no history of the utah batteries will be complete without a narrative of the exploits of the gunboats. while the land forces performed their duties with great honor and are to be commended in every way possible, it must be remembered that a portion of the men were fighting on the water and did work of such a character that they won especial mention from those in charge when the big guns were hurling death and the gatlings were barking fire at the opposing army.
at first the proposition of building gunboats was not at all popular with the authorities. some opposed the scheme on the grounds that it could not be successfully accomplished with the limited means at hand and the rivers of luzon to contend with. however, later developments attested that those who were the originators of the plan showed greater wisdom than their opponents.
sometime prior to the breaking out of hostilities between the american forces and the natives general otis conceived the idea of employing gunboats on the rivers and lakes for the purpose of opening up lines of communication between difficult portions of our own lines. the fact that the rivers were shallow was the one serious objection to the project, but this difficulty was eliminated by the adoption of light draught boats. the nature of the country in the vicinity of manila and the other towns where the heaviest fighting took place is such that it was apparent to those who were aware of these conditions that this craft might be engaged in protecting the advance of the infantry and artillery; could hold the hostile bands in check until favorable positions could be taken, and be of wonderful service in the campaign.
the first vessel to engage in this kind of work was the "laguna de bay," which has made a reputation never to be forgotten so long as the history of the war in the[pg 78] philippines remains familiar to the american mind. this vessel is doubtless as well known as the "olympia," the flagship of gallant admiral dewey, and while there are those who fail to recall the fact that the "boston" or the "raleigh" took part in the attack on the spanish in the bay of manila, it is safe to assert that the operation of the "laguna de bay" and her sister craft will ever be fresh in the minds of those who have made even a casual study of the events which took place during the campaign carried on by the brave men from the youngest state in the republic.
the "laguna de bay," the first converted gunboat, was placed in commission on january, 1899. she was formerly used by the spanish as an excursion boat on the body of water from which she derived her name and prior to the fall of manila had been captured by the filipinos and turned over to the united states. she was by no means a small craft considering her environments—shallow rivers and muddy bayous. she was 140 feet in length, 40-foot beam with a draught of four feet. when she was fitted out it was decided to give her some protection for the men, so her main deck, the upper deck, the pilot house and the gatling battery, were protected by a double sheeting of steel. the many bullet marks on this light armor demonstrated afterwards the wisdom of this policy. at this point it may not be out of order to interpolate the fact that her companion gunboats were similarly protected, which accounts for the small list of casualties.
the armament of the gunboat consisted of two three-inch marine guns, two 1.65 hotchkiss revolving cannon and four gatlings. at first lieutenant r.c. naylor was in charge of the guns, while captain randolph of the third united states artillery commanded the vessel. in addition to the men from the utah batteries, several were detailed from the various regiments to act as sailors, riflemen and cannoneers.
the boats which were added to the fleet were the "oeste," the "napindan" and the "cavadonga." the last went into commission on may 6th and was commanded by lieutenant william c. webb. the crews of the vessel[pg 79] were made up of members of the utah batteries and men from the twenty-third united states infantry, the first south dakota infantry and the third united states battery.
on the morning of february 5th the "laguna de bay" steamed up the pasig to the town of santa ana while the nebraska, california and washington troops assaulted the enemy from the land. twenty minutes after the boat turned her guns upon the town the principal buildings were in flames and the stricken garrison made all haste toward san pedro macati and guadaloupe. next she turned her attention to those portions of the enemy stationed in bacoor and mandaloya. her forward guns tore great gaps in the enemy's earthworks and her gatlings raked the trenches with so galling a fire that the foe was sent flying towards the woods in the region of pasig with the nebraska infantry in speedy pursuit. the following morning the boat passed santa ana, where two three-inch krupp guns had been captured by the idaho troops, and reconnoitered the native position in the woods beyond. late that afternoon she returned to manila and replenished her coal bunkers, when she resumed her old position at the nebraska landing.
march 7th the gunboat again passed santa ana and went up as far as guadaloupe, where the first california was quartered. general anderson came up the river in a launch and a consultation was held as to future operations. nothing of moment happened that day, but on the morrow general king arrived on his way to pasig for the purpose of demanding the surrender of the town. he desired the "laguna de bay" to await his return. a vigilant patrol was kept up that evening and during the night three shots were fired by sentries from the boat. the day following was uneventful, but on the 10th the "oeste," which was towing a casco, came alongside and stated that colonel stotsenberg had sent word that the insurgents were massing west of the camp of the nebraska regiment.
