The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-22
IN THE TRENCHES
BEFORE SANTIAGO
Where Our Boys Waited for the Flag
of Truce to Be Raised.
MOST OF THEIR EQUIPMENT LOST
Had Siege Begun They Would Have
Suffercd-The Bloody Angle Where
They Were Shot Down With No
Chance TO Resist.

| AT THE EKONL BEfOtNt SAN IA
Go. July 6.-The army is resting. The
| white flag OF truce is floating from the
| trenches Of friend and foe and the sol
| ders who so soon. perhaps. are to be
again showering their hail Of steel upon
each other are carelessly walking along
tho crests OF their respective hills eye
| ing one another with that interest which
all men have for those with whom they
fight. The sun pours down its almost
hellsh heat, the clouds break and drench
| the earth, but still the trenches are never
emptied Of the men with guns ready at
hand. for no one can tell when this truce
will end and besides it is wise in warfare
never to trust a foe too far, especially
If he be Spanish.
In tho meantime neither side IS idle.
Trenches are deepening, bomb proofs ap-
pearing, siege guns being mounted, rang
es determined, cOmmissary stores Drought
forward. and the thousand odds and ends
incidental 10 campaigns OF offence ana &c
fence looked after and arranged. Ana
both sides are gaining. The summer OF
San Juan. so called. Is oil but over. III
is the dry part of the wet season Win
in a week the dOwnpour which now fsis
upon US every day is more than hkely 10
be doubled. and then God help our SOL
dlers In the wild rush 10 the 'front.' III
the swelterlng heat Of this Santiago sun
the go-by was given 10 baggage Pom
chos blankets. coats, blouses, traps OF an
kinds were strewn along the roaaslde'
Some Of It was lost, some ruined some
stolen BY the Cubans. Little remains 20
the soldiers. and now that the neat Oh
battle is over they suffer
II means sickness. and the longer the
dalav the more Of II. The days are not
and wet. the nights are cold ana wet
and but for our ally. hunger. Tor the
Standards are hungry, we might yet lose
the fight ..,,,-.
But neither army has yet 10 race ,hese
dangers in aggravated form. Iney nav
fought and stnl stand ready 70 hsh' rae
10 face Their lines almost touch anu
,,i,JIng about over ridges that run par
allel. encircling Santiago on the east anu
north 49,. ,r,o-
The view from the centre Of the Ame-
rican line IS magnificent. The ridge hei.
overlooks the city. quaint and peau'i,ul
q, ali its rampant hostility, as II lies
tbrobbing I'm the sun. its red and yeilo"
walls OF stone and brick standing out III
hold artistic contrast to the green noun
tain spurs behind H.. The red ana yer
low Spanish flag Is flying nom many
buildings The blood-red Maltese cross
an the field of white hutters before the
hosratal FAR down I'm front, where, but
a few hundred yards from our lines
stretch the yellow mounds OF spanish
rifle pits From their sick beds the span
ish wounded can gaze through the WIN
dows at the blockhouse at san Juan IN
the centre OF our line, where so many
OF them fell. and whore the gallant sew
enty-frst New York now sit in the rihe
pits. No infantry in the world can take
those ridges now. for instead Of Span
iards behind the guns there are Amerl-
cans. .,
SPANIARDS WILL FIGHT
Those Who argue that the Spanish SOL
dier has proved that he IS n fighter by
this campaign, merely because he inilict-
ed heavy loss I'm the American ranks on
the day Of the big battle. forget that no
held positions then which would have de-
fed capture had courage and efficiency
been found in their defence. When our
men charged that day Spanish fear held
the soldiers in the trenches fighting des-
peratelv. for II was moro dangerous 70
run than to remain. Only when the still
greater fear swept over them that the
Americans. coming on In the face OF
fire they believed no soldiers I'm the world
could stand. would surely reach the
trenches. did they choose the lesser dan
ger and try q escape by fleeing. Yankees
would not have done that. They would
have stood their ground and beaten back
the chaging foes. The Spaniads know
this now, for they have learned the les
son well.
II was the night after the big fight.
The American army. although victorious.
was sore and blood-covercd. A thousand
men had felt the steel OF the Spanish
Mauser and many lay dead. \ reaction
had set I'm. Battle was no longer glo-
rious. Blood and broken bones wore no
glamour. The gloom was oppressive.
There was even talk OF retreat The
generals held a conference upon the cx-
pediency OF a movement 10 the rear on
this very night. but. although the dan
ger Of nanking had 10 be confronted. IL
was deemed inadvisabe. Sharpshooters
hung along the woods within our lines
and peppered the wounded and stray
glers. II was dangerous 10 80 from
headquarters 10 the firing line. Groups
OF men along the dark. winding. muddy
road 10 the rear fired upon each other.
each thinking the other 20 be Spanish.
Panic was i'm the air TO the rear, but
along the firing line. where the real
danger was that the real men were, the
courage that makes US proud Of our race
was rampant
THEY CHARGE THE LINE.
Ten o'clock had come and for several
hours not a shot had been fired. The
night was beautiful The stars were
shining brightly. II was really peace
ful. All along our line the men in the
trenches chatted and below the crests Of
the hills they laughed and talked and pre-
pared for sleep. In the distance the
electric lights Of Santiago blinked and
danced as though I'm time of peace. Back
on the hills beyond two signal fires We're
burning and stll beyond the sky was
dimly red with the glare Of great con-
fagration. But an end 10 this was soon
10 come Through the brush, below the
heights OF San Juan hill. sentry saw
a moving figure. 1t did not belong
there.
'Haltr' he cried, with that intense-
ness which comes TO men at such a
time.
still the figure moved.
Halt" called the sentry again.
Halt or I fire" The whole line with
in hearing was breathless now.
Halt" came the cry once moro and
then a ringing command from an officer
TO fire. a volley burst from our line
and then from the other side came the
dread singing OF the Mausers. The Span
lards were charging and shooting as they
advanced The bullets sang ceaseless-
ly over the hilltop thicker and thicker
as down the whole Spanish line the de-
tenders OF the city took up the fight and
charoed From the far left IN the far