were supplied from the depot of the chief engineer, where, under the direction of the Chief Engineer, Eighth Army Corps, men of the company with sufficient transportation were in readiness to instantly supply all demands. The possession of two spring wagons and good ponies in this depot greatly facilitated the quick delivery of the lighter articles, while the heavier articles, such as bales of sand bags, shovels, and picks, had to be hauled in bull carts.

On February 15, I took the company out for a reconnaissance in force and became attached to part of the First Brigade, First Division, making a demonstration against. Pateros, near Laguna de Bay. The company here developed a considerable force of Insurgents, and was under fire for about an hour and a half, our supports having withdrawn without our knowledge.

The men behaved magnificently under fire and a terrible heat, five of them being partially overcome by the hot sun. The distance passed over this day was 27 miles of rather difficult ground and on a very hot day. The nature of the country was learned, and the object of the reconnaissance fully accomplished.

In this connection I wish specially to mention Private John Varney, jr., who volunteered to go out in the open field to recover a haversack belonging to another man of the company, and which had been dropped. He was fired upon by about ten Insurgents from a distance of about 200 yards, and showed the greatest coolness and courage while under the heavy fire.

Since hostilities began the company has repaired all roads and bridges, built new bridges where necessary; also a new road to center of First Division line, keeping the line supplied with all necessary engineer supplies, maps, etc.

The conduct of the company while under my command has been most excellent, and their information and intelligence of such a high order that discipline is maintained and all work performed, not from fear of punishment for neglects, nor from hope of reward, but from a high sense of duty well performed, such as one would expect rather from officers than enlisted men.

The part taken by the engineer company on February 5 has already been reported by Captain Haan through me.

Very respectfully,

CHAS. L. POTTER, Lieut. Col., U. S. Volunteers, Chief Engineer.

The ADJUTANT-GENERAL,

Department of the Pacific and Eighth Army Corps.

REPORT OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL POTTER OF OPERATIONS FROM MAY, 1898, TO JUNE 30, 1899.

OFFICE CHIEF ENGINEER,

Manila, P. I., June 30, 1899.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of work done by the Engineer Department since the organization of the Philippine expedition in May, 1898:

I reported for duty with the expeditionary forces to the Acting Adjutant-General, Department of California, May 13, 1898, and later to Maj. Gens. E. S. Otis and Wesley Merritt.

Application was made at once for engineer troops, both regular and volunteer, and for funds to outfit the expedition.

For troops there came later in May Company A, Battalion of Engi neers (3 officers and 60 men, afterwards recruited to 120), and funds sufficient for all purposes.

During the month of June a complete outfit necessary for an army of 20,000 for one year's service, including a siege, was purchased and loaded on the steamer Morgan City, sailing from San Francisco on June 27, 1898.

Lieut. W. D. Connor, with 20 men, left with the second expedition, Lieut. Charles P. Echols following with 100 on the Indiana on June 27, and myself on the Newport on the 29th. The latter vessel arrived in ENG 99-243

Manila Bay July 25, and I found Lieutenant Connor's detachment just moving from Cavite to Camp Dewey. With this party Lieutenant Connor and myself made a reconnaissance of the front around to San Pedro Macati, and Lieutenant Connor repaired roads and bridges in several places. The remainder of the company came into camp a few days before the advance on Manila, each portion being assigned to a brigade of the division under General Anderson and coming into the city with the other troops.

In August Lieutenant Connor was assigned to duty in charge of the waterworks, and Lieutenant Echols being sick and afterwards ordered home, the company was commanded by Lieut. W. G. Haan, Third U. S. Artillery, from that time till March 11, when Capt. F. R. Shunk reported and took command of the company.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities the company was employed in making reconnaissances as far out as they were allowed to go (in one case a party was captured and held at Malolos as prisoners for two days) in surveying the city and repairing roads and bridges.

On February 5 the company acted as infantry, assisting the First California Volunteer Infantry in the capture of San Pedro Macati. A few days later they made a reconnaissance beyond this point and had some sharp fighting.

From the time Captain Shunk took command the company has constructed and repaired a large number of bridges, made several ferries, done reconnaissance work in many places, removed sunken cascoes loaded with stone at two points in the Pasig River, demolished walls in the town of Pasig, and repaired roads at various places. In addition to this, when General MacArthur started his advance on Malolos two detachments were sent out; one with the right, under Captain Shunk, to build a footbridge over Tuliahan River, and one with the left, under Lieut. W. F. Wooten, to assist in repairing the railroad and remain with the command indefinitely.