it was on the 14th that word was received from colonel dubois of the idaho regiment to hurry up stream at all speed. this was done and an effort made to anchor[pg 80] off the mouth of the pateros, where the infantry fire was very brisk. here it was that lieutenant harting met his death. harting with four men got aboard and the line was dropped when the boat sank, being swept almost immediately under the gunwale of the "laguna de bay." the three men forward grasped the gunwale and were saved, but the officer and the fourth man went down stream. though the lieutenant was a good swimmer, no sign of him could be seen. he was heavily laden with revolver, belt and ammunition. lieutenant larson jumped overboard to rescue him, but was unable to get even a glimpse of him. his body was found two days later near general otis's headquarters. the fourth man escaped by swimming ashore.
by order of the commanding general february 16th, major grant took command of the river force and captain randolph rejoined his regiment. the next day an assiduous fire was directed against san pedro macati with telling effect.
the commanders now decided that in case the forces stationed at guadaloupe should be too strongly pressed by the enemy they should fall back to san pedro macati, setting fire to the convent and other principal buildings as they returned. in this instance the gunboat was to steam up above guadaloupe. on sunday, february 19th, this very thing was done though the insurgents as yet had made no advance. the soldiers left the convent after firing it. as the gunboat moved up the stream she met with a determined resistance. the opposing force repeatedly assailed her, but her gatlings finally compelled them to withdraw. an unsuccessful effort was made to explode a quantity of nitro-glycerine in the convent by the use of percussion shell. the boat then advanced nearer the town where it engaged the insurgents on both sides of the river. every gun now played upon the enemy's lines. in the course of twenty minutes twenty-five three-inch shells, 4200 gatling, 1500 krag-jorgenson and 800 springfields were expended. this spirited defense caused the prudent native to withdraw to a country less subject to leaden bullets, and the boat dropped down stream. in the afternoon admiral dewey visited the "laguna de[pg 81] bay" in quest of information, and while he was securing what he came after a filipino sharpshooter began taking pot shots at the admiral, who, being unprotected, decided he was far enough inside the enemy's lines and turned back.
at san felipe lieutenant naylor was sent ashore on the following day to cut down some trees and burn some huts so the view of the boats' gunners would not be obstructed, which duty was performed under a straggling fire.
admiral dewey visited the gunboats on the 21st, stating he would send two rapid-fire guns for the "laguna de bay." that was the object of his visit, which was short. the same day general king and his staff came aboard and were taken up the stream. word was soon afterward received that the wyoming battalion was going to advance on the enemy near guadaloupe on the left of the river early the following morning but as the gunboat was not in a position to aid in the expedition she remained inactive when the firing began the next morning.
on the day following lieutenant naylor again landed with a small force of men at san felipe, where he set fire to the buildings and cut down trees which would have obstructed the view. nothing occurred until the night of the 25th, when desultory firing was heard at san felipe, and following this matters were unusually quiet until the night of march 1st. that day the insurgents were encountered at san pedro macati and the gatlings, the three-inch and the 1.65-inch guns were brought into action. during the firing sergeant shea received a slight wound in the hand. a three-inch gun was disabled in this engagement. two days later another conflict took place at the same point resulting in the complete defeat of the enemy, who was forced from his position after a severe bombardment.
the morning of march 4th opened cloudy with "laguna de bay" at san pedro. a sharp skirmish soon began. the natives held their position for some time but were finally compelled to give way before the superior strength of the americans. under orders from general wheaton the gunboat followed them and directed a dead[pg 82]ly fire into the woods on both sides of the river. during the fight, which lasted several hours, the boat was frequently struck by the bullets of the enemy. it was during this encounter that private john toiza of the third artillery laid down his life. he was shot in the left breast, the bullet passing downward through his heart, killing him instantly. a shell also lodged in the 1.65-inch gun, disabling it for the time.
on march 5th admiral dewey again came alongside and stated that general otis had declared he believed he would keep the gunboats down the stream if they did not cease fighting so much. then the admiral added with emphasis, "we ought to have three such boats."
