283

Albert S. Berger.

Letter describing hard fighting near Pasig--in both prose and verse.

Manila, Philippines, 20 April 1899
Autograph Letter Signed to friend George May of Cannelton, IN, care of his mother Alice. 8 pages, 8 x 4¾ inches, on 2 folding sheets; mailing folds, minimal wear. With original stamped envelope bearing blurred censor stamp and Manila military postmark. With typed transcript.

  • Notes: Albert S. Berger (1881-1905) of Cannelton, IN enlisted in the 22nd United States Infantry late in 1898. The regiment arrived in Manila in March 1899 and was immediately thrust into the bloody campaign against the insurgents in Pasig. 

    "I have been in the fild about 20 days now. I tell you, she is pretty hot here sometimes. I mean the buletts. It is almost as hot as it was in Cuba. . . . When we lay down, the buletts whiz over our heads like birds. . . . There are about one thousand wounded and sick in the hospital now. . . . You art to see the Chinesse. They follow the hospital men and help carry the wounded boys out of the field. . . . I have been in as hot a battle as I want to be. There were about 30 men out of 300 killed and wounded in 15 minutes. You must know the buletts were pretty thick. My heart and a great many fellows' heart were up in our necks. . . . It is the fact, I had a man to fall 2 feet from me."

    Berger also encloses his original manuscript poem in 10 verses, "Asleep in the Trenches." It is better as an historical document than as literature: "A sack of sand is near my head / Against which my carbine rests / Waiting for a Filipino / Boom! Boom! You know the rest. . . . We chased the insurgents down the road / Not even stopping for which to load / Like the grass their ranks we mowed / Burning their shacks as onward we rode." 

    Berger remained in the military until his death in 1905: he fell from a train heading back toward his base in Virginia. 
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