Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-07-19
peopled by bushwhackers whose fire was

the casualties took place here, before they
had emerged from what would ordinarily
be termed cover" And, singularly
enough, some of the volunteers. it is sup
posed, showed the greatest reluctance to
leave this fancied shelter. which was really
so dangerous to them. A certain regiment.
which L shall not name until the official
reports of the battle are accessible, lay
Gown in the road leading through the tim
bered plain and all but one battalion re-
fused TO move on when ordered. Officers
of other regiments were heard to upbraid
these soldiers and to ask them to act like
men. If their own officers had thus spoken
TO them, il is not 10 be doubted that they
would have promptly responded. The way
was so blocked by their inaction that for a
little while the advance was stopped.
Then two regiments of regulars pressed
forward over the PROSTATE forms of those
ahead of them. some of the soldiers never
touching ground for yards at time.
Ii is but the merest justice to say that
the regiment which had lain so obstinately
in the road, afterward through at least
part of its number. helped TO carry the
=
very probable that the conduct of two of
its battalions, as described to me, was due
TO misapprehensicn 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 will push out and capture
the salient position in your 'front.'" it said
10 Generals Wheeler and Kent, ''if it can
be done without bringing on a general en-
gagement." How. in the name of all that
is military Generals Wheeler and Kent or
anyone else could determine beforehand
whether this attempt would bring on a
general engagement is certainly beyond hu-
man conjecture. And yet it seems strange
that a determined assault with 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 a commanding stronghold on his
left flank, could be ordered without the
accompanying supposition that general
engagement must follow.
One thing is certain that the enthusiasm
Z.
started. their 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. Un-
stinted credit is due to their ardor in at
tack and to their subsequent steadiness in
defense of that which they had gained.
1t was only as the stalwart blue-brown
line of the American troops hurled the
Spaniards back from the deep intrench-
ments in which the latter had been hid
den, and took their places as possessors of
dominating position, that the whole pam
Drama of the fight was unfolded. to those
who were carefully watching it from the
exposed vantage point of Grimes hill,
where the shells from the Spanish smoke
less batteries dropped with irregularity for
hours.
The sun had burst forth from the mist
ward" with scorching intensity. Now the
mist had risen and was absorbed in the
vast depths of the air which seemed to
give all the colors of the landscape a more
lively briliianey.
Between five and six miles to the north
eastward, the insistent firing of Lawtou's
artillery could be marked almost as dis
tinctly as the gyrations of a crack pitcher
by the grand stand spectator of baseball
game. First the white puff OF old-fashioned
powder. What seemed to be many seconds
would tick away before the dull round de-
he
the glass, around the base Of the old church
converted into blockhouse near the upper
end of the town or else upon the ram.
parts of the stone fort above it, great
masses Of dirt and dust were seen to rise
showing that the shell had struck and
had exploded at or near its mark The
mist fingered over the lower foothills. how
ever. and only where a deeper fringe of
vapor fioated over the edge of the valley
could the line of our infantrymen be
made out 1t was. of course much in
advance of the artillery position, which
was sharp pointed. pyramid shaped hill,
to our right rear. The steady pop-pop of
Lawton's rifles. answered by the Spanish
at longer and longer intervals. was cheer
ing enough. well because it proved the
coolness and deliberation of our marks
men as that 1t Indicated an uncompromis-
ing onward movement. 3-
The firing continued heavier on the right
throughout the whole of the first day than
IL was the left. Nowhere was better
demonstrated the fact that position and de-
fensive works We're the chief reliance OF the
enemy. This carried with il the corollary
underestimate by our general officers. 1t
was a marvel to every military man who
surveyed the field. after We had secured
possession of the whole Spanish line, how
We ever had been able to do il. They all
declared that, with such positions. SO COW
world equal to ours in numbers could have
dislodged us. unless indeed, il had n great
preponderance in artillery.
One of the most striking facts of the
campaign is that the Santiago expedition
was insuficiently equipped with field guns;
guns it would still he true that we were
absurdly wrong in our notion OF the fight
ing capacity OF the Spanish troops. and OF
the value OF their preparations for defense
While for three or four days our army
was encamped on the SeviEa branch of the
San Juan, it became n common remark OF
field and company officers that any enemy
with a small degree of enterprise could
attack US there and easily do us great dam