LUKBAN
the other natives.” The distance was about 52 miles across unknown and uncharted jungles. While his earlier victory earned him laurels in the military’ s high command, this expedition would leave a black mark on his career for the excesses he and his men would commit and send him later to a court martial that would stir up controversy in his own country.
Waller spent most of December in leading an expedition from Basey to the east coast, during which he fought numerous small and successful skirmishes in Quinapundan, Omagonggong, and Pambujan. But these were unexciting and indecisive.“ Unless we meet with something much more serious than we have during this march, I think it safe to say that the southern part of the island of Samar is as quiet as many parts of Luzon, where peace is supposed to reign,” he wrote in his report to Smith.
In late December, Waller reached Hernani on the coast which was garrisoned by the American Army. There, two Army officers, Capt Pickering and Lt Williams, attempted to talk him out of the proposed march but he could not be dissuaded,“ remembering the General’ s [ Smith ] several talks on the subject and his evident desire to know the trail and run wires across, coupled with my( Waller) own desire for some further knowledge of the people and the nature of this heretofore impenetrable country.”
The expedition took off from Lanang( now Llorente) on 28 December, on a day that contrasted strongly with earlier, very heavy rains. Waller took Porter and Bearss, 1 st Lt Williams, 2d Lt Halford, and 2d Lt Lyles, an Army officer assigned by Brig. Gen. Smith. In addition, the force comprised 50 enlisted Marines, two native scouts named Slim and Smoke, and 33 native carriers or cargadores.
They travelled by boats as far up river as they could, which was not very far, but the subsequent march at once hit on a terrain which was tortuous.“ Gritty soil tore through heavy soles of hobnailed marching boots, heavy vines and thorns ripped clothes from the body and dispensed slimy leeches which homed under lacerated skin to produce painful, festering sores. The mountainous country dictated constant fording of the river which, in turn, spelled wet clothing with severe chafing. Then the rains returned.”
Movement got slower and slower. Then two days later, Waller reduced rations; the next day he cut them to one-half and the number of meals per day to two.“ By 1 January, his maps had been destroyed and he had as yet seen nothing that looked like the alleged Spanish trail. On 2 January the column was reduced to one-third rations; by 3 January many of the men could no longer keep up.”
Waller now decided to take Lt Halford and 13 men in the best condition, push on to a rendezvous with Capt. Dunlap who was waiting with food and clothing on the Sojoton river, then send back a relief party
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