At last the big fight was over. After nearly twenty-four hours of
continual firing the Americans had conquered. It had been a splendid
battle, and what manner of death the vanquished had suffered only those
who looked into the fort and trenches after the battle, can say. The
mangled bodies of the Moro dead were piled up eight and ten deep in
places, and only those acquainted with the technicalities of a slaughter
house can imagine the sight as it appeared the next morning after the
battle. But these people would have war, and war they got, in all its
glory. Just eighty-three survivors remained out of the hundreds that
resisted the Americans.
But it must not be imagined that this great victory had been achieved
without loss to the Americans. Their casualties were far greater than
those of an ordinary battle, numbering close to a hundred.
With the break of day the gruesome task of burying the dead began, and
continued throughout the day, and by nightfall of May 3d the Battle of
Bayan was over and passed, but I cannot say forgotten, for that can
never be, for the memory of that battle will ever dwell in the minds of
those who witnessed or participated in that never-to-be-forgotten event.