Filipino officer stagger by, clutching his wounded arm. The officer stared at him and suddenly drew a dirty handkerchief from his pocket. Waving this handkerchief over his head, he turned back, and soon several other handkerchiefs appeared. The firing on the American side ceased, and the brief but bloody contest came to an end.
This was the fight at the old church, where twenty-six sharpshooters were taken prisoners, among them Carlos Vivachi, one of the most remarkable marksmen in the world, and who held the honor—as he termed it—of having brought down nine Spanish officers during the war with Spain. How many Americans he had killed or wounded Vivachi would never tell.
In the meantime the other commands under General MacArthur were not idle, and a brilliant attack upon Magalang itself soon put the enemy on the run. During this fight a small part of the town took fire and burned down. The Filipinos were chased for over a mile beyond the outskirts, and the battle resulted in a loss to them of over two hundred killed and wounded. The losses to the Americans were but trifling in comparison.
When the fighting was over, the regiment under
