the dark
it was impossible to exactly locate our infantry, but Major Young, at a
venture, directed several shots over our column at a range of from 2000
to 2500 yards. The Filipinos soon retreated. It was afterwards learned
that these shells had fallen in the midst of the attacking force.

This spirited encounter was the subject of a special report of the chief
of artillery to the division commander in which Lieutenant Critchlow and
the cannoneers received special mention for their gallantry.

That night a pontoon bridge was built across the river and on the
morning of the 28th the artillery moved across and encamped during the
succeeding day and night in the suburbs of Malolos. An advance of only a
short distance had been made the next morning when a body of the enemy
was encountered at Bocaue. Here it was necessary to cross the Santa Mone
river. This was attempted with some difficulty, as only the guns could
be taken over on the bridge and the mules had to be swum across. The
pieces and accoutrements across, the artillery immediately went into
action against the long lines of Filipinos. A railroad train in the
hands of the insurgents could be seen in the distance and some natives
were busily engaged in applying torches to the engine-house. A few
shells were sent screaming in that direction and the engineer needed no
further orders to speed with all dispatch toward the north country.
Again the guns were limbered up and the force advanced to the Bagoa
river, where it was again necessary to drag the guns across the shaky
bridge and force the reluctant mules to swim.

By this time the infantry had pushed some distance ahead, and suddenly
there was heavy firing near another dismantled bridge close to the
Guiguinta. Both the town and the bridge had been burned by the
insurgents, and as soon as the infantry force crossed the railway track
it was greeted with such a heavy fire that there were thirty casualties
within a few minutes. The artillery came forward, as it had done before
in many desperate fights, at the critical moment. The mules were
unhitched and the cannoneers dashed with two of the guns across the
shattered bridge and began firing from the top of the track. The
insurgent fire came directly down the railroad grade. Private Pender was
shot through the hip while working at the gun. In a few moments the
shrapnel had torn the Filipino earthworks and in the semi-darkness the
dusky figures of the Filipinos could be s