The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-09
MODEST SANTIAGO HERO
CAPT. PICKERING, FORMERLY STA
TONED AT PURDUE, IN THE CITY.
Visited Camp Mount without Drop
ping CIew as to His Re-
cent Services.

If it hadn't been for chance remark
made after Capt. Abner Pickering, of the
Second United States Infantry, had left Col
Studebaker's headquarters yesterday, the
several reporters there and officers might
never have known that the captain was one
of the heroes who charged up the San Juan
hill in the memorable engagement before
Santiago The captain had quietly dropped
into camp to see his friend, Lieutenant
Colonel May, and for half hour a group,
including newspaper men, sat about chat
ting of the war, the battles, the movement
of troops and telling about how it all really
ought to have been done. Representative
Lands was one of the crowd. and he in
turn was introduced to the Second Infantry
captain. The captain modestly dropped in a
word occasionally, nothing about himself or
his service, however, and somehow the i'm
preston gained that the visitor might have
been pigeon holed in the West somewhere
during hostilities. or perhaps might have
found his lot cast in some tedious camp ex-
perience. No one supposed for a minute
that soldier could come back from Santi-
ago, and from the very front of the battle
at that, without dropping some little clew
as to his recent services. The captain
After the captain had hidden his friends
goodbye Colonel May casually remarked
that his friend had been in the Santiago
campaign, and then there was a newspaper
scramble to locate the captain. He is visit
ing Col. N. r. Ruckle, No. 2O11 North Illi-
nois street, where he was found last night.
He was as reluctant to exploit the deeds of
his regiment as he was in volunteering in
formation at Camp Mount as to his serv-
mOdaStlX confined himself 10 n
swering questions
1.-The Second Regiment" said he, 'lost
about sixty men, about as many as others"
You lost large proportion of your off,
Ruckle.
Yes; think the percentage was about
80 or 81. We had but few officers. Most of
the companies had no more than one"
Pressed for details of the fight, the cap
Second Regiment was at the left of camp
the night before the main battle, and
was expected to take the left of the field
next day the left of the camp came up
while the fight was at its height, pretty
well in the middle of the line of battle.
Here the Second Regiment was exposed to
the high shells that passed over the right.
There was great enthusiasm when the
charge was made up San Juan HILL amidst
the shouts of the United States soldiers.
Meantime, exposed to a CALLING fire which
it could not return without hitting United
States soldiers, the Second Regiment adj
was but little opposition. AS night came
down, however, the situation was most crit
ical. Captain Pickering had the left COM
pany. He threw out picket lines as far as
was safe, expecting attack. There were no
reinforcements behind him, and he says
that had the enemy made charge there
must have been much loss. But they either
did not know the critical position of the
American troops, or did not have force
enough to attack and flank the left. An
other opportunity was lost to the enemy
when a garrison of four thousand Spaniards
failed to come up from the rear. Though
the night was passed in anxiety, daylight
brought achievements
Although escaping without being wounded
in the battle, Captain Pickering afterward
was attacked by malaria, from which he
has not recovered entirely yet He says that
scarcely per cent. of the men of the Fifth
Corps escaped it in some one of its various
forms. There was some yellow fever, the
unprofessonal men thought, although the
physicians did not think there was much of
it. IF a man recovered they said he had
a malignant malarial fever-if he died they
pronounced it yellow fever" said the cap
TAIN
Captain Pickering reached Montauk Point
Aug IL. He was in detention four or five
days and then, on a sick leave, came on to
Lafayette, where, until 1884, he was sta
toned at Purdue University. The captain
formerly lived in Wabash. Representative
Tyner recommended him for West Point.
The captain expects to return to Lafayette
tomorrow morning, where his son will go
into the university.