero on Pasig quay. Had no trouble to secure an 8 lbs tin of XXX sodas. Now for home. Wrapped the tin with paper, but first wrote & copied a letter to Devine at Malolos re the crackers, tried the package up enclosing the letter therein then over to Cuartel Meisig where the box was left with instructions to send north by the 2 p.m. train. A soldier who said he takes things to the train promised to see that the crackers got off on the aforesaid train.

Returned home wet with perspiration. Settled down in the front room to rest & cool off. Bugler Mendenhall of the 1st Colorado Vol. Inf. dropped in having walked from the Water works 6 or 8 miles. Was hot & weary. Rested. We had a long conversation which ended with prayer. Is imbued with the missionary spirit. Mendenhall was a student when the war broke out & like many other students joined the U.S. army.

Rev. C. Owens returned from the post office bringing me several papers & a letter. The latter from Lieut-Col. Alice Lewis, New York; date: April 14th. The second paragraph reads: “The Commander read your 16th weekly letter (it described the Tondo uprising 22 & 23rd Feb) in its entirety to the great audience gathered in the Memorial Hall on April 10th, when the Self-Denial victories were being proclaimed. Your letter was heard with the deepest interest, and I am sure many prayers will be with you as a consequence.”

In the afternoon when the sun became more aslant and less fierce that at noon. I pushed down to the post office & mailed 2 letters; also purchased stamps and at a store oatmeal. Going & returning on the Jolo street car I paid no fare because the conductor could not make charge for 10 cts. He made change for Filipino passengers.

Read several articles in Christian Alliance monthly re missions including the Philippines.

See by “Freedom” that Bro. A. W. Prautch, Methodist, has opened in Santa Cruz Dist. a reading, writing, resting & meeting room patterned after the one I am attempting to run.

Owens said he expects to return home by the next or following transport. Bade ex-Serg’t Leon Chic good-bye. Is returning home.

I laid out to purchase food for the S.S. Pennsylvania sailors 20 cts Mex yesterday and $4.20 Mex today. I buy the groceries and the Owens’ cook them.

The “Olympia” weighed anchor this p.m. She leaves for home bearing Admiral Geo. Dewey and – Brother William Eletson. Much noise will be made over George and but little over William; yet both men took part in the battle of Manila Bay, May 1st 1898, one as commanding officer in the bridge. The other as a unit, part of a great fighting machine, below. Why all the honors for George and none for William? Are they not both Americans, loyal, brave and true?

My opinion is that in the eyes of Heaven William is a greater man than George.

What a sorry picture earth’s great ones will present as they troop up to the throne of Judgement, arrayed in the rags and tatters of earthly glory. Give me my lot with Christ and His cause.

3. Remember that Evers is the Salvation Army poltroon, with the fake rank, who sent this con-man to Manila. Misses Owens made the meal.
4. Numbers 17

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.
8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?”

5. In keeping with the self-contradictory logic and justification of the Old Testament, just who was it who smelted and shaped the Golden Calf Idol? Exodus 32

Aaron Makes the Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses took a long time to come down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, “Come here and make us a god who will go before us, because, as for this fellow Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”
2 Aaron told them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”
3 All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him. 4 He took them from them and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf. The people said, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and then he proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a festival to the Lord.” 6 They got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up to play.

Moses Intercedes for Israel

7 The Lord told Moses, “Go down immediately, because your people whom you led out of Egypt have behaved corruptly. 8 They have been quick to turn aside from the way I commanded them, and they have made for themselves a molten calf. They have bowed down to it in worship, they have offered sacrifices to it, and they have said, ‘This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord told Moses, “I’ve seen these people and indeed they’re obstinate. 10 Now let me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may consume them, but I’ll make a great nation of you.”
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God: “Lord, why are you angry with your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a show of force? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intention to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your anger and change your mind about the calamity against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself as you told them, ‘I’ll increase the number of your descendants like the stars of the heavens, I’ll give your descendants all of this land about which I have spoken, and they are to possess it forever.’”
14 So the Lord changed his mind about the calamity he had said he would bring on his people.

Moses Destroys the Golden Calf and the Tablets of the Law

15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides. They were written on one side and the other. 16 The tablets were the work of God and the writing was God’s writing, inscribed on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he told Moses, “The sound of war is coming from the camp.”
18 Moses[k] said,

“It is not the sound of a victory shout,

and it’s not the sound of a shout of defeat,

but it’s the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the base of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, and ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water and made the Israelis drink it. 21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought such great sin upon them?”
22 Aaron said, “Sir, don’t be angry. You know the people—that they’re intent on evil. 23 They told me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us because, as for this fellow Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold ornaments, tear them off.’ When they gave it to me, I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

The Descendants of Levi Punish the Guilty Israelis

25 When Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control, something that incited ridicule from their enemies 26 he stood in the gate of the camp and called out: “Whoever is for the Lord come over to me,” and all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and each of you kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’”
28 The descendants of Levi did just as Moses told them,[o] and about 3,000 people died that day. 29 Moses said, “You have been ordained to serve the Lord[q] today, and you have brought a blessing on yourselves today because every man opposed his son or brother.”

Moses Again Intercedes for the People

30 The next day Moses told the people, “You committed a great sin, and now I’ll go up to the Lord, and perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Please, Lord, this people committed a great sin by making a god of gold for themselves. 32 Now, if you will, forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of your book which you have written.”
33 The Lord told Moses, “Whoever sins against me, I’ll blot him out of my book. 34 Now, go, and lead the people where I told you, and now my angel will go before you, but on the day when I do punish, I’ll punish them for their sin.” 35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the calf (the one Aaron made).

6. You will notice that Aaron got away with it? Hold onto that thought...
7. The cockroach would aid the shipjumpers to return to America by supplying money for food? Was this an act of charity?
8. Nope. The act of charity was another arranged theft from US 8th Corps supplies.
9. Medenhall of the 1st Colorado Bushwhackers checked in after a 16 mile hike from the waterworks. This is his third (?) round trip. What business he had with the cockroach that compelled this repeated effort was most curious. Something fishy was going on.
10. Owens made the mail run. As for the entry about the "reading", the cockroach was self preening. This report did not make a general impact as far as I can determine, not picked up outside the War Cry in which it was published. Sic vade mendaces.
11. Sic vade mendaces. The Conductor made change for Filipino citizens, but no change for the cockroach. Two possible interpretations.
a. The cockroach stiffed him.
b. The conductor wanted nothing to do with such an "expletive deleted". \
I could believe both possibilities to be true and correct.
12. A real church did real work. From the period records the outreach was for all people and not restricted to "acceptables". Prautch was a typical colonialist imperialist missionary, but he was not a prejudiced one.
13. Owens had planned to return home ever since January of 1899. That means the cockroach loses $17.50 sublet rent every mo9nth, plus all the free meals and errand boy services the good reverend did and procured for that poltroon when Owens leaves. Also means no more free daily meal or unpaid cook (Misses Owens) for the cockroach.
14. $5.00 not the $10.00 dollars the cockroach pledged the sailors. Refer to 8.
15. At the time Dewey braved Montojo's shells while standing out in the open for everyone to see and be inspired by his attention to duty and to share the risk of death with his crew as an admiral should, where was Eletson? IN THE BRIG, in the best protected part of the ship, quite safe from shells. He was put there for dereliction of duty.
16.

What a sorry picture earth’s great ones will present as they troop up to the throne of Judgement, arrayed in the rags and tatters of earthly glory. Give me my lot with Christ and His cause.

17. As I noted above, "Aaron". The cockroach never could read people at all.

===================================================================================

Most unusual.

Diary of James J. Loughrey May 20, 1899

I left hospital and returned to my quarters. There was a terrible typhoon with very heavy rain.