two days later when hale's brigade made an advance upon the insurgents on the left, and the natives were hurried with great speed toward mariquina and the san mateo river, the "laguna de bay" again performed excellent service in flanking them and turning their left wing against our right.
very early on the morning of march 13th the battle of guadaloupe and pasig opened, the attention of the guns on the boat being centered on guadaloupe. meanwhile wheaton advanced his troops on the right to patteros and along the pasig. the advance to guadaloupe began along the river with the gunboat in the vanguard. two insurgents partially concealed in the bushes on the banks were taken prisoners and turned over to the twenty-third infantry. sunken cascos, loaded with rock, were frequently encountered, but the boat avoided them with only a little delay. generals anderson and wheaton moved up from the right and the gunboat started up the stream. near the mariquina river they met with a fierce fire from both sides of the stream but no one on the boat was injured. two filipino launches were noticed but they got away. a casco was found in which were the clothing of some filipino officer and men. the wearers had escaped.
on the day following there was a brisk engagement at pasig in which the town was bombarded with good effect, some thirty of the enemy being killed, while the remainder were sent flying in all directions.[pg 83]
nothing of interest occurred until wednesday, march 15th, when a casco manned by natives was chased down the river. she was overhauled but not until her crew had jumped overboard and swam ashore. the "laguna de bay" raised a white flag for the purpose of investigating, but the insurgents instead of recognizing it pivoted a sharp small rim fire upon the boat which answered with a heavy rain of shell and shrapnel.
two days later an expedition, led by the gunboats, headed for morong on the opposite side of the lake. lieutenant webb with a gatling and twenty-four men went ashore to make a reconnoissance. this small detachment was followed by three infantrymen under captain pratt. upon the advance of the americans the enemy retreated quickly across the plain and disappeared in the shades of the mountains beyond. one thousand bushels of rice and three cascos were captured at this place and a letter from general pilar directing a general advance on pasig was also found. but few inhabitants remained in the town and upon questioning them it was learned that the filipinos had several large launches on the pagsanyan river.
major grant had long been working to interest general lawton in favor of an expedition against santa cruz. santa cruz is situated on the eastern shores of the lake just behind the point of a mountain which juts out into the water. she is the agricultural center of all the rich land on the eastern side of the island of luzon. all the smaller towns of the surrounding country look up to her. she is the emporium to which all the farmers and travelers and merchants resort and from which they reap a bounteous harvest.
the insurgents had long since seized upon this important place as it furnished an inexhaustible supply of food for their armies. besides being far out of the way and difficult of approach, she became the military station to which the famished and fatigued insurgents looked for support and rest. major grant early noticed the importance of the town and thereafter he labored incessantly to bring about its capture by the americans. finally, on the 18th, he succeeded in getting a fleet of[pg 84] gunboats, launches and cascos headed that way. captain pratt and lieutenant franklin attempted to make a landing on the shore in front of the town, but they failed as the water was too shallow. five miles farther up the beach they made a profitable landing at the mouth of the pagsanyan river. however, as this was blocked with obstructions of bamboo and rock, no effort was made to sail up the stream until three days had elapsed. then the impediment was removed.
during the time which intervened between the 21st and the 28th little was done with the exception of attending to some needed repairs on the boat. on the 28th the gunboat advanced to the south of the balucan river, where another delay was caused by the obstructions placed there by the natives. the country skirting this place was thickly covered with brush and low trees, very much like bayou. when about a mile and a half up the stream the enemy opened fire at a range of about 500 yards, which was returned by the guns on the boat. the fire was heavy and the insurgents evidently concluded that they were too close for comfort, for their fire slackened materially in a very short time. the "laguna de bay" and the "napindan" then came down the stream. as the latter started to follow the larger boat the pilot was hit in the hand by a bullet and before he could recover himself the little craft had run aground. when the "laguna de bay" went to her assistance she also struck a bar and was held fast. the boats were compelled to remain here under fire until the tide came in and floated them off.
