The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-19
CAMPAIGN BEFORE

Copyright. 1888. by the Associated Press
Correspondence OF the Associated Press-)
FL Paso. Near Santiago de Cuba, July
S.-Of most great fights It is probably
true that the nearer you ere TO the ex-
IRENE front the less generai conception
you can gain for the time OF what il
going on. The formation OF the ground
on which the battle of San Juan took
place peculiarly illustrates this fac. Tue
enemy, behind grea1ly masked breast
works on the eastern verge of the plateau,
could be located by the troops who were
moving against him. chiefly by the sound
OF his voneys. Even from the summit
CT the hill at our left center, on which
Grimes battery was posted and which az
forded a fine general view OF the whole
ffead. from the extreme left TO the stone
fort" dominating Caney. 1t was not asy
to discern clearly more than small por-
don of he Spanish line of fire. Our men.
as they advanced to the attack. were
completely shut in for half the distance
westward of the San Juan river BY the
tangled brush, which. hawever. was peo-
pied by bushwbackers. whose fire was
constant and deadly.
In some OF the regiments the majority
of the casualties took place here before
they had emerged from wha: could ordi-
narly be termed cover" And singuiarly
enough. some of the volunteers It is sup
posed, showed the greatest reluctance to
leave this fancted shelter. which was really
90 dangerous to them. A certain regi-
ment- which I shall not name until the
- -. -.
lay down in the road leading through the
timbered plain, and all but one battalion
refused to move on when ordered. Of
fcers Of other regiments were heard 10
upbraid these soldiers and TO ask them
to act like men II their own officers had
thus spoken 90 them 1t Is not 10 be
doobted that they would have promptly
responded The way was so blocked by
their inaction that for little while The
advance was stopped. Then two regi-
ments of regulars pressed forward over
the prostrare forms of those ahead of
them, some of the soldiers never touch
ing ground for yards at a time. II Is
mere justice to say that the regiment
which had lain so obsunately in tho
road, afterward through at least part
of it's number helped to carry the mos.
difficult position in its front. 1t Is very
probable that tho conduct of two OF It's
battalions, as described to me. was due
to nn4sappreh enston of orders on the
part of its officers
The order of General Shafter which led
to the battle Of San Juan was tentative
in its nature:
"You VIII push out and carry the saiien,
point in our front" It said 20 Generals
Wheeler and Kent. 'if it can be done
without bringing off a general engage
ment"
How, in the name of al THAT IS mill
tary, Generals Wheeler and Kent or any
one else could determine beforehand
whether this attempt would bring on
general engagement is certainly beyond
human conjecture. Aud yet it seems
strange that a determined assault, at the
full strength of our line. on the best and
most prominent position of the enemy,
with our right wing at the same time
hammering away at commanding
stronghold on his left flank could be
ordered without the accompanying sup
position that general engagement must
follow. One thin gis certain. that the
enthusiasm of the men and officers was
such that, once started. the advance could
not have been checked even by orders
from the major general until they had
driven the enemy from the crest of the
opposite ridge. Unstinted credit is due 20
their ardor in attack and TO their subse-
quent steadiness in defense of that which
they had gained.
1t was only as the stalwart blue-brow1
line of tn eAmerican troops hurled the
Spaniards back from the deep intrench-