18. See MAP. That is where the 1st California Flour Mill Thieves are.

19. Neither the cockroach nor the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves noticed the TYPHOON?

=====================================================

Diary of William R. Johnson May 20th 1899

Are in Arayat tonight here we met the 9th and 17th Infty who have not been on the islands long. We are in the Pampanga Province now which is not so hostile.

20. See MAP.

21. There are the the US 9th, US 17th and US 22nd Infantry all huddled together warm and happy. Guess who lives there?

Last Edit: May 21, 2023 22:54:40 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 21, 2023 22:56:57 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 21, 2023 22:56:57 GMT

Our least favorite insect.

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Sunday, May 21st, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

More annoyance again in Bilibid prison. Last Sunday Provost-Sergeant Houser was conspicuously absent from the prison when I appeared to hold my usual service. Nobody seemed to know where he could be found. My efforts to find him proved fertile. This Sabbath the gentleman was absent again. I tried to get some information from Sergeant Williams but failed again. Hunted Lieut-Wolf up and stated the case. After talking the matter over a plan of action was settled for each Sunday. I am to be there 10 o’clock a.m. His tour of inspection will be finished by that time, and a “non-con” will go the rounds with me to each ward, in which I can have a brief service or talk with the prisoners. This talk occurred at the office. The Lieutenant accompanied me back to the Sergeant’s quarters. Serg’t Williams calling him up, the Lieut, gave him orders. Excused himself on plea of lack of time, but the Lieut’s wishes were mandatory & he was commanded to take me around. I thanked the officer & commenced my rounds.

First place a single cell back near the wall. One prisoner hardly more than a boy, in solitary confinement, sat on a bunk with a large ball and heavy chain attached to his legs. Williams left me alone with him. Said he is a Catholic & would like to confess to a priest. Explained the way of salvation to him, that if he repented of sin, he could kneel down by his bunk & find salvation thro’ Christ this very day. Gave the prisoner a New Testament to read.

The long wood-ward containing many rooms was my next. Five or 6 men were ordered to come forward. They came, and a short salvation talk was made to them in the corridor near the front door. Thanking the men for their attention passed out into the central plaza. Provost-sergeant Houser showed up, worthy because he had so much work to do. Williams explained and he cooled down. Next the long brick ward alongside the entrance from the iron gate was unlocked for me. I spoke to the men, after singing part of a hymn & praying – about 20 prisoners. Some appeared to listen earnestly to the old but ever new recital of eternal life for sinners thro’ the Lord Jesus Christ. My last effort was in the yard of the brick ward adjoining the office. The kitchen and tables are under a rough awning. About 40 prisoners were just taking dinner. While they busied themselves stowing away “chow”, I took the theme that they should not give all their thought to seeking the bread which perisheth with the using, but to seek also the Bread which came down from heaven – Christ Jesus.

At the close of my exhortation I kneeled down on the damp stone pavement and prayed God to bless the effort put forth for their salvation. At the close the men asked me to take dinner. Refused. “Take a cup of coffee then”. Refused coffee also. Williams was waiting outside the gate.

Walked back Paseo Azcarraga house.

Ate breakfast with Rev. & Mrs. Owens & the 4 sailors who slept last night in the room provided for them.

This morning read Numbers and a Psalm, prayed before & after breakfast. Afternoon read an article or 2 in “North American Review” & studied a map.

Private (Bro.) Heron of the Nebraska Vol. Inf. called this p.m. Personal talk re his spiritual state. Prayed with him. Two sailors of the 4. Victor Peterson & Aug Hagerlund came in after dark. Urged them to be true Christians. I cooked supper this evening

Rev. Rodgers, Presbyterian missionary held a Filipino service today – his first. Present 18 natives. Mrs. Owens attended to play the organ.

1`. The cockroach has "pull". He used some of it to make a genuine pest of himself at the prison. SGT Houser used his common sense, but LT Wolf did not. The result is now that the poor sergeant *(Williams) has to escort the cockroach around as his chaperone, so the cockroach can peddle his bilge. Wolf passed the buck and refused to take the heat for what was sensible, which would have been: "Does this civilian have official business here? No? Sergeant, escort him out. Next time he shows up, since he enjoys our company so much, arrest him for interference and trespass; throw him in a cell, and he can wait it out with the rest of the riffraff until the provost marshal kicks him loose."
2. The cockroach did not read the man at all. He was a condemned man. That is, if he was given the ball and chain and solitary, he was scheduled for execution.
3. SGT Houser finally appears, (Torqued off as you notice, reader? M.) and we have the episode in the west courtyard (I believe. M.). The cockroach songed and danced his spiel for 60 forced to be there and listen attendees. 60 NSA and 0% success as no mention of "come forwards". Interestingly, the prisoners offer to share their slop meal with the cockroach and even ask him to sit down to coffee with them twice. All three times he refused;

Galatians 2:11-13

Paul Confronts Peter

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

4. I wonder if SGT Houser's first name was "Paul"?
5. Traditionally, the cockroach bummed a meal off the Owens and had Misses Owens prepare it.
6. PVT. Heron (1st Nebraska Cornhusker), shipjumpers Victor Peterson and August Hagerlund joined the cockroach in his meditations.
8. Numbers 18

Numbers 18

Duties of Priests and Levites

1 The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.

2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law.

3 They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.

4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.

5 “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again.

6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the tent of meeting.

7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”

Offerings for Priests and Levites

8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share.

9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.

10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.

11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the LORD as the firstfruits of their harvest.

13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the LORD will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted to the LORD is yours.

15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the LORD is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.

16 When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.

17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours.

19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring.”

20 The LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.

21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.

22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.

23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.

24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’ ”

25 The LORD said to Moses,

26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering.

27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.

28 In this way you also will present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the LORD’s portion to Aaron the priest.

29 You must present as the LORD’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.

31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.

32 By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.’ ”

9. Well apparently the cockroach missed the point of that one at Bilibid prison.
10. Psalm 142

A Maskila of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
3 Although my spirit grows faint within me,
You know my way.
Along the path I tavel
they have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see;
no one attends to me.
There is no refuge for me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am brought quite low.
Rescue me from my pursuers,
for they are too strong for me.
7 Free my soul from prison,
that I may praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because of Your goodness to me.

11. The condemned boy in his cell and the cockroach comes to my mind. How did the cockroach handle that one?
12. Real churchers doing real church work. Who did better? Rogers or Milsaps, this day?

========================================================================

Diary of James J. Loughrey May 21, 1899

The storm continued all day. I took charge of quarters.

13. Second day of the Typhoon for the waterlogged 1st California Flour Mill Thieves. See MAP from previous day for their drowned rats location.

=======================================================================

Diary of William R. Johnson May 21st 1899

Still marching down the Rio Grande [de la Pampanga] river. we arrive at the town of Candaba of perhaps 20,000 inhabitants.The main town is on the opposite side of the river.

14. See MAP. Opposed river crossing coming up?

Last Edit: May 21, 2023 23:42:35 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 23, 2023 1:34:07 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 23, 2023 1:34:07 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 22nd-99

Lots of Filipino PATRIOTS in sight in the open. A little shooting. The 9th is out in skirmish line. An Amer. is in command of perhaps 800 to 1000. Last night they [threw] up five entrenchments about half way across the open towards the h’d’q’t’s tree, and their double line extends from their main trench by the church on the shote to away back north almost to Smith’s Run Cliff. I watched them all a.m. with a glass, and had a few Mauser shots at officers at 1300 meters. We are all anxious, and orders are to sleep with boots on. If they should attack the church we could hold them off until reinforcements came. Cool today, with occasional showers. Slept nearly all p.m., and will write to Tops now. All light visible to the insurgents are “douched” & the outposts are strengthened.

1. See MAPs.

and

2. A quick look...

The church at Taguig; US soldiers are positioned behind the stone wall, with lookouts on the roof and bell tower. Photo taken in November 1899.

