n camp was deserted. As the outposts slowly returned the
regiment swept onward to the fray, and soon the angry rattle of the
"Long Toms" answered back the viperous "ping" of the Mauser.

The sound of the first shot had hardly ceased echoing upon the hill when
the Tagalans, jubilant, confident, flew for the bridge; their onrush was
met with a volley from the Nebraskans. Then from Caloocan and Sampaloe
the din of multitudinous musketry fired in unison, waved over the hill;
then the awful thunder of the guns of the fleet pulverized the enemy's
bulwarks at Malate swelled over the plain. Occasionally a lull came in
the fight and then as if gathering strength by inaction the tumult broke
forth with increased fury. In the darkness it was impossible for the
Utah guns to accomplish anything, as the location of the infantry could
not be exactly distinguished. So all night the men tugged and toiled to
get the pieces in position, that they might take part in the encounter
at dawn. The fifth section gun held a commanding position on the right
and the sixth section was stationed directly in front of McLeod's house,
from which point it could sweep the enemy's line from Blockhouse No. 7
on the north to the Catholic convent on the south.

Just as the first streaks of dawn dappled the east, the two big guns
belched over the plain and the fight began. During the night the
relative positions of the opposing forces had not been changed. The
maddened Filipinos made a renewed attempt to cross the bridge and
penetrate the Nebraska line, that they might gain their coveted
goal--the city of their dreams. The aim of the two guns was concentrated
upon this point. Twice the Tagalans with frenzied courage charged up the
bridge, only to be torn to pieces by the shrieking shells and the deadly
bullets. With desperate energy they hauled an artillery piece into
position on the bridge, but this was demolished by a single shell from
one of our guns.

The position of the artillery became perilous; the insurgents centered a
galling fire upon the big guns, with the hope of ridding themselves of
this new terror. The leaden missiles rained from three points,
Blockhouse No. 7, the bridge and the convent. Every time one of the
cannon roared over the hill, she raised a vicious hail of bullets from
the enemy. Three minutes after the conflict began Corporal John G. Young
received a fatal wound in the lungs. Almost immediately after Private
Wilhelm I. Goodman fell