THE SECOND CIVIL WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES. 806 Many prisoners were taken, and one gun was captured. Towards sunset the Filipinos were everywhere in retreat. They had lost nearly 4,000 men. The Americans lost about 200. Major McConville, of the ist Idaho, was shot dead while leading his men. Colonel Smith, commanding the ist Tennessee, died of sunstroke on tlae battle-field. The regiment that suffered most heavily was the 14th Regular Infantry. On theleft centre the Americans had got possession of oneof the reservoirs. General Otis in his despatch declared that the neighbourhoodofManila was clear of the enemy, and thatAguinaldo's following were thoroughly demoralised. But the enemy was really rallying within sight of the suburbs, and had no idea of abandoningthe struggle after a first failure.

Philippines. Aguinaldo's friends have always maintained that General Otisand the American troops were the aggressors ; that they were anxious to force the decision of the Senate against the Filipino claims, and were at the same timenotsorry to put an end to tlaeanxious strainof tlae last few weeks. On theother hand, the American authoritiesassert that the fighting resulted from an attempt of armed bands of Filipinos to press forwardinto tlae suburbs.

However this may be, the first shots were fired at about a quarter to nine on Saturday evening,February 4th, near Santa Mesa, in the southern suburbs. The siring then ran along the outpostline round the city from Malate and Santa Mesa on tlae south to Calocan on the north side. The front over which tlae fighting extended was about fifteen miles. There were some 25,000 American troops in the city,mostly volunteers. As soon as the firing began, the bugles sounded tlae alarmand the troops turned out of their barracks. Some held variouspoints in the city;others hurried to support the outpost line in the suburbs. North and south of the town the warships of the squadron turned their searchlights on the Filipino positions and shelled the enemy as they advanced.

Duringthe next week there werealmost daily skirmishes. The Filipinos were strongly entrenchedat Malabon andCalocan near the shore on thenorth side of the city. On the 10th this position was attacked late in the afternoonafter havingbeen bombarded for some hours by the Charleston and the Monadnock. The attacking force was made up of the 4th Cavalry, the Kansas, Montana, and Idaho Volunteers, the 3rd Artillery actingas infantry, and the guns of the 6th Regular and the Utah Volunteer Artillery. The whole was under the command of General MacArthur. After the batteries had joined for a while in the bombardment, the infantry advanced against the enemy's front and round his left, rushed the trenches, and drove the Filipinos out of the villages. There seems to have been no very determined resistance. The enemy took up a new position in the bush and jungle north of Calocan, throwing up entrenchments across the railway line. With a view to an advance along the lineuponMalolos, theAmericanengineersconstructedan armoured train to carry a couple of quick-firers and some machine guns.

The Filipinos brought a few field pieces and quick-firing guns into action. But their chief hope of success was in their superior numbers, and they made desperate attempts to establish themselves in tlae suburbs, especially on the south side of thecity. In these attacks not only their riflementook part,but bandsof half-naked tribesmen, armed only with bows and arrows and spears,fearlesslyrushedagainst the American trenches and batteries. With the help of the villagers of Santa Ana and Paco, the Filipinos got possession of these places, Paco being just within the American outpost line. The massively built churches in the villages were held till next day, and only finally evacuated when they had been shattered and set on fire by the American artillery.

Again,it was said that the"insurgents" were utterly disheartenedand the war was over. But on the night of Thursday, February 23rd, General Otis had to face a more dangerous crisis than had yet occurred. Suddenly after nightfall fires brokeout in various parts of the city of Manila. Armed bands appeared in the streets and fired on the firemen,the soldiers,and on white civilians. At the same time on the American left at Calocan, and on the centre along the Pasig, the outpost line was fiercely attacked from the jungle. It was a terrible night of incendiarism and desperate street Between 3 and 4 a.m. the attack began to show signs of exhaustion, and the Americans then advanced at various points against the Filipino lines, and began rapidly driving the enemy back. During the Sunday morning, despite the intense heat, the American volunteers pressed steadily forward. On the north the Kansas and Dakota regiments drove the enemy back upon Calocan. On the south the California, Tennessee, and Nebraska men cleared SantaMesa,Paco, and theneighbouring villages.