3. Notice how long US 8th Corps will be hung up here? The 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves are in for a "rough time".

================================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Monday, May 22d, 1899

Malabon, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Manila

Tonight a typhoon is commencing. It is now about 8.30 p.m. Had slight falls of rain during the afternoon; forenoon was hot and partly clear. Up early, read a psalm, prayed & cooked breakfast in a hurry; then away to catch the 8.30 train to Caloocan. On the wharf met 3 of the sailors who are staying with us. They hurried away without waiting for breakfast, as did Wagner. The 3 tried to get employment on the U.S. transport “Hancock”. Were asked if C. Robinson sent them. No. Then could not have the job unless they paid $15 each U.S. gold. They returned crestfallen, especially Mc Tagget. Advised them to go immediately up to the house for breakfast. I took train & in a few minutes covered the 6 miles to Caloocan. Stepped off at the depot & made straight for Fort Mc Arthur where is stationed one gun of B. Battery, Utah Light Artillery, 4th section. Private (Bro.) M. H. Ackarett was there. Shook hands with him. He introduced me to his Mormon comrades. I asked the Sergeant in charge of the Section to give Ackarett leave of absence. Willingly granted it. Ackarett buckled in his revolver & took with him a canteen of water. We walked via the causeway between the fish ponds to the long concrete bridge. The broken center arch which blocked my way before is now spanned by a fragile bamboo affair. American sentries are stationed here. We expected they would demand passes but they did not. We crossed the bridge & lo were at last in Malabon, a city so long in sight; so near & yet so far. A city that will be associated in my mind as long as memory continues, with the horrid tearing of shells thro’ the air, & the din of battle.

Our objective point was the Catholic church building with the lofty colonnade facing towards Manila. Was refused admittance by a sentry. A party of American soldiers & a Filipino priest were trying to get track of Chinese who robbed the church. This building, a huge structure, has been partly gutted by fire, but the main auditorium was only burnt on one side. The metal ceiling has almost all been stripped off the wood frame. The Chinese are persistent thieves. Ackarett walked as far up as the native market. Almost all the best houses have been destroyed by fire, but the nipa shacks were spared. Natives are returning to these latter. Malabon consists of 3 or 4 towns & villages separated by water & bearing different names. We visited Concepcion R. C. church. A large painting on the ceiling above the grand altar (which with its statues of saints reminds me of a Chinese Joss house) attempts to portray heaven with the Godhead in the center. A monk with shaven crown has just arrived & is welcomed by the company there, a red hatted cardinal & mitred bishop arrayed in the habiliments of their calling, are in the foreground occupying a place of honor. Heaven according to the artist’s idea is very much Romanized.

In Malabon I pushed the matter of salvation thro’ Christ on the attention of one or two U.S. soldiers.

Took several Kodaks. Visited San Bartolome church and cemetery & tried to enter a Chinese Temple, but U.S. soldiers with the Filipino priest already mentioned, were overhauling a miscellaneous assortment of junk on the first floor looking for stolen articles from the church.

Passed the sentries in the bridge unchallenged & walked back along the causeway once so dangerous, to Caloocan & survived at the cooks tent of Section 4 – just as a shower commenced and dinner was ready. Was invited to dinner of boiled rice, fried bacon, condensed milk & coffee. Accepted the offer & said.

After dinner spent an half hour or so in conversation with the artillerymen then hearing the train coming down from Malolos hurried towards the depot, but the train did not stop, so I returned disappointed. Back of the depot & at the depot the Lord gave me opportunity to declare conversationally the Gospel message to about 12 soldiers of the U.S. regular, 3d & 9th infantry. Gladly availed myself of the chance.

Visited at Caloocan the badly wrecked cemetery, Catholic church, ex-post office & the city hall – ex – alcalde’s Headquarters. This building is riddled with holes made by cannon projectiles & small shot. Up stairs in the latter “casa” Ackarett & I knelt down & prayed. Used my visit to inquire about the state of his soul & to give counsel re serving Christ successfully. Returned to Sergeant’s tent, 4th section, & rec’d 2 or 3 articles in “Review of Reviews”. Gave Ackarett a copy of S.A. “Social Gazette”. Spoke to the Serg’t re salvation.

About 5 o’clock p.m. a Filipino boy brought 2 artillerymen out from Manila in his carromata. Ackarett paid him “medio peso”, 50 cts. Mex. to take me in. Saying goodbye I returned home. The Serg’t invited me to come again.

Was set down about 6 p.m. at No. 2 & commenced immediately to cook supper for myself. Mc Taggert was lying on the floor unwell – dyspepsia & Peter Weigner also came in, so I added to the amount & cooked supper for three. Mrs. Owens loaned me the use of her table, dishes & provided cheese & bread & condensed milk; so we made our meal. She & her husband shared my chockolate.

The day now draws to a close. The night is stormy. Dealt, if I am not mistaken, with about 18 persons, regarding my blessed Jesus & salvation alone thro’ Him. Personal work is often feasible when other forms of labor are impracticable. Night closes stormy; wind tempestuous.

4, Today the expletive deleted went sightseeing among the battlefields. In passing he read a psalm.
5. Psalm 52

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”

8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.

6. The shipjumpers wanted to work passage on the USS Hancock.

7. The sightsee ogNow I wonder why they would have to PAY for the right to work their way home, if the sailor shortage upon this date was so critical, as it was? Do you suppose their jailbird reputation and association with the cockroach preceded them? What do you think, reader?
8. After leaving the shipjumpers in the lurch, the cockroach bummed a ride up to Caloocan and then proceeded to Malobon to relive his "glories" from his previous bullet fever induced cut short visit. The cockroach inveigled the Mormons to release one of the cockroack's rat pack, PVT Ackerett to him to act as his "bodyguard" as he wandered about, the cockroach being nervous that a bolo-man might pop up and improve the American moral position by removing one evil-doer from amongst the number of invaders.
9. It is not to be taken as gospel that the Chinese-Filipinos were the sole vandals of the Catholic Church. A lot of stuff went missing after the Battle of Malabon, some of it arriving in the United States and on display in Houston, TEXAS. Just speculating, mind you...
10. I have a question. How does the cockroach know what the inside of a Chinese temple looks like?

And why use that insulting term for such a temple?
11. Filipino dwellings were easily rebuilt. NIPA huts.

indicate a PRACTICAL people who live in the Typhoon and Earthquake belts. Never denigrate smart and clever. Never.
12. Filipino art...

Even in the small churches... That is rather good by ITALIAN Renaissance standards. i have seen both. The cockroach did not comprehend what he saw.
13. I am amused that the sentries bothered to listen to the cockroach prattle. I can hear it now; "Move it on. Move it on. We've no time for that."
14. MacArthur's men were doing due diligence at the Chinese temple. I wonder if that was where the chalice was stolen and started its long journey?
15. Rebuilt obviously after the war.

16. The cockroach bummed a meal off the US 9th Infantry.
17. He missed his train and wasted time yakking at 12 soldiers of the US 3rd Artillery and 9th Infantry while trying to make up his mind how he was going to bum a ride back to the Tondo. 12 present, 12 NSA 0% success.
18. Problem solved, conned Ackerett to hail a ride down, and pay for the fare back. The expletive deleted was a shameless user and abuser.
19. Mc Taggert was lying on the floor unwell – dyspepsia & Peter Weigner... Both of them were DRUNK. The cockroach bummed Misses Owen's table and food.
20. By his own account, this is what the cockroach actually did this date:
a. diverted one US combat soldier from duty.
b. stole artifacts.
c. stole USG supplies.
d. conned a US soldier.
e. imposed on 5 others and conned them out of money, meals and non-compensated labor TWICE.
f. ran another con on a dozen American soldiers.
g. wasted 5.5 liters oxygen.

