f 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 he