the work of the gunboats was without extraordinary interest until april 8th. on that day the fleet steamed up pasig with twenty cascos and seven launches in tow. one thousand five hundred men, with two days' rations, two light artillery guns and necessary horses, composed the expedition, which was commanded by general lawton. among the troops were detachments from the fourth united states cavalry, the fourteenth united states infantry, the north dakota, idaho and washington volunteers, the sixth artillery and the signal corps. this force reached jalajala on the 9th[pg 85] and then awaited the arrival of the entire fleet. the place of advancement and attack—santa cruz—was mapped out and then the fleet steamed ahead. about five miles from santa cruz the "napindan" ran into a point close to the shore and opened fire. here the works were silenced, after which the troops landed. under cover of the guns of the "oeste" other men also disembarked. with lawton aboard, the "laguna de bay" advanced toward the town approaching to within 300 yards of the shore. some troops in cascos were put ashore. after a survey of the situation the boats went out into deep water and advanced from the right, while the troops encamped to the west of the town.
the next day a general advance began at daylight. the american forces came up to the enemy's position and opened fire. this was a signal for action on the part of the boats and after moving in closer they opened a heavy fire on the insurgent works. the troops placed south and west under general lawton drove the natives northward while those posted along the shore of the river, aided by the guns on the boats, did considerable damage. large bodies of the natives broke for a place of safety and while attempting to escape through a marshy open field many of them were killed. shells actually mowed them down in heaps. by this time the lines of the infantry had been completely formed for an advance and the gunboats ceased their work. shortly afterward our forces took possession of the town, and a message was received from lawton saying he had established his headquarters in the church.
on the 11th the boats steamed up the lake and ran close to the shore near the mouth of the pagsanyan river, where they opened fire on the town of lumbaog, toward which the land forces were advancing. this fire was kept up until the infantry reached the place and took it. a message was received from general lawton to the effect that he had captured the town of pagsanyan; also that six launches had been captured there and were at the town. the "cavadonga" at this time sailed up and relieved the "oeste." the guns were on the hills north of orani and after a time the infantry took posses[pg 86]sion, for a flag from the church tower called for a boat to be sent to that place. the "laguna de bay" responded, went up the river and shelled paite and sinilaon until darkness ended her usefulness for that day. the troops had in the meantime checked the native advance and camped at paite.
from this time until may 7th little was done by the boats. a greater part of the time was spent in making necessary repairs. on the last mentioned date a macabebe named soteros gatdula reported for duty as pilot, and under his direction the fleet steamed across the bay to the mouth of the rio grande. passing up this stream the boats shelled the towns of guagua and sexmoan. at the former place a fire had been started and a launch in the river was observed to be in flames. a party was sent out to try to save this craft, but she proved to be of little value and the attempt was abandoned. two spaniards claiming to have been held as prisoners by the natives, and a filipino suspect were taken aboard.
it was decided early in may to make an effort to pierce the waters of the rio grande de pampanga, which leads to calumpit and beyond far into the heart of the enemy's country. the first efforts to search out the channel were made by the "cavadonga" on may 9th. soteros gatdula, a macabebe pilot, was directed by general otis to undertake the task and the "cavadonga" started on the cruise into the unknown waters early in the morning. near the mouth of the river the boat suddenly went aground, and when the tide rose, and early in the day the boat was joined by the "laguna de bay." the channel was then located by the macabebe and there was no further difficulty in forcing a passage up the wide waters of the river, the largest on luzon island. for a long distance up the river the territory is occupied by the macabebes, the ancient and traditional enemies of the tagalan race. a large crowd of these friendly natives was on the shores of the river as the boats passed up and they filled the air with cheers and cries of "viva los americanos," which the soldiers replied to in variegated and wonderfully woven filipino phrases. one obstruction was met in the river consisting of cocoanut poles,[pg 87] but the macabebes assisted in removing these from the path of the boats. without having fired a shot, early in the afternoon the boats arrived at calumpit, where troops of the infantry were stationed.
