ght of February
ninth, the first demonstration indicating his intentions being made
about nine o'clock in the night. The Filipinos attempted to enter
through the sally ports and were promptly discovered by the guards, who
commanded a halt. The command was not obeyed and the guards fired upon
them. This seemed to be the signal for a general engagement by the
Filipinos. The Nebraska Volunteers were the first to receive the attack
of the enemy. At once the battle became furious and continued for
several days and nights. The enemy was making a desperate and determined
effort to enter the city, but failed, and were finally driven back to a
position where they could be easier handled by our forces. After about
ten days' fighting the Americans threw up works and entrenched
themselves and waited for re-enforcements before taking the offensive.
The American forces numbered ten thousand in the city and the enemy's
forces were estimated at sixty thousand. The American lines were getting
too long and weak to risk an attack and we held our position and waited
for re-enforcements to arrive. During this time the Filipino prisoners
were closely guarded and forced to bury their dead. Five days were
occupied in this work of picking up and burying the dead Filipinos. The
number of their dead is unknown, but must have been large. It was
reported that five hundred Filipinos were buried in one day. It was also
reported that eighty Americans were killed in one night.

I shall never forget that night attack; I was one of three men on guard
in the Spanish hospital. This was a very dangerous post at any time, but
on an occasion like that it was more so. Three hundred Filipinos were in
the hospital, about one hundred prisoners and about sixty Spanish women.
All the hospital corps of attendants were armed with some kind of
weapon, usually a knife. When the attack was made on the guards at the
wall and the firing commenced, I was sitting in a chair and almost
asleep from exhaustion and continued guard duty. A Spanish woman in the
top story of the hospital heard the firing. She ran down to where I was
sitting, took me by the shoulders and was shaking me vigorously when I
first realized what was taking place. She was very much excited and
jabbered at me in Spanish, which I had no knowledge of and did not
understand one word she said. When she saw that she could not make me
understand her Spanish she went away. I heard the firing and knew that
an atta