On March 2nd, 1906, Wood ordered Colonel J.W. Duncan of the 6th Infantry Regiment, which was stationed at Zamboanga, the provincial capital, to lead an expedition against Bud Dajo. The assault force consisted of 272 men of the 6th Infantry, 211 dismounted men of the 4th Cavalry, 68 men of the 28th Artillery Battery, 51 men of the Philippine Constabulary, 110 men of the 19th Infantry and 6 sailors from the gunboat Pampanga. The battle began on March 5th, as mountain guns fired 40 rounds of shrapnel into the crater. During the night, the Americans hauled mountain guns to the crater's edge with block and tackle. At daybreak, the American guns, both the mountain guns and the guns of the Pampanga, opened fire on the Moros' fortifications in the crater. American forces then placed a Machine Gun... in a position where it could sweep the crest of the mountain between us and the cotta, murdering all Moros in the crater.