into action. General
McArthur's division had halted at Meycauayan the previous night,
and in the morning advanced north in conjunction with General Hale's
brigade, which took the right, whilst General Otis led his troops
to the left of the railroad, General Wheaton's brigade being held in
reserve. After a three-mile march these forces fell in with the enemy,
who opened fire from trenches and thickets; but General Otis's troops
charged them gallantly and drove them back across the river. There the
insurgents rallied, relying upon the splendid trenches which they had
dug. The battle raged for three hours, the combatants being finally
within fifty yards of each other. Eventually the American artillery
came into play, when the advanced works of the insurgent defences were
literally pulverized and the general rout of the enemy began. They
retreated to their second stronghold of bamboo thickets, pursued by the
1st South Dakota Infantry, which made a brilliant charge in the open,
under a galling fire, with a loss of three lieutenants and seven men
killed on the field and about a score wounded. The insurgents, however,
were completely defeated and scattered, leaving 85 dead counted in
the trenches and thickets, and a hundred prisoners in the hands of
the Americans. Before abandoning Marilao the insurgents burnt the town
to the ground and continued their hurried flight to Malolos. They had
plenty of time to rally, for the Americans found great difficulty in
bringing their artillery across the river at Guiguinto. It had to be
drawn over the railway bridge by hand whilst the mules swam across
to the northern bank, all being, at the same time, under a desultory
fire from the enemy. The resistance of the Filipinos to the passage of
the river at Guiguinto was so stubborn that the Americans lost about
70 killed and wounded. At 6 a.m. the Americans started the advance
towards Malolos in the same order taken for the march to Marilao,
General Hale's brigade taking the right and General Otis's the left
of the railroad. Several skirmishes took place on the way and General
Wheaton brought his reserves forward into the general advance. At
Bocaue the river presented the same difficulties for artillery
transport as were experienced at Guiguinto, except that the enemy was
nowhere to be seen. Bigaa was reached and not an armed native was in
sight, all having apparently concentrated in the insurgent capital,
Malolos. The American casualties that d