The Springfield herald., 1898-08-05

Our brigade halted and filed can
teens at the ford. Grimes battery
| was up on hill to our left front, play
ing on the Spnniards. Nobody that |
saw knew where we We're going or
| anything of What was going on in
front. We only knew we were going
where we We're told and that those in
command understood If we didn't.
We marched up the road almost half
n mile, halted and laid off everything
but canteens. arms and ammunition.
Just at this time the wounded men be-
gan passing us going to the rear. many
of them badly shot and bleeding, 9th
ers, supported by comrades, stagger-
ing along. some carried on stretchers,
some in blankets. A bit farther on up
the road we passed under the fire of
the Spanish battery and Grimes bat
terry. Right here the road became
blocked ahead of us and we lay down
ut the side of the trail. The Span
iards We're cutting their fuses too
short to reach Grimes battery and we
got the full benefit of their shrapnel.
which burst right in our faces. This
was the worst part of the battle for
us. The Spanish infantry on the hills
beyond had the road located and was
firing on it. Men We're hit on all sides
of us. We couldn't see where the bull
lets We're coming from beyond the
brush. The trees We're filled with
sharpshOOters, who picked our Off
GERS off, and altogether 1t was Sc
we're test of the courage of our men.
'1n fifteen minutes, which seemed
that many hours to us, Colonel Fwens
called down the column: Rise and
move forward on the rum The com
mand was repeated down the column.
and we found ourselves shufiling down
the road. In n few minutes we reach
ed the ford of the San Juan river.
The men plunged into the water up to
their waists and got across. This
ford was in plain view of the enemy
and was swept by n terrific fire of in
fantry. Many men fell. Some of the
wounded succeeded in gaining the
other bank Others fell in the water
and were pulled out. Some We're
drowned.
"On the other side of the ford there
was Il little shelving plateau in the
shape of semicircle. Here we lay
down again. somewhat protected, but
the shrapnel and the sharpshooters in
the trees continued to pick us off.
Right here Colonel Worth was shot.
AS we lay here had II chance to look
over the bank and see in front of lis
for the first time the enemy. Immcd-
ately in front of us was n long grassy
plain about half mile wide, perfectly
level, with a few large trees scattered
over it. At the other side was n hill
which seemed to have sides almost
perpendicular and about 300 feet high.
On top of this were two houses pre-
pared for defense and trenches occu-
pied by the Spaniards. and the whole
crest of the hill was covered with lit
tie puffs of BLUSH mist.
'rhe Sixth and Sixteenth pushed
out. deployed rs skirmishers. and be
gan to advance by short rushes, lying
down and firing at the halts. The
Twentyfourth came up and formed
behind us. The Thirteenth moved out
from the river bottom. deployed, lay
down and began to fire vollcys mt the
hill crest. Our hearts We're in our
mouths rs we watched our skirmish
line move forward. Sometimes ii
looked rs if they could go right along.
At other times it seemed that they
must come back. All nt once my bat
TALON got our command to slide down
the bank and form in line in the river
around the bend. Then came the com
mand Forward and with n sigh of
relief we sprung over the bank, up the
slope through some thin underbrush,
pushed over n barb-wirc fence at the
edge. rushed out into the open, de
ployed as skirmisherS, and moved for
ward in quick time. We were not al