Evening star., 1898-08-18
A SOLDIERS BATTLE.
Comments by Staff Officer on the
Fight at Santiago.
INADEQUATE COMMISSARY FACILITIES
Half the Army Would Have Been
Lost in Carrying the City.
LACK OF SIEGE GUN

The following are extracts from letter
| written to friend by staff officer in the
| fight before Santiago:
| BEFORE SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
| July "a, 1898.
After being separated from our tentage
! for a month (not to mention clean clothes)
| we are now comfortably encamped here be-
fore the city, tents up. with almost all the
| comforts of home. When 1 tell you that L
| actually luxuriate in an oil lantern, with
several other comforts, 1t may not mean
much to you, but it does to those who for
| thirty days have been under tropical suns
| daily, drenching rains, with rubber coat
and poncho for bed, fianked by but little
| to eat
The battle was terrible. With the mod
| ern rapid-fire arms on both sides the ca
| pacity for continuous terrific fire was be-
yond description. There has never been in
| is not my personal impression alone but
| that of all the officers who have pass
| ed through the war of the rebellion. Very
! few, If any, of the accounts in the news
| papers are correct The reporters were not
| numerously 'en evidence until about July
4. when they began crawling from their
| holes in the ground.
How the Battle Was Planned.
| Il will give you brief account of the
| part taken in the battle by our division
! On the Both of June the 1st Division (our
| OWN was in camp about three miles from
where the battle of the next day began
| Early on the morning of July 1 the ID Di-
vision Nawtons) began firing OH the right.
| at Caney. The plan was for him TO take
| that place, then come right in and form on
| the right OF the general line before Santi-
| ago. This, however, took him all day so
that it was not until July that his divis
ION came into position. Meanwhile Wheel
| er's cavalry division and our own marched
toward the city. Two batteries of light ar
tiliery stationed on hill two miles from
| the Spanish lines were firing on their block
houses, doing little damage except to draw
the nre from the enemy'S hills which did
CONSIDERABLE execution, wounding some of
our men and killing some horses AS our
division marched that day the ID Brigade
| tours) was In the rear Gt is usual TO alter
nave the order of march in large bodies of
troops), Hawkins QSt Brigade) led fol-
lowed by the the Sd Brigade Colonel Wick
ON, and then our own We were all closed
up however, so that there was small differ
ence OF time in getting under fire The road
tnrousn which we marched was in bot
TOM, through a growth of trees and under
brush, and only wide enough to allow a
column OF fours, with no chance TO deploy
OF march IN extended order. All this time
tne enemy was more active in shellins our
vicinity and treating it to infantry fire by
Volley. ~
BoltinE of the 71st.
Here began the really interesting part.
SOiiAilS 10 Il turn In the road
came in full view of a block house and in
trenchments. on the crest of a high hill
about one thousand yards away, across the
san Juan river. Here our brigade turned
to the left and the brigade commander n,,+
the 10th Infantry On wooded ridge where
IL remained short time; long enough
however, to nave one man killed and one
wounded. 1t was here that we ran into at
least two battalons of the list New York
Volunteers, who were in Hawkins brigade
and mad bolted disgracefully to the rear
blocking our road and creafinp confusion
They lined the roadside and were being
SHOT down like dogs. because of their
stampede and of knowing what to
DO, or having any one to make them go to
the front. Gen. Kent had himself told us
OF their rout, and II was shameful In get
ting the regiments of our brigade in shape
to move forward it was literally necessary
Tor me to ride over many, for they were
huddled together in groups like sheen To
one major of the list it was the brigade
adJutant's pleasure to say a few words.
which, while not polite, nor calculated to
D nring him Joy, We're at least to the point
Their colonel could not be found for two
days QSt and 2d), and how he explains this
know not. The New York papers Iauda-
irons on the gallantry of this regiment are
utterly false accounts. Outside of few
companies, who really did remain on the !
firing line, tine regiment simply bolted as /
write it.
Under Heavy Fire.
Alter leaVlns the ridge the brigade cross
ed the river under heavy fire. Here the
wounded and dead began to be seen. and
there We're many. At this crossing Wikoff
and other officers were killed. l dismount-
ed to see if any assistance could be given
him, but he was beyond help The bri
gades preceding formed to the right while
ours, Joining their lines, became the extreme
left of the whole line. The entire line an
preached the ridge under heavy fire, driy-
the before
ing up position-which We held to the last
on the crest of high range of hills from
nVe hundred to fifteen hundred yards from
uhe works of the Spaniards before Santago
1he line of the I'd Brigade (that occuniad
by the 10th and 21st Infantry was no more
than five hundred yards across from the
fantry tother regiment of the brigade)
about twelve hundred yards. There these
regiments fought the remainder of July
anu a tnrougn ene entire day of the I'd and
half OF the Sd of July. 1t was simply ter
rlbe. The heat was So intense and with
the constant firing, the strain was almost
TOO great for human endurance, and to my
mind none but an American army could !
have stood it. The line occupied by tbe
army was about five miles long, shaped
IKE horseshoe, except that part of the
Ioun and list Infantry which ran out at |
an angle.
After the First Days Fight,
When the firing stopped with the dark
-->~S
tred, and rode back about three miles
where we had our kitchen, to get something
to eat In my life to come L shall never
forget that ride 1t was moonlight which |
made everything more weird. The roads
were blocked by the dead and wounded be- |
ing taken to the rear, while the roadside |
itself was lined by the dead, the dying. the !
wounded, many of them having era wIed To
the rear unattended, only to die in agony |
ana utter loneliness. Such pictures as we |
saw l have read of, but never can their
horror be realized until actually seen. Our |
camp had vanished and we were Obliged |
to return supDerless to our lines where |
after comforting ourselves with one hard,
tack apiece and a drink of water, we rolled |
ourselves up in rubber coats and slept in |
the wet grass under tree, to be wakened |
at daybreak by the reopening of the bali" |
which was incessant all day long.
July 26. This morning my pen seems a |
little shaky, probably from the quinine in |
my system; but then when one has taken |
for weeks on an average from ten to twelve
grains of the stuff daily, it commences to
be felt However, We all have malaria; In |
fact, it is the fad to have it; no household |
or tenthold is complete without II W.