Battle
On the morning of April 15, hundreds of Filipino guerillas attacked them, well armed with bolos, pistols, spears, and Spanish Mausers. The guerillas let loose a tremendous volley of cannon and rifle fire that drove the entire regiment into their barracks.
For two days, the regiment withstood a withering fire with a loss of only two men, before their barracks were lit ablaze. Unable to extinguish the fire, they were forced to flee the burning building and face the attackers.
When they reached the open, the whole regiment lost all coordination and broke up into two groups: one running for some boats on the river bank and the other for the rear of the barracks. All 15 men running for the boats were killed, either cut down in the streets or shot in the boats. The others made makeshift trenches, dug with their bayonets, and for another two days kept the guerillas in check until a rescue party in the steamer Lao Aug came to their aid. The relief force managed to save the survivors under a hail of Mauser bullets, making it back to their base before the guerillas could regroup and attack again.
Read more about this topic: Siege Of Catubig
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“A battle won is a battle which we will not acknowledge to be lost.”
—Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929)
“In a time of war the nation is always of one mind, eager to hear something good of themselves and ill of the enemy. At this time the task of news-writers is easy, they have nothing to do but to tell that a battle is expected, and afterwards that a battle has been fought, in which we and our friends, whether conquering or conquered, did all, and our enemies did nothing.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature consists and cöoperates, and therefore it is not in vain. But alas! each relaxing and desperation is an instinct too. To be active, well, happy, implies courage. To be ready to fight in a duel or a battle implies desperation, or that you hold your life cheap.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)