The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-04

Surgeon Kirkpatrick Commended.
Copyright. 1898, by the Associated Press.)
Headquarters of the First division of the
Fifth army corps near Santiago de Cuba,
July 22.-Major General Shafter having
authorized the publication of the official
report of Brigadier General J. Ford Kent
of the battle of July l. ? and 3, a certified
copy of the report is now furnished to
the Associated Press by Major A. G.
Sharp. assistant adjutant general, First
division, Fifth army corps
In this report, which is GATED July l.
General Kent, after detailing the move
ments which brought on the battle of
July l, gives the first official statement
covering certain incidents of that. engage
ment.
The commander of the Fifth corps had
directed General Kent to make a green
hill in the distance the objective point
! OF his left and to keep the right of his
! division on the main road leading TO San
! tiagO. The advance was begun after the
| enemys artillery had opened in reply to
Grimes battery. Instructions HAD been
| given TO allow the cavalry the right of
way, but they moved very slowly, the re-
/ port says, causing delay OF fully 40 min
uteS in the general advance.
/ During the advance, General Kent re-
ports, the division suffered heavy losses,
! caused by the balloon near by attracting
| the enemy s fire and disclosing the posi-
/ ton OF the division.
! Describing the fighting in the vicinity
/ of the main ford of TIE San Juan river,
/ the report says:
The enemy S infantry fire. steadily in
/ creasing in intensity. now came from all
directions. not only from the front and
| the dense tropical thicketS on our TANKS,
/ but from sharpshOOters thickly posted in
! trees in our rear. and from shrapnel, APP
! parently aimed at the balloon. Lieutenant
I Colonel Derby of Skaters staff met me
about this time and informed me that a
trail or narrow way had been discovered
from the balloon a short distance leading
! TO the left of the ford, lower down the
/ stream.
NEW WORKERS IN A PANIC.
Il FASTENED to the forks made by this
, road and soon after the SeVenty-first New
/ York regiment. of Hawkins brigade, came
! up. l turned them into the by-path indi-,
/ Gated by Lieuteant Colonel Derby leading
/ TO the lower ford sending word to Cen
| eral Hawkins of this movement. This
would have speedily delivered them Ia
| their proper place on the left of their
| brigade, but under the CALLING fire of the
enemy the leading battalion of this regi-
ment was thrown into confusion and re-
cOiled in disorder on the troops in the
rear. At this critical moment, the officers
! of my staff practically formed Gordon
behind the panic stricken men and urged
them TO again go forward l finally or
( uereu INeIn 70 lie down IN the tnlckeI and
clear the way for others of their own reg
iment who were coming up behind. This
many OF them did. and the Second and
Third battaliOnS came forward in better
tIOrder and moved along the road towards
the ford One of my staff officers ran
back, waving his hat to hurry forward
the forks. found the way blocked by men
of the Seventy-first New York. There
were other men of this regiment crouch
ing in the bushes. many of whom were
. al
preaching column to arise and go for
ward. As already stated, 1 had received
orders some time before to keep in the
rear of the cavalry division 1ne1r aO-
vance was much slower resulting IN fire.
quent haltS. presume bly, to drop their
blanket rolls and due to the natural de-
lay in fording a stream
These delays under CALLING fire grew
exceedingly irksOme and 1 therefore
pushed the head of nay division as quick
ly as 1 could toward the river in column
or files of twoS paralleled on the narrow
way by the cavalry. This quickened the
forward movement and enabled me to
get into position as speedflv as possfble
for the attack. Owing TO the cOngested
condition of the road, the progress of the
narrow column was, however, painfully
slow.
Il again sent a staff officer at a gallop
to urge forward the troops in the rear.
The head of WikOf's brigade reached the
forks at 1z:2O p. m. and hurried on the
left stepping over Frustrated forms of
men of the Seventy-first. This heroic bril-
gade consisting of the Thirteenth, Ninth
ana Twenty-fourth United States infan-
try). speedily crossed the stream and
were quickly deplOyed to the left of the
lower ford. While personally superintend-
ing this movement Colonel Wikoff was
killed, the command of the brigade then
devolving upon LIEUTENANT Colonel Worth,
Thirteenth infantry. who Immediately fell,
severely wounded, and then upon Lieu
tenant Colonel Liscum Twenty-fourth in
fantry, who, minutes later. also fell
under the whitening fire of the enemy
The command OF the brigade then de-
VOlVed upon Lieutenant Colonel T Z.
Weers, Ninth infantry.
Meanwhile l had again sent staff Of
ficer to hurry forward the Second bril-
gade, which was bringing up the rear.
The Tenth and Second infantry soon ar
rived at the forks were DETECTED to the
left to follow the Third brigade, while the
Twenty-firSt was directed along the main
road to support Hawkins Crossing the
lower fork a few minutes later, the Tenth
and Second moved forward in column in
good order toward the green knoll al
ready referred to as my objective on the
left Approaching the knoll the regiments
deplOyed, passed over the Knoll and as
cended the high ridge beyond, driving
back the enemy in the direction of his
trenches 1 observed this movement from
the forts on San Juan hill. Colonel Z. +.
Pearson. Tenth infantry. commanding the
Second brigade. and officers and troops
under his command. deserve great credit
for the SOldierly manner IN which this
movement was executed L earnestly rec
ommend Colonel Pearson for promotion
Prior TO this advance of the Second bril-
gade the Third connected with Hawkins
gallant troops on the right and moved to-
ward Fort San Juan, sweeping through a
zone of most destructive fire, scaling the
steep and difficult hill, and assisting in
capturing the enemys position, Fort San
Juan. at 1:30 p. NJ This crest was about
125 feet above the general level and was
defended by deep trenches and loop
holed brick fort, surrounded by barbed
wire
1.-The greatest credit is due to the off,
cersof my command. whether company,
battalion. regiment or brigade command
ers who so admirably directed the for
nation of their troops. unavoidably inter-
mixed in the dense thicket. and made the
desperate rush of the distant and strongly
defended crest
General Kent praises the members of
his staff and urges that they should at
least be brevetted or gallantry under fire.
and he particularly praises the conduct of
T. j. Kirkpatrick, assistant surgeon. on.
duty with the Twenty-fourth. and First
Lieutenant ]. d. 8filey, Fifth artillery.
aide to General Shafter. The conduct OF