on may 14th the "cavadonga" was sent out on a reconnoitering expedition up the river. on the way up sexmoan and apilit were passed, and it was observed that all the natives fled from the river as soon as the gunboat approached. the country is heavily timbered on both sides of the river, and there was no evidence of a hostile attitude on the part of the natives until the boat swung round the curve leading to san luiz. almost through the entire distance the shores were lined with filipino intrenchments, but it was discovered that these were unoccupied. lieutenant webb was out on the bow capstan, entirely unsheltered by the meagre 3-16-inch armor with which the craft was encased. just as a curve was rounded in front of san luiz a long line of straw hats and the bores of fifty rifles were seen facing the boat from the port side, no more than fifty yards away. lieutenant webb was scanning the opposite shore with his glasses, when the lookout discovered the enemy on the port side. sergeant ford fisher called out a sudden warning to the lieutenant and reached out towards him. just then the volley came. fisher reeled backward with a bullet piercing his brain. instantly the bow one-pounder and the gatling gun on the port side tore the filipino intrenchments. bullets pelted fast against the slight armor of the cruiser. fred mitchell, one of the men at the gatling gun, was wounded in the hand. the "cavadonga" turned round almost where it stood and slowly moved back, and during a wonderful skirmish in which the native and american frequently fired in each other's faces at a range of twenty yards, raked the filipino works with the fast-firing machine guns. the fighting only lasted thirty minutes.
when it was over ford fisher, who was still breathing, was placed on board the "oceania," which had remained about two hundred yards in the rear during the fighting, and almost at the moment he was laid on the[pg 88] craft he expired. the "oceania" sped quickly down the river with the dead body of the sergeant, but frequently the "cavadonga" stopped to suppress the desultory fire from the natives who had fled during the early part of the action. it was learned afterwards from the "padre" at san luiz that fifty insurgents had been killed during the engagement, and when the utah men arrived there a few days later a long line of new graves in the walled cemetery told a tragic story of the ending of the fight.
on the evening of this day the seventeenth regular infantry and a battalion of the ninth infantry advanced up the rio grande from calumpit over the old apilit road under the leadership of major kobbe of the third united states artillery. early the next morning the "laguna de bay" and "cavadonga" started up the river and most of the way kept within view of the troops on the shore. occasionally the gunboats moved ahead and daring scouts could be seen calmly looking into vacated filipino intrenchments. the enemy was encountered several times along the shore as far as san luiz and all intrenchments were bombarded by the "laguna de bay" some distance to prevent a repetition of the disastrous surprise of the day before. when san luiz was neared white flags could be seen floating everywhere, and on arriving there it was discovered that the whole body of insurgents had disappeared into the interior. the boats remained at this position during the night, and early the next morning resumed the advance ahead of the infantry up the waters of the pampanga. during this journey large numbers of filipinos were met in cascos with their families and all their earthly possessions, making their way down the stream. about noon the boats reached candaba without a hostile shot having been fired during the whole day. here major grant was met by the mayor of the city, who stated that he had forced the soldiers to evacuate in order to prevent the bombardment of the town and the subsequent loss of life among the people of whom he was guardian. an evidence of the hasty departure of the natives was found upon entering the town, for a guard list giving the names of the officers and[pg 89] enlisted men of the guard was found posted on the walls of the town hall.
this ended the fighting record of the gunboats under a utah commander. from this period until june 24th the boats were utilized in carrying supplies and towing soldiers, laden cascos and wounded men up and down the pampanga. on may 24th the rebel commissioners, general gregoria del pilar and colonel actia, who had gone to manila to negotiate peace with general otis after the crushing defeat of the insurgents at calumpit, were taken on the gunboats and conveyed as far as candaba. they had expressed a wish to go by way of the gunboats, as they had no desire to cross the insurgents' lines at san fernando because general luna was in command at that place and there was strife between the two generals. pilar showed great interest in the armament of the "laguna" and said he would give all his wealth for one of the three-inch guns. the "oceania" was sent ahead with instructions to all the commanding officers to make as large a display as possible. at san luiz the instructions were not complied with and as the "laguna" passed one officer and four men were falling in for guard. general gregoria smiled. farther up the river the case was different. where they were in the habit of posting but one guard there was an officer and twenty men. this was repeated at all the other stations until candaba was reached. general gregoria's smile had faded, and he remarked that the americans kept the country better patrolled than he had imagined. the general and colonel were landed at candaba and under an escort of americans disappeared in the distant green line of woods.
on may 24th it was known among all the utah men that their days of fighting were over, and on this date major grant was relieved of his command of the river boat fleet. and so ended, for utah, the career of these wonderful ironclad river machines.
