13th of August, and
advancing swiftly, finding the Spanish trenches deserted, "but as
they passed over the Spanish works they were met by a sharp fire from
a second line, situated in the streets of Malate, by which a number
of men were killed and wounded, among others the soldier who pulled
down the Spanish colors still flying on the fort and raised our own."

General Greene is complimentary to the officers and who conducted
the reconnaissances while he was at Camp Dewey twenty-five days,
and states:

"Captain Grove and Lieutenant Means, of the First Colorado, had been
particularly active in this work and fearless in penetrating beyond
our lines and close to those of the enemy. As the time for attack
approached, these officers made a careful examination of the ground
between our trenches and Fort San Antonio de Abad, and, finally,
on August 11, Major J. F. Bell, United States Volunteer Engineers,
tested the creek in front of this fort and ascertained not only that
it was fordable, but the exact width of the ford at the beach, and
actually swam in the bay to a point from which he could examine the
Spanish line from the rear. With the information thus obtained it was
possible to plan the attack intelligently. The position assigned to
my brigade extended from the beach to the small rice swamp, a front
of about 700 yards.

"After the sharp skirmish on the second line of defense of the
Spaniards, and after Greene's brigade moved through Malate, meeting
a shuffling foe, the open space at the luneta, just south of the
walled city, was reached about 1 p. m. A white flag was flying at the
southwest bastion, and I rode forward to meet it under a heavy fire
from our right and rear on the Paco road. At the bastion I was informed
that officers representing General Merritt and Admiral Dewey were on
their way ashore to receive the surrender, and I therefore turned east
to the Paco road. The firing ceased at this time, and on reaching this
road I found nearly 1,000 Spanish troops who had retreated from Santa
Ana through Paco, and coming up the Paco road had been firing on our
flank. I held the commanding officers, but ordered these troops to
march into the walled city. At this point, the California regiment
a short time before had met some insurgents who had fired at the
Spaniards on the walls, and the latter in returning the fire had
caused a loss in the California regiment of 1 killed and 2 wounded.

"My instructions were to ma