After building the footbridge on the right the detachment under Captain Shunk also, contrary to my intention, went on with the command to Malolos, where the two detachments were united in one under Lieutenant Wooten. This consolidated detachment has been with General MacArthur ever since and has done excellent work.

The company has now about the same strength with which it started out, and has three officers, Capt. F. R. Shunk, Lieut. W. P. Wooten, and Lieut. Horton W. Stickle, all of whom have cooperated to do rapid and efficient work.

With the assistance of enlisted men detailed from the company, and with transportation furnished by the quartermaster, I have been enabled to furnish promptly all tools and materials called for from all points of the line; have furnished such maps as could be obtained to all parties asking for them, and by furnishing instruments and material have gotten some very good reconnaissance by line officers.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. L. POTTER, Lieut. Col., U. S. Volunteers, Chief Engineer.

The ADJUTANT GENERAL,

Department of the Pacific and Eighth Army Corps.

REPORT OF LIEUT. W. G. HAAN, THIRD ARTILLERY.

HEADQUARTERS COMPANY A,

BATTALION OF ENGINEERS,

Manila, P. I., March 5, 1899.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of Company A, Battalion of Engineers, while under my command, from September 7, 1898, to March 5, 1899.

Soon after I was placed in command of the company the city limits were established for the purposes of military government. It was found that all Spanish maps of the city and suburbs were inaccurate and a survey was required. This work took about six weeks, and the map,' herewith submitted, was made entirely from our own notes and is as accurate as can be made by the prismatic compass and tape surveys. The company was also engaged in building and repairing bridges and roads in and about the city, making accurate surveys for camps, drainage, etc., superintending the grading of streets, inspecting and keeping in repair the electric-light system of Manila.

Draftsmen were detailed in the office of the chief engineer and tem porarily in other departments.

A number of the members of the company have been more or less permanently detached for surveying and doing other engineering work in the various departments.

The company was not permitted to go outside our lines for the purpose of map making, but I have been myself or sent detachments over all important roads in the province of Manila to verify Spanish maps, and have thus been enabled to supply the Army with reasonably accurate maps of the surrounding country. The commanding officers of all organizations having been supplied, when hostilities broke out the company took its place on the fighting line and a report of its action on February 5, 1899, is hereto annexed.

The entire army was amply supplied with engineering and intrenching tools, so that wherever the line stopped it could be immediately intrenched. These tools were supplied from the depot of the chief engineer, where, under the direction of the Chief Engineer, Eighth Army Corps, men of the company with sufficient transportation were in readiness to instantly supply all demands. The possession of two spring wagons and good ponies in this depot greatly facilitated the quick delivery of the lighter articles, while the heavier articles, such as bales of sand bags, shovels, and picks, had to be hauled in bull carts. On February 15 I took the company out for a reconnaissance in force and became attached to part of the First Brigade, First Division, maka demonstration against Pateros, near Laguna de Bay. The company here developed a considerable force of insurgents, and was under tire for about an hour and a half, our supports having withdrawn without our knowledge. The men behaved magnificently under fire and a ter rible heat, five of them being partially overcome by the hot sun. The distance passed over this day was 27 miles of rather difficult ground and on a very hot day. The nature of the country was learned and the object of the reconnaissance fully accomplished.

In this connection I wish especially to mention Private John Varney, jr., who volunteered to go out in the open field to recover a haversack belonging to another man in the company and which had been dropped. He was fired upon by about ten Insurgents from a distance of about 200

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yards and showed the greatest coolness and courage while under this heavy fire.

Since hostilities began the company has repaired all roads and bridges, built new bridges where necessary, also a new road to center of First Division line, keeping the line supplied with all necessary engi neer supplies, maps, etc.

Accurate maps of all Insurgent and American trenches and the posi tion of the troops are indicated on maps herewith submitted.

The conduct of the company while under my command has been most excellent, and their information and intelligence of such a high order that discipline is maintained and all work performed, not from fear of punishment for neglects nor from hope of reward, but from a high sense of duty well performed, such as one would expect rather from officers than enlisted men.

Maps herewith submitted are self explanatory.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. G. HAAN,

First Lieutenant, Third Artillery, Commanding Company A, Battalion of Engineers.

