Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-06-30

were obtained.
! "When the firing began" said he
"Lieut. Col. Roosevelt took the righ
wing with Troops G and X, under Cap
tains Lewllyn and Jenkins, and move'
to the support of Captain Capron, VIII
was getting it hard. At the same tim
COL Wood and Magjor Brodie took th
left wing and advanced in open order OF
the Spanish right wing. Major Brodi'
was wounded before the troops had ad
vanced 100 yards. Col. Wood then tool
the right wing and shifted Col. Roosevelt
to the left.
"In the meantime, the fire of the Span
iards had increased in volume, but not
withstanding this, an order for a genera
charge was given and with yell the mer
sprang forward. Col. Roosevelt, in front
of his men, snatched rifle and ammuni
ton belt from wounded soldier and
cheering and yelling with his men, led
the advance. For moment the bullets
were singing like a swarm OF bees all
around them and every instant some. poor
fellow went down. On the right wing
Capt. McClintock had his leg broken by a
bullet from machine gun, while four OF
his men went down. At the same time
Capt. Luna of Troop +, lost nine of his
men. Then the reserves, Troop X and r.,
were ordered up. Col Wood, with the
right wing, charged straight at a block
house 500 yards away, and Col. Roose-
Welt on the left, charged at the same time.
Up the men went, yelling like fends and
never stopping to return the fire, but
keeping on with grim determination to
capture that blockLouse.
That charge was the end. When within
500 yards of the coveted spot the Span
iards broke and ran and for the first time
we had the pleasure which the Spaniards
had been experiencing all through the en-
gagement of shooting with the enemy IN
sight.
In the two hours fighting during which
the volunteers battled against their con-
cealed enemy enough deeds of heroism
were done to fill a volume. One of the
men of Troop L desperately wounded, was
lying squarely between the lines Of fire.
Surgeon Church hurried to his side, and
with bullets pelting all around him, calmly
dressed the mans wounds, bandaged 1t
and walked unconcernedly back, soon re-
turning with two men and litter. The
wounded man was placed on the litter
and brought into our lines. Another SOL
der of Troop L concealing himself as best
he could behind a tree, gave up his place
to wounded companion and a moment
or two later was himself wounded. Ser
geant Bell stood by the side Of Capt. Cap
ron when the latter was mortally hit. tie
had seen that he was fighting against ter
rible odds, but he never flinched. "Glve
me your gun minute" he said to the
sergeant, and knesling down, he deliber-
ately aimed and fired two shots in quick
succession. At each Spaniard was seen
to fall. Bell in the meantime had seized
a dead comrades gun and knelt beside his
captain and fired steadily. When Capt
Capron fell he gave the sergeant parting
message to his wife and father and bade
the sergeant goodbye in cheerful voice
and was then borne away dying.
Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., was the
first man killed by the Spanish fire. lie
was near the head of the column as 1t
turned from the wood road in range OF
the Spanish ambuscade. He shot one
Spaniard who was firing from the cover OF
a dense patch of underbrush. When a
bullet struck his breast he sank at the
foot of tree with his back against 1t.
CAPT. Capron stood over him shooting,
and others rallied around him, covering
the wounded man. The ground this after
noon was thick with empty shells where
Fish lay. He lived twenty minutes. He
gave small lady's hunting case watch
from his belt to mess mate as last
souvenir.
With the exception of Capt Capron all
the Rough Riders killed in yesterday's
fight were buried this morning on the
field of action. Their bodies were laid IN
one long trench, each wrapped in a
blanket. Palm leaves lined the trench
and were heaped in profusion over the
dead heroes. Chaplain Brown read the
beautiful Episcopal burial service for the
dead and as he knelt in prayer every
trooper with bare head, knelt around the
trench. When the chaplain announced
the hymn, Nearer, My God, to Thee, "
the deep bass voices of the men gave a
most impressive rendering of the music.
The dead Rough Riders rest right on the
summit of the hill where they fell. The
site is most beautiful. a growth of rich
! luxuriant grass and flowers cover the
slopes and from the top far-reachlng
view is had over the tropical forest, Chap
lain Brown has marked each grave and
has complete records for the benefit OF
friends of the dead soldiers.
Capt. Capron's body was brought into
Juragua this afternoon but it was deemed
inadvisable to send the remains North at
this season, and the interment took place
on hillside near the sea shore, back OF
the provisional hospