Following is a copy of the admirable sermon preached by Chaplain George
D. Rice of the 27th Infantry, to the troops of the Lake Lanao
Expedition, on the Sunday following the battle of Bayan:
"I am going to speak to you to-day on courage, and how I saw it
displayed on May 2d, while you were engaged in open combat with the
Moros.
"There was a time when I thought that true courage was the absence of
fear. But after witnessing the battle of this week I have seen that
which has caused me to think differently now, because you demonstrated
to me on that day that true courage is not the absence of fear, but the
conquest of it. Surely, yours was the highest order of courage.
"I recollect when 'E' Company came to re-enforce. I turned and watched
three men in skirmish line coming through the tall grass under heavy
fire from the fort. They knew they were coming into the thickest of the
fire, but the interval in that line was correct, every piece right, no
shouting or noise of any sort. Simply a perfect line of determined men
coming up to take part.
"'Tis more than courage, I thought. It is order, it is discipline and
coolness. And the wounded! Such courage! One man struck in the leg. We
would help him to the rear; but no, he could crawl and refused help.
Another hit in the right arm, and he laughed. Then a bullet struck his
left arm and he only smiled and said: 'They did not treat me like this
in the Panay campaign.'
"Lieut. Wagner was shot in the stomach and leg, and said to me: 'My only
regret is to leave the fort with my work unfinished.' I saw one soldier
whom I supposed was dead, I pulled a shelter-half over him; just then a
soldier came running by. An officer shouted, 'Where are you going?' 'My
ammunition is all gone,' replied the man. I saw the shelter-half move.
In a moment my supposed dead man was sitting upright. He removed his
belt containing a few cartridges and gave it to the soldier. I wish I
could remember this man, but there were twenty or thirty dead and
wounded near there, and they were doing brave and unexpected things like
this all the time.
"Brave Vicars fell, mortally wounded, leading 'F' Company. Lieut.
Jossman had hardly time to assume command when he, too, was shot,
leaving 'F' Company without an officer, yet his finely disciplined
company held its line perfectly. A bullet struck Captain Moore in the
head, and as he rolled into one of the ditches he was heard to say, 'Do
not retreat.' I saw a wounded soldier making a noble effort to get out
of the line of fire. Who would help him? 'I'm going to help that man if
I die for it,' I heard someone say, as the man repeatedly tottered and
fell, with a terrible wound in his side. I looked, and in a moment brave
Lieut. Bickham, tall and strong, was facing the numerous shot and shell
to save his man, and he succeeded. A bullet passed through Major Scott's
hat, grazed his head, and brought the Major to his knees, but this
officer remained on the line.
"During that awful fight I saw officers and men leave their positions in
front of those terrible portholes for two reasons only--either because
wounded or to get more ammunition.
"There were hundreds of instances of heroism occurring about that fort.
When Lieut. Fulmer called for volunteers to scale the walls, dozens of
men responded. Lieuts. Hawkins and Wilson performed noble service, and
were a credit to themselves and their regiment. Battalion Adjutant Drum,
with his face smeared with powder and the dust of battle, was as cool as
he was courageous. Captains Phillips, Rogers, Lyons and Hutton were with
their respective commands, encouraging their men and doing excellent
service.
"It was surely a high order of courage that caused Sgt. Graves to swing
himself over the outer stockade of Binidayan when the fanatic Moro and
his knife could be seen above. It was courage of the most godly type
that took Corporal McGoveren down into the trenches to prop up the heads
of wounded men and give them water, while fighting, biting, dying Moros
occupied the same trenches. It was kingly courage on the part of Corpl.
Keeler, who, when shot in the leg, refused help, and said to me, 'I can
get to the rear alone, sir; help someone else.' It was courage of the
Christian soldier that inspired Sergt. Major Ingold and Sergt. McCarthy,
both wounded, to speak words of hope to their comrades.
"The courage displayed by the Moros was very different. The Moros were
caught in a trap. They knew it, and they fought the desperate fight of
their lives. You can drive a mouse into a corner like this, and he, too,
will turn. Bravery through necessity is not the true courage which comes
of Christ.
"Officers and soldiers of the 27th Infantry, I congratulate you to-day.
You have been tested and shown what you can do. You deserve credit for
what you did, and it is my earnest desire that the credit be equally
divided. When you write home to your people and tell them of the gallant
victory of the 27th Regiment, I want you to remember to speak of others
whose presence and deeds rendered it possible for you to accomplish what
you did. I want you to remember the officers and enlisted men of the
25th Battery. After the work of the battery was done, the members of the
battery came to the front with litters made of rifles, bamboo poles,
ponchos, and shelter-halves, with which they picked up many wounded and
took them to the surgeon. These men came to the line in squads, each
with litters, asking for wounded men, and several wounded men owe their
lives to these brave batterymen. They would go anywhere to get a wounded
man. They faced the thickest of the fire. A wounded man was pointed out
in a bunch of grass, and the bullets struck there so fast that one could
see the grass cut off. But these Artillerymen went there, and in a few
moments had the man safe in a litter. And all night these noble fellows
kept up the work. They took wounded from the jungles, the trenches and
the open, and carried them to a place of safety. Let us never forget the
work of the officers and men of the 25th Battery.
"Captain McNair, and Lieutenants Clark, Sunderland, and Deems of this
battery are worthy of our praise and thanks. Major Porter, surgeon,
tried to get on the line to treat a wounded man when a shot struck him
and brave Porter had to be taken to the rear. Just behind him I saw
hospital corps man Johnson also trying to reach a wounded man when
Johnson fell into one of the terrible and dark pitfalls of the enemy,
but got out later and did good work with the wounded. Young Dr. Allan
deserves credit for dressing numberless wounds of officers and men in
the trenches close to the fort and under fire that day. Drs. LeCompte
and Grabenstatter worked like heroes. Major Anderson, chief surgeon of
the expedition, made every preparation possible for the care of the
wounded officers and enlisted men. The entire medical corps remained up
all night attending to the wounded. They deserve great credit for their
work on that rainy, chilly and dark night under the fire of the enemy.
"And do not forget the men of the pack-train. Do you know that these men
brought a pack-train of ammunition to you over the slippery dangerous
trail that night?
"Captains Shuttleworth and Andrus, Lieutenants Peck and Fries and their
packers worked hard for you. They toiled constantly until they had every
wounded officer and man supplied with tentage, cots, blankets, and clean
clothes. Likewise, kindly remember the engineers and signal corps men.
Their work in this expedition will never be forgotten. Our commanding
officer, Colonel Baldwin, never rested that night. He was up and
planning for the morrow and for you. General Davis and his orderly and a
small guard rode many miles that night to the next camp below to arrange
for more troops to come up."
Thus spoke Chaplain Rice, equally dividing the credit of the victory,
and praising all for their part taken in the battle. But in all his
words there is one thing that he failed to do, which is characteristic
of this noble man. He failed to mention his own gallant services, of
which too much praise cannot be given. Almost from the beginning of
hostilities he was on the firing line, and up near the fort, speaking
words of cheer and comfort to the men in the trenches, and "God bless
the chaplain," are the words of every man of the Lake Lanao Expedition.