Expletive deleted.

Miletus

================================================================================

Last Edit: May 23, 2023 2:48:18 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
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To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 24, 2023 2:17:55 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 24, 2023 2:17:55 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 23rd-99

Slept with boots on last night. But this morn only the usual number in sight. a 3.2 in. gun came up this a.m. –drawn by 35 coolies. Wrote to Miss Carrie Crawford and Chas. D. Gamble. We are in the edge of a typhoon which swept s. over the China Sea last night. The lake is a white waste of tumbling H²O and it rains siempre. Several drunken fights this a.m. Very cool and pleasant. Packed my Mauser today. Five men of the 12th were drowned today at Pasig ferry while coming over here with a field gun.

1. I suppose i should explain what happened in more detail. The 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves were stalled south of the Pasig at Taguig city near the shore of Laguna de Bay. The Filipino Patriots had dug in across their rear and trapped them in place in the swampland south of the church, which was the only dry ground in the area and into which the Tobacco Thieves promptly retreated and forted up. Not being complete idiots, the imbecilic Washingtonians tried to find a ford across the Pasig, which was the effort made a couple of days ago, where a company of them were shot up. They then clomped onto the not quite brilliant idea that maybe they could use artillery to blast their way out from their potential encirclement. Their relief tried to drag a cannon through the swamp. The mules would have none of it, so plan B was to FLOAT a cannon down to them on a raft. That did not work, either. Pan C, which apparently succeeded, was to send human beings where mules would not go. Notice that the human beings in question were press-ganged corvée Filipino human laborers.

This is the type gun they dragged through that typhoon and through the swamp.

It weighs more than a long ton or 2350 pounds. Americans be CRAZY.
2. I notice that Welch traded up from a Trapdoor to a Krag, then from a Krag to a Mauser. The Washingtonians were not complete idiots.

======================================================

And writing of complete idiots...

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Tuesday, May 23rd, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Stay at home days are not lazy or lonesome days. Storm of wind & rain last night & all day.

Up about 6.30 a.m. Read a chapter of Numbers & a psalm & prayed to my precious Lord. Then cooked breakfast for myself & Mr. Peter Weigner. He said grace & prayed with him at close of the meal.

Bought & read a copy of “Freedom”, also read articles in “North American Review”.

Wrote 6 pages, foolscap, MS copy narrative of my Philippine experience for the San Francisco War Cry.

Visited the post office in the afternoon. Rec’d some papers & a letter from Bro. Geo. Berry who is sick at Corregidor. Wants me to come over today to see the 3 Salvationists there. Launches are not running; bay too rough. B. offers to pay half my expenses. I mailed 2 letters.

Purchased 3 small shells.

After returning home washed dishes. One of the unconverted sailors came into the kitchen. Urged him to give his heart to Jesus, get saved & serve God. Seemed interested.

Mrs. Owens is preparing to return to the United States. Evidently I shall lose my tenants soon. The servant boy wants to work for me, but I do not feel justified in going to that expense.

Cooked supper in the evening.

2. To strip the varnish off... Numbers 19

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines. 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. 10 The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.
11 “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.
14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. 21 This is a lasting ordinance for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

3. I guess that was religious ritual for the rather practical human observed hygiene necessities to prevent infection by contact contagion. Since the cockroach FORGOT to wash his dishes that morning and the Mormon monkey must have been enthusiastic, he must have recollected he READ the necessity for cleanliness. So he washed his dirty dishes. He could have hired it done, once his non-payed housekeeper (Misses Owens) made clear, the Owens would no longer be there to clean up after his piggy self, but the cockroach was too cheap to fork over decent wages for the Filipino boy's labor.
4. What was the Psalm? Let us try Psalm 51.

1 Have mercy on me,a O God,
according to Your loving devotion;
according to Your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me clean of my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You may be proved right when You speak
and blameless when You judge.
5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.

18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
in whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

5. The cockroach muffed that one, too.
6. Peter Weigner... Leviticus 18:22.
7. By now, the cockroach's "free" seashell collection must weigh more than that M1897 field gun.

Last Edit: May 24, 2023 2:55:07 GMT by miletus12

miletus12
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To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 24, 2023 22:51:28 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 24, 2023 22:51:28 GMT

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 24th-99

This morn the outposts started across the river, and just as they reached the church a man came out of the bamboos waving a white flag and shouting “Espanol.” His Mauser was slung and he carried his sombrero in his rt. And flat in left. hands. A sentry met him and shook hands and bro’t him in. Poor Man! He had been a prisoner for 13 mos. And was delirious with joy. He was afraid at first and saw one of our Togalo [Tagalo] workmen and said, “Ha! Tagolo!” [Tagalo] in a tragic manner. We took him to breakfast –and how he did eat. The first bread he had had for eight mo’s. And eggs he had almost forgotten. Upstairs, while changing his insurgent uniform for a suit of white, and putting a pair of shoes upon his feet, he told his story.

13 mo’s ago he was captured, and moved from one place to another until taken to Lipa in Batangas. An American prisoner is there, and has freedom of the city, but the soldiers are not allowed to talk to him. The Spaniard was forced to fight since last March. Yesterday he went with the insurgent general to inspect their skirmishline extending from Laguna to Smith’s Run. He had been the Gen’s orderly for two weeks. A body guard of 12 men was also along. They went to the North end of line, then started back when the storm caught them and they camped for the night. He slept with one eye open, and when they were asleep, he grabbed a gun and belt and sack full of ammunition and made a leap into the darkness for life and liberty.

How the poor fellow’s (eyes) sparkled and burned as he told of how they shot at him. He returned five shots then made for our church… about two miles away. He passed the Filipino trench O.K., and crawled thro’ the bushes until he discovered our outpost, when he very wisely waited until morn, for we shoot on sight. All night in the storm, sure death behind and in advance, uncertainty. No wonder he was nervous. This was the first time he had the faintest chance to escape.

We have him shaved and then he went into the Major’s office.

He also said there were 5000 Filipino PATRIOTS ahead of us –300 rifles and 2000 bolomen. With trenches clear to Batangas, a distance of about 20 miles. He said we killed a Captain and two Lieuts. on the 19th, also about a doz. soldiers and one non-commissioned officer.

I hope one of them was my friend of the red sash. 500 men were at the ruined church that day & ever since, so it is a good thing we did not advance that far, for there were only 17 of us. He certainly was the happiest man I ever saw –and it almost broke my heart to watch him and translate his story. A guard took him to Pasig. We had lots of shooting today at 700 to 1000 yds. On outpost tonight. Splendid grub today.

1. The river crossing is still in progress. Remember this was conducted during a typhoon.
2. The countryside in 1899 was dotted with churches, usually sited on hard elevated ground. The churches were walled around, with clear avenues of approach and came with bell towers and were of stout storm resistant stone construction. They were religious buildings crammed with beautiful artwork and important social centers of morale and frankly social control, but consider how they looked as ready made forts on top of key terrain to the soldiers of both sides? In a war where artillery was scarce, and mobility was practically dependent on whether you could march through very soft mud or up and down hills across very vegetated ground where the opponent could hide with ease, even though for that region of the earth the road infrastructure was unusually good and the Filipino people were familiar with advanced European level type technology for travel and goods movement and communiucation, those churches looked very tempting to people who understood the rifle was the decisive weapon of the moment. Those churches could be bases of protected rifle fire that blocked movement. Especially to the still badly outnumbered Americans, the churches were important as kingposts to any hasty engineered defense they had to throw up.
3. And to be honest, a half-way decently educated American sergeant or officer just might have been professionally taught through schooling or by long term field experience, just a tad more about how to hasty fortify and improve a position than his less experienced Filipino patriot counterpart. Two equal people, but one had been doing it for years, while the other might had to read it out of a book, and was maybe days or weeks at the trade of soldier.
4 And that brings us to another peculiar thing about this war. Racism. The attitude that Welch brings to that "poor fellow", the escaped Spanish prisoner is kind of revealing about human beings and especially Americans when it comes to war. You come into a war; young, ignorant and stupid about "foreign peoples" and you invent "terms" to denigrate and demean their infinite value as human beings. Then they shoot back at you and teach you on the battlefield that they just might be smarter than you are. You finally somehow defeat those people and they become the "noble ooposition", or they defeat you and they become the "clever opposition", but the point is that it is a BIAS, whereby a non-objective quality is assigned to a person or group based on purely subjective attitudes and experiences. Take this Spanish gentleman, who came into American lines as an object lesson.