The CHIEF ENGINEER,

Eighth Army Corps.

report of lieut. W. P. WOOTEN, Corps of engineers.

SAN FERNANDO, May 17, 1899. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report concerning the operations of my detachment of engineers from March 23, 1899, to April 30, 1899:

On the morning of March 23 I went out to Caloocan under instruc tions from the Chief Engineer, Eighth Army Corps, and assumed command of a detachment of 2 noncommissioned officers and 20 privates from Company A, Battalion of Engineers, which had been sent out the night before to accompany General Wheaton's brigade in the advance which was to be made from that point.

The detachment remained at Caloocan until the morning of March 25, when the advance began. Our tools and material had been loaded on railway cars and our train followed immediately in rear of the firing line. By noon, the troops having advanced to within 900 yards of the Tuliahan River, a halt was ordered until the following afternoon, when the advance was resumed. As soon as the enemy had been driven from their trenches on the north bank of the Tuliahan, the engineers' cars were pushed by hand down to the railroad bridge. Here it was found that the track had been destroyed over the bridge and for a distance of 150 yards on the south side, while on the north side the roadbed had been entirely cut away for a short distance, and in another place an embankment had been thrown across the road. The ironwork of the bridge was uninjured, but an effort had apparently been made to destroy one abutment. Our first work here was to lay a footbridge, over which some of the troops of the brigade passed, the others having previously crossed at points above and below this bridge. At 4 o'clock I began repairing and relaying the track with the help of 50 Chinamen, whom Major Devol, the transportation quartermaster, had placed at my dis

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posal. By working continuously, stopping only for meals, this was completed by noon the following day, March 27, and by 6 p. m. the track had been repaired to Malinta, where the brigade camped for the night.

By noon of the 28th we had advanced to Marilao, making a few necessary repairs to the railroad as we advanced.

At Marilao the detachment planked over the railroad bridge for the wagon train, completing the work in about one hour and a half. We camped at Marilao for the night. Next day (March 29) the track was repaired as far as Bocaue, most of the damage done consisting in the removal of the fish plates and spikes from portions of the track. Arriving at Bocaue about 5 p. m., the railroad bridge near there was planked over and the wagon train started across it by 7 o'clock.

March 30 I was directed to assist Captain Shunk and his detachment in the construction of a ferry across the Bigaa River. This work having been completed, in the evening my detachment marched to Guiguinto, arriving there about 11 p. m.

On the following day, March 31, Malolos was captured, and it was found that the railroad track for the distance of about half a mile before reaching the station had been utterly destroyed. In addition to my detachment, the transportation quartermaster furnished a detail of 20 white men and 50 Chinamen, and by noon April 2 the track was completed.

After arriving at Malolos the detachments commanded by Captain Shunk and myself were combined and reduced, Captain Shunk returning to the company at Malate and I being left in command of a detachment of 4 noncommissioned officers and 30 men. While at Malolos the detachment constructed about 20 bamboo footbridges and 1 wagon road bridge, and dug out two 6-inch breech-loading rifles which had been buried by the Insurgents.

On the morning of April 13 we were sent out toward Paombon to repair a bridge which had been burned by the insurgents in an early morning attack. A few insurgents still remained in the vicinity and kept up a desultory fire on the bridge while it was being repaired, but no casualties resulted.

On the evening of April 23 the detachment with 10 men furnished by the quartermaster and 12 men by the Kansas regiment were sent out 3 miles beyond our outposts and within a mile of the Insurgent lines, to repair a portion of the track for the advance which was to be made by our troops on the 25th. This work was completed and the detachment returned about 11 o'clock at night.

When the Insurgents were driven from the Bagbag River on the 25th it was found that a span of the iron bridge (railroad) about 65 feet long, at that point, had been cut, and the railroad track entirely destroyed from there to beyond the Rio Grande at Calumpit, about 2 miles distant. A footbridge was constructed over the broken railroad bridge, across which the troops passed the next morning. As soon as the troops passed over we began the construction of a wagon bridge. This involved the planking over of the three uncut spans, the bridging of the cut span, the height of the bridge above the bottom of the river being about 30 feet, the construction of trestlework over 60 feet of roadway which had been cut out to a depth of 10 feet just beyond the north abutment of the bridge, and the cutting away of an earthwork which had been thrown across the road. By working continuously, stopping only for meals, this was completed by 10 o'clock the following morning, April 27.