I look at Welch's commentary and apply a little historical context. When US 8th Corps landed back in August of 1898, the commentary in the diary entries we read back then, included scurrilous racist epithets about the Spaniards. Then the Spaniards were defeated in a sham battle and the denigration sort of leveled out. The "Spanish opponent" then was somwhat sympathized as the Filipino patriots asserted their self detemination rights and the Americans joined the the Spanish former imperialists into the "us" against "them" club. As the above diary entry with its heavily emended racist language, which I edited, that Welch uses to describe the Filipino Patriots who oppose the American imperialists, attests, you can see that bias shift. I read the same account of the Spanish "prisoner" who escaped his Filipino captors and I READ a different person from a "poor wretch".

I see a turncoat, a liar, a deserter, who to save his worthless life as the Filipino Katipunan, discovered how he intended to betray them, were about to reward him as he deserved, fled into American lines. Part of that evidence is his boasting;

The Spaniard was forced to fight since last March. Yesterday he went with the insurgent general to inspect their skirmishline extending from Laguna to Smith’s Run. He had been the Gen’s orderly for two weeks. A body guard of 12 men was also along. They went to the North end of line, then started back when the storm caught them and they camped for the night. He slept with one eye open, and when they were asleep, he grabbed a gun and belt and sack full of ammunition and made a leap into the darkness for life and liberty.

That was a pack of lies. You do not work your way up from prisoner of war to "trusted orderly" unless you profess loyalty and feign devotion. At this point I add more rotten fish to that story the Spaniard told.

He returned five shots then made for our church… about two miles away. He passed the Filipino trench O.K., and crawled thro’ the bushes until he discovered our outpost, when he very wisely waited until morn, for we shoot on sight. All night in the storm, sure death behind and in advance, uncertainty. No wonder he was nervous. This was the first time he had the faintest chance to escape.

That might be barely credible. But I would check sentries and make sure what they reported matched the story he told. Then...

It is at this point I throw him into the prisoner pen to await a trained interrogator. Personal experience. Those details do not gibe with circumstances and fact based expectation. At that moment, if I was Welch's major, I would ask my Igorot scouts what they thought of that "defector's" information.^1

"Untrustworthy" is a good way to describe that Spanish turncoat individual. Note I use the term INDIVIDUAL. The appellation is to the man, not the nationality or to the culture. Call me CYNICAL about "new found conveniently dropped in friends".

See MAP.

5. Place the incident described at the River junctions.

^1 In my case; Chaldean Iraqis.

===============================================================================

Diary of Chriss A. Bell May 24, 1899

Typhoon been raging for several days. For now calmer today. About 700 Filipno PATRIOTs attacked McArthur in the forenoon* when the artillery Montana’s and Dakotas [Dakotas’] get through with show was but little left. There were are 100 Filipino PATRIOTs killed and wounded. Regiment expected in Manila.

6. See MAP. Mormon gunners made a mess of it. The 1st Montana Horse Thieves and 2nd South Dakota Baseball players mopped up.

===============================================================================

Diary of John E.T. MilsapsWednesday, May 24th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Typhoon all day. Bay rough. Elements are calm tonight but sky overcast with clouds. There may be a “recurvature” of this peculiar storm & we have the destroyer return this way again.

Rush marked the flying hours. Visited town twice.

First thing this morning out in my kitchen while washing my face the second of the 2 unconverted sailors entered. Tackled him about his soul & urged him to give up sin & seek salvation thro’ Christ, seemed interested. Returned to my bedroom, locked myself in & read one Chapter of Number & the 32d psalm. Then prayed.

Commenced writing again on my Philippine narrative before breakfast. Rev. Owens invited me in to breakfast. Gladly accepted the offer to save time. After breakfast had family worship together. While at breakfast a Filipino came in & presented a bill for $4 Mex. 2 months – 24th March to 24th May – subscription to the Manila Daily “Times”. Paid it & gave him a list of missing back numbers to send me already paid for. I did not subscribe for the paper. Bro’s Oden & Lloyd paid for the paper one month. They went to the front where they have been up to date. Sub. remained unpaid & I had to make it good.

Applied myself diligently to the narrative & completed it about noon. Added 4 pages foolscap to the 6 of yesterday. Divided the article under the following subheads: “H.M.S. Powerful”, “Malolos”, “Dewey’s Departure”, “Malabon”, “Sailor’s Rest”, “Bilibid Meetings”, “The Black Hole”. Wrote & copied a letter to Lt.-Col. Wm Evans & enclosed it with the War Cry copy. Also sent 3 pictures – photos – main plaza in Malolos, San Bartolome church at Malabon – Santiago Citadel, Manila facing the Malecon. Away I went with it to catch the mail but missed the street car & walked to the post office. Arrived about 1 p.m. U.S. mail closed 12 noon, & U.S. mail via Hongkong at 2 p.m.

Dropped into a Spanish barbershop on the Escolta & got shaved; 20 cts. Mex.

Purchase some beautiful & rare seashells from a Filipino dealer on the Escolta. Shells such as I have never seen even in museums, are kept on sale here at times. By watching the Filipino dealer’s stock I secure prizes for my cabinet.

Rode back home. Took a few peanuts & a cup of lemonade for dinner then read some articles in the North American Review while resting.

Wrote & copied a letter to the Geo. Berry, Hospital, Corregidor Is. Hope to visit the Is. soon. Set no date.

Off to the post office again. Inquired for mail & dropped B’s letter in. Met ex-Private Gerome of 4th U.S. Cavalry on the Escolta. Is just back from San Francisco. Re-enlisted in the hospital corps. Says Honolulu S.A. officer send love to me.

Saw a young soldier on Escolta. Claims to be a Salvationist. Invited him to visit No. 2 & gave him good advice.

Purchased some medicine & condensed milk for Rev. Owens. Asked me for a statement of a/c. For money loaned & supplies bought they owe me $4.01 Mex. I heard Mrs. Owens say she expects to embark for home in a week or week & a half. Sold her sewing machine to Rev. Rodgers today for $30 U.S. coins.

Revs. Rodgers & Hibbard, Presbyterian missionaries called. Rodgers introduced me to his new colleagues. Rev. Hibbard who is a bran new arrival.

The sailors are still with us. Sleep here every night & eat from one to 2 meals per diem.

Cooked supper of 2 duck eggs fried & bacon. A cup of chockolate & hard bread completed my meal.

After supper wrote & copied Weekly Letter No. 27 to Lt.-Col. Alice Lewis, 12.4, W. 14th St. New York.

When I commenced to write this entry after supper the boom of a heavy cannon sounded thro’ the night at intervals. Perhaps one of our monitors is bombarding Paranaque or another bay town.

Queen Victoria is 80 years old today.

7. Numbers 20

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

Edom Denies Israel Passage

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:
“This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come on us. 15 Our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
18 But Edom answered:
“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.”
19 The Israelites replied:
“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”
20 Again they answered:
“You may not pass through.”
Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.
The Death of Aaron

22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.”
27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, all the Israelites mourned for him thirty days.

8. That is a most curious passage about Aaron. Usually when three someones go someplace where there are no witnesses and two someones come back, I call the cops.
9. Now for that psalm. Psalm 32.

Of David. A maskil.

1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

10. There is a LOT of irony there, for I would quote Churchill about the British navy and cite the previious Muilsaps diary testimony he gave about himsel; that is the cockroach's penchant for sailors and for corrupting youth.
11. Case in point; bummed another meal off the Owens, bought yet more free seashells, and wrote a narrative about the HMS Powerful. The comedy writes itself.
12. And we get the account of how Milsaps had to pay arrears on a subscription he had inveigled two of his flunkies to take out so he could read a "free" newspaper while they were off to the wars. Of course the strongarm collector showed up and asked; "Where's our money?" Leave it to the cockroach to complain about paying arrears for his own malfeasance and blaming others for it. And as usual when he had no-one else to con into it, he missed the boat on the mail run. Poor cockroach needs to do some track and field and study time management?
13. PVT Berry, hunh?
14. PVT Gerome was a corpsman who caught a previous case of bullet fever and decided a REMF billet was better for his health. .
15. That so-called salvationist may have told the cockroach what he wanted to hear. The cockroach was by now an infamous known pest to US 8th Corps soldiers.
16. The Owens, unlike the cockroach, appeared to have kept honest accounts of their debts and paid them promptly.
17. Rogers and Hibbard. What was a colonialist imperialist war, without ~~colonialist imperialist missionaries~~ Carpetbaggers? I mean, observe the cockroach.
18.

The sailors are still with us. Sleep here every night & eat from one to 2 meals per diem.

19. See 10. They paid their rent and lodging.
20. Alice Lewis should have gotten some honest work. The American army needed nurses. She could have served in a real military and genuinely ministered to the needs of her fellow humanity. But that last remark is me editorializing about hypocrisy, fakery, and confidence games.
21. I suppose the USS Monadnock was pouring H and D upon Macabebe, this date. Did you know the colonialist imperialist powers had opened a conference at the Hague, on the 18th of May, to negotiate a treaty about land warfare among European nations, that would prohibit indescriminate bombardment of civilian communities as acts of terror and prohibit the use of expanding bullets and "inhumane" weaponry as the British were employing (DUM DUM bullets in the Boer War now in progress.), or incendiary shells as the USS Monadnock was dropping upon Macabebe that night?
22. Who cares about Victoria? She was a prime symbol of what was WRONG with humanity at the moment.

================================================================================

One last cynical comment...

On May 18 a typhoon appeared to the east of Visayan Islands and moved inland on May 21. After crossing over into the South China Sea the storm moved northward. It passed through the Taiwan Strait between the 26 and 27 of May. On May 28 the storm was pushed out to sea by an advancing cold front and absorbed on May 29.

Several hundreds to a thousand or more of the Filipino people perished as incidental weather victims and no-one seemed to care or notice or help.

Last Edit: May 25, 2023 3:18:37 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 25, 2023 11:07:29 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 25, 2023 11:07:29 GMT

Diary of Chriss A. Bell May 25, 1899

Was not at custom house today. Bothered with diarrhea. Seven regiments came in and a more sunburned blacker dustier looking lot of boys one could not imagine. I would given almost anything to have been with them. They are all tired and not in best health but would not have given up the expedition for money. We expect to be off for home in a few weeks.

1. Bell is at Cavite. He has no clue as to what the 2nd Oregon Furniture Thieves are about or when they will be relieved and sent home.

================================================================================

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Thursday, May 25th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo

Have just completed a letter & copied it, to Rev. Harlan P. Beach, Educational Secretary, Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, 3 West 29th St. New York. He wrote me a letter (date Apr 1st) enclosing me a blank to fill out giving an account of my field of labor. Filled the blank & wrote him a 3-page letter explaining more about the Philippines than was covered by his printed general questions.

Mailed letter to Lt-Col. Alice Lewis. Did so immediately after cooking & eating breakfast. Got on a street car & proceeded to the Imperial photograph gallery in Quiapo Dist. Ordered 6 more photos unmounted of No. 2 Calle Sta. Elena. Also purchased 5 photos for $1 Mex. war views. Although I have sent many pictures with my articles to various S.A. publications I have quite a good collection on hand for stereoschopic purposes in case they are wanted.

Stopped in a second-hand furniture dealer’s store where 2 cases of sea & land shells are for sale ($1000.00) & priced some of the shells separately to get an idea of how the shell market is ruling. Showed me 2 shells – price $4 & $5 Mex. each. I purchased 2 yesterday on the street for less than $2 Mex. I pick up such bargains in rare shells quite often.

Called at the post office. Rec’d a letter from Private D. G. Hines E. Co. 1st Montana Vol. Inf. Is at San Fernando. Had a hard time getting there. Layed over 5 days at Calumpit. Wants me to come up & bring him envelopes, paper & $1 worth of postage stamps. Purchased the stamps before leaving the office, advancing the money for the same.Met Rev. Owen on the Escolta. When we parted I called at a Spanish grocer’s & bought 4 lbs sugar for 60 cts. Mex.

Arriving home rested my mind by reading.

Owens paid me back $5. Mex. borrowed money. The Owens’ & myself put our heads together re bearing the expenses of the 4 sailor’s support. They brought their bags in today. A week or 10 days may elapse before they can sail. Mrs. Owens complains because they are so uncertain at mealtimes. They concluded to give them $10 Mex. & let them get meals elsewhere. I am to purchase $20 Mex. worth of food for them when they sail. Have already spent over $4.20 & let them draw on my side of bacon & sugar.

The Owens are preparing to leave soon.

Private (Bro.) Clayton Scott came in about dark. Short talk & prayer. Bro. Merritt got seriously kicked by a horse & lost $60. Scott met a young Hawaiian who claims to be a Salvationist. Prays by his bedside regardless of ridicule. Loaned Scott 50 cts., American Silver.

Bacon, too much, is giving me a touch of dyspepsia. Must slack up. Caught a cold in the head today.

Cooked supper. This morning read 2 chapters in “Numbers”. Also prayed to my God. The Lord was near; praise Him.

2. Harlan P. Beach was something of a piece of work.
3. See yesterday's comment about Alice Lewis. About the cockroach's photography; while he was a despicable human being and a miasma of evil upon the Earth, the cockroach did perform a useful historical service through his vainglory and photographic results thereby. Where ever he went and poltrooned, we have photos he either took or had taken of him and thus an objective record to compare to his hysterical renditions of his experiences in his diary.
4. Amazing. Apparently the cockroach is not the only idiot buying free seashells by the seashore.
5. The 1st Montana Cattle Rustlers are at San Fernando? See MAP.

6. 4 lbs of sugar for $0.30 USD? YIKES! $11.00 today. No wonder McKinley wanted to seize Hawaii!
7. INTENSE SARCASM => it was Milsaps alone who invited the shipjumpers to bum off the Owens and him. The American army had free food and lodging for them at the Bilibid. Now that the cockroach has to feed the bums and put a roof over them, he roped the Owens into sharing his expenses for his new "roommates"?
8. The expression here for the Owens is; "Getting out of Dodge".
9. So Scott now has a "buddy"? How many Leviticus 18:22s are there here?
10. PVT. Merritt and his horse have had a run in before. An old Lone Ranger Joke has Kemosabe ask Tonto why he responds to the Lone Ranger's latest foolish tirade about Butch Cavendish like a Native American hippy, with the one word; "Heavy" all the time. Tonto, the stoic, tells our masked avenger; "Your stupid white horse, stands on my foot. Heavy. Get him OFF MY FOOT!"
11. Bacon gives the cockroach indigestion? Time for another Lone Ranger joke!

The Legend of Zorro and the Bacon Tree

So this is a bit long, sorry about that.

Zorro and his best bud the Lone Ranger were riding through the desert one day, I forget where they were heading to or where they had come from, but we can safely assume shenanigans of some kind were the driving force.

They have been travelling for most of the day and are starting to get tired. There has been a discussion about making camp for the night, but as things are they have agreed to continue riding for a while longer, till the sun starts to set. Away and off to the west the Lone Ranger spies a plant that seems to have large pink flowers that hang in strips with white stripes running the length of them.

"Zorro, what's that over there?" he asks.

Zorro turns in his saddle and raises his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Ah, it looks like a bacon tree, quite common in these parts. Let's ride on, there is a good place an hour from now to set up camp."

The two friends ride on and as the sun is beginning to descend the have stopped and are making camp. As Zorro begins to make a fire he says to the Lone Ranger, "You know, I quite fancy some pork. You ride back to that bacon tree and get some for supper, and I'll finish setting up camp here."

"No problem Zorro, I won't be long" replies the Ranger, jumping back into the saddle and returning the way they came.

Time passes, and the sun begins to get low in the sky. 'Odd', thinks Zorro 'he should be back by now.' Another hour passes and the shadows are growing longer. 'I might have to go investigate, it's not like him to take his time.' More time passes, and, just as Zorro has decided that he must go search for his friend in the dwindling light, he hears the sound of Silver's hooves. Looking into the gathering gloom he sees his friend riding towards him. As the Lone Ranger nears Zorro can see the Lone Ranger is injured, there are cuts and bruises and he has an arrow through his hat.

"What on earth happened, Lone Ranger? Did you make it to the Bacon tree?"

The Lone Ranger dismounts and sighs heavily.

"That weren't no Bacon tree, Zorro. That was an Hambush."

12. Numbers 21 and 22

13. Somehow Balaam's Ass seems appropriate, reader. At least the cockroach fits the lesson.

===============================================================================

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 25th-99

Filipino PATRIOTs tried to get inside our circle of outposts, several times, last night, but failed. Slept in a.m. Cool –the typhoon is about blown out. Gun is in position and will open up. The 71 Mausers (German Needle Gun) are busy trying to pick us off. They have the range and the boys are keeping low. 2000 soldiers in sight –and a couple of priests are holding service. They had better read the burial service. At noon the art. opened with shrapnel and 1300 yds; our Krags tore loose –and until dark we had pieces of Filipinos flyin’ in all directions. In evening all the officers came to pay respects to our Major in honor of his birthday. The boys were on hand and we gave them a few songs below, then were invited up and treated royally.

14. I am not sure the 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves came off so well as reported here. Official reports were that the gun section that Wheaton had floated down to them was all that saved them from being overrun that night.

Last Edit: May 25, 2023 12:15:01 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 30, 2023 2:02:15 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 30, 2023 2:02:15 GMT

Cockroach.

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Friday, May 26th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo Dist.

Am troubled with influenza tonight. Heard running all day. A tropical climate does not exempt one from such pests. The Lord has blessed me with good health since coming to the Philippines; praise to His dear name.

Got up before 6 this morning with the intention of going to San Fernando, but while cooking a hasty breakfast, a Filipino boy bought a copy of today’s “Freedom”, which stated that the Montana’s, 3d Reg’t & South Dakotas were going to Manila in a short time, so I concluded to remain in the city.

After breakfast went down to San Nicolas Dist. with the sailor, Peter Weigner. My object was to order thro’ H. Kline same groceries for Weigner & 6 other sailors to take on the transport for food. I expected to foot the bill. Learned at the U.S. Commissary warehouse that K went south to join his reg’t (1st California vol. Inf.) & return home. This upset my plans for supplies. I went over to the post office & Weigner returned home.

We have been furnishing meals (Owens & myself) at No. 2 to the sailors. This was not only costly but very troublesome as there was no certainty when they would return to meals, so Owens gave $5 Mex. & I gave $5 Mex (from the money I set aside personally as the Lord’s tenth). Weigner is treasurer to purchase meals for the men. I have so far from the Lord’s tenth paid out $4.40 Mex. for their food & expect to spend $10. more.

Late this afternoon one of the Swedes August Hagerlund, who has been ailing several days ago was attacked by a high fever. I went over to the Utah Light Artillery Quarters (Cuartel Meisig) to get the doctor, but he was absent. The steward put up several powders to be taken at 2 hour intervals. Said he would tell the doctor, but the latter failed to appear up to time of writing. Took the medicine to him. The poor fellow is lying on the floor with only a tent under him. The 4 sailors brought their baggage up to the room.

Unpacked Private Frank Amie’s baggage & hung his clothing on a line to prevent mildew, as per his order; also hung his two blankets out in the sun. Also arranged some of my letters & memoranda & catalogued & counted the Spanish & Tagalog publication sent me by Rev. Rodgers Presbyterian missionary. He is about to depart for Hongkong but will come for them after his return. I opened 3 packages rec’d from the post office recently amounting to 50 copies “El Evangelista” Año XVI, No. 184, April 1899. 50 copies “El Amigo de la Infancia.” Año XXV!, Apr 1 – 99 No. 299. I do not want any of these wasted. The Lord may use them for the salvation of souls. So may it be. Amen.

Private Hall of H. Co. 1st Nebraska Vol. Inf. last January 19th wrote me offering to buy my gramophone. I delayed answering his letter until this afternoon. Wrote & copied one to him requesting him to call & see me. I will sell probably if he gives me enough. Since I purchase the machine the Sal. Army adopted the gramophone, but forbids the use of only certain records approved & purchased from the S.A.’s trade dep’t. This ruling will probably make my records useless.

Looked over vols. 1 & 2 of my book catalogue to familiarize my memory with the contents of the library.

Wrote Private Salas C. Johnson, K. Co. 10 Penn. Vol. Inf., a postal card giving address of Peter Dutkewich, photographs, who took pictures the day of the advance from La Loma to Malolos. He works for G. M. Davis, 21 Washington St. New York – I took dinner with Owens. They are packing up their household effects.

1. Does not fit an influenza description to me. Rhinorhea.
2. With the 1st Montana Horse Thieves coming to him, why should the cockroach go anywhere to corrupt youth?
3. Correct read is that the cockroach went to the commissariat to cozen Kline to allow him to pilfer government stores. Since Kline was "transferred" that plan went poof, and instead of "buying food on the economy" (Like an honest citizen.), the cockroach went home with his "buddy", Weigner", empty-handed.
4. INTENSE SARCASM => How did the quantity of shipjumpers grow from 4 hooligans to 6? And by record in the diary, why has the cockroach paid monies out of the Salvation Army operating fund for this obligation? More importantly, how and why has he inveigled the Owens to pay for an obligation which is not at all theirs?
5. That was ~~smart~~. Not only had he invited in the six deserters, but one of the six was obviously infected for some time, he knew it and exposed the Owens to that contagion. The other 4 or 5 abandoned the Swede to the ground outside and fled that contagion. How imbecile was the cockroach that he could not get a CIVILIAN doctor to attend the man? Why did he run to the Mormons for help? Why? The American army doctors were for the American army, not the cockroach's assumed obligations. Does that sound rather harsh, reader? Think about it this way, as I do: You take on the role of hospice, then you pay for that role: Luke 10:25-27.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.

6. In other words, as long as someone else does the work and foots the bill or the monies are stolen from others and not his own purse, the cockroach is glad to "dabble" at good Samaritan. His hypocrisy reeks.
7. Frank Aimie is a "buddy". As for the rest of that paragraph; REV Rodgers trusted the cockroach to do anything right? And why do the evangelists in Spain send this illiterate incompetent, their propaganda for distribution? Have we read of one instance where the cockroach went among the Filipino people to preach, or even to help them? Not once have we read of such an instance. The cockroach has inveigled others to do the work for which he as the middle cockroach and corruptor takes all the credit. We have a word to describe such a being=> we call such a one an imp.
8. Speaker of corruptor... that grammophone was "adopted by the Salvation Army", that is the cockroach paid off his installment loan by using stolen Salvation Army" monies and thus to his way of thinking,, the luxury he bought for his personal use was subject to Salvation Army proscriptions, so he could not use his "bawdy records" to gyp soldiers out of their groundling fees, he had no use for the thing for profit. From such twisted thinkings worked this thief and liar to self justify himself.
9. The last paragraph was of interest, for now the Owens abandon the cockroach. As for PVT Johnson and why he should be informed of the whereabouts and work of the photographer, Dutkewich, that was a job referral.

================================================================================

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 26th-99

On fatigue at 8.30 with old guard. The old gun was “shootin em up” all day, and lots of them in sight. We had lots of good shooting, when the percussion shrapnel drove them out of their trenches & we got two mounted officers. In spite of our shooting they are playing closer every day and draw up under new trenches every morning.

10. That single 8 cm/25 field gun was kept busy to little effectiveness. The 1st Washington Tobacco Thieves were honey attracting every Filipino Patriot (bear) in the area. You can read it, reader. Welch knew the Tobacco Thieves were in trouble.

Last Edit: May 30, 2023 2:57:45 GMT by miletus12

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The Filipino American War as seen by diarists in real time with some additional commentary and sourc May 30, 2023 3:03:02 GMT

Quote

Post by miletus12 on May 30, 2023 3:03:02 GMT

Diary of John E.T. Milsaps Saturday, May 27th, 1899

Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo Dist.

Weather warm. Shower during the day. Last night the influenza became much less troublesome, praise the Lord, and gave me but little trouble.

Read one and part of another chapter in Numbers, then prayed to my God for His protection & guidance.

Cooked breakfast. The dyspeptic feeling has passed since I slacked up on a fried bacon.

While I was at breakfast a Filipino bill collector entered & presented me with a subscription dun – Daily Manila “American” sub. From “2/1 to 6/1” $4.40 Mex. Paid it.

Rev. Owens & myself went down to the Escolta, I inquired at the post office & rec’d several papers. 3 day’s Americans included. The post office delivery is defective. They should come to me every day.

At the post office I met & had conversation with Mr. A. Mc Duff, a Scotchman, who recently came here from Singapore. He is or was chief engineer of the S.S. Kwang-hoi Mr. M. is a Christian & invited me to call & see him.

Leaving my Scotch brother I dropped in at a Spanish barber shop to get shaved. There I found Rev. Owens (who parted from me at the Anglo-Indian bank) and 2 soldier friends. Together we 4 struck out to find a photograph gallery where we could have the group taken, but failed to have the work done by 12 o’ clock so deferred the matter.

Looked over the Houston and San Francisco papers. The War Crys of Apr. 29th brings out the second part of my article describing the Tondo Dist. Filipino uprising. I was glad to read an item in the Cry that a small cylinder press has been added to the printing dep’t. this leads me to infer that the San Francisco War Cry will not be suppressed by its New York enemies. The S.A. powers even as far back as the days of Ballington Booth wanted to suspend the S. F. War Cry but in spite of their wishes, the Lord kept it going.

The p.m. at the delivery window requested me to come again this afternoon. So I called again about 4 o’clock but rec’d nothing. The mail came per S.S. Morgan City.

On my way to the post office, while waiting for a street car I got into a conversation with a soldier. As usual the talk was made to turn on the state of his soul. The soldier confessed himself a backslider Salvationist from Colorado. Invited him to call at No. 2 His name E. S. Crist, Colorado regimental bakery, 28 San Sebastian.

Gave Mr. Peter Weigner, 40 cts. Mex. He bought 1 yard of heavy duck. The sailors patched the tent with it. The sailor for whom I got the powder at the Utah Light Artillery quarters yesterday p.m. is smiling today & look much better says he feels better. This evening’s Daily Manila “Times” is the leading editorial headed “Beachcomber”, styles these sailors by that name & says they should not receive help but be allowed to starve.

Private (Bro) M. L. Devine (Landon) K. Battery 3d Reg’t Heavy Artillery came in today. Part of his battery arrived late last night on the train from Malolos. Devine looks bad. He is very much broken in health. Invited him to make this house his resting place. Said he would. Came twice. Can hardly keep anything on his stomach. I made him a cup of lemonade this forenoon ditto this evening.

I am thankful to the Lord that my health is better. The climate here is trying. Many strange diseases assail human flesh. The enervating tropical heat taken away the vigor from one’s frame.

Down at the intersection of the Escolta & Calle del Rosario Mr. G. W. Peters, sketch artist for several American publications, bade me good-bye. He returns to the United States via Hong Kong and Nagasaka. Peter came over on the steamer “Newport” with Gen’l Merritt’s party.

1. As previously mentioned; the cockroach, being an exaggerator and a weakling, thought a runny nose was "influenza".
2. Numbers 23 and 24. Did the cockroach get the message?

Balaam’s First Message

23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7 Then Balaam spoke his message:

“Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and may my final end be like theirs!”

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Message

13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:

“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.

21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
the shout of the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
23 There is no divination against Jacob,
no evil omens against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till it devours its prey
and drinks the blood of its victims.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”

Balaam’s Third Message

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.” 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 3 and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!

6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.

8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!”

10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”

Balaam’s Fourth Message

15 Then he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Balaam’s Fifth Message

20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:

“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”

Balaam’s Sixth Message

21 Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:

“Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur takes you captive.”

Balaam’s Seventh Message

23 Then he spoke his message:

“Alas! Who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
but they too will come to ruin.”

25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.

Nope.
3. Instead of constipation the cockroach now had normal bowel movements.
4. Another strongarm man. "Pay us or else." The cockroach paid his arrears.
5. The US postal service in war was better than the British post in peace. The cockroach was spoilt, by an American government that used to know how to do things.
6. McDuff would soon change his mind.
7. I still have not figured out why Owens hung out with the cockroach.
8. INTENSE SARCASM => The cockroach had not figured out the San Francisco chapter went "independent"; like American "churches" are wont to do.
9. SS Morgan City wrecked 2 September 1899.
10. PVT Crist would also change his mind.
11. The Swede recovered? Quinine. Malaria. Thanks to the United States government and Joe Taxpayer.
12. PVT Devine lodged with the cockroach and the shipjumpers. Like unto like.
13. For many strange diseases read; hypochondria and Hong Kong Tea.
14. Mister Peters is "getting out of Dodge"; before Matt Dillon shows up. He is one horse ahead of the posse.

===============================================================================

Diary of Alfred Burton Welch May 27th-99

Filipino PATRIOTs closer than ever and took shots at our sentries. They are aggressive and we will have to kill them off before many days. New trenches before the road –at the open on left. Sent two shrapnel at “tree” at a big bunch, good shot, “set em a’goin.” Inspection of arms and shoes today and I think we will go out before many days. We owe them a thing or two. Robert’s 31st birthday & he is drunk as a goat. A hard rain with wind at noon.

15. Ever meet the brave nervous man? Hear him speak or write? The trope, and it is a trope, is that he puts on a brave face to others and himself to hide his sheer terror. This is Welch about right now. "They keep getting closer."

===============================================================================

Diary of William R. Johnson May 27th 1899

Hdars Co K. F. I and G. “A” and “E” are assigned to garrison Candaba, so here ends our long campaign in which we had so many hardships to endure such as hunger, exposure to the elements and fatigue. We traversed over 200 miles in 36 days through an unknown and hostile country, part of the time flooded, crossing swollen rivers etc. We were not allowed to sleep in the deserted houses at night for fear of disease.

16. See MAP.

That is where the US 22nd Infantry are. Right in the bowling alley of the Lingayen plain.

Last Edit: May 30, 2023 3:52:27 GMT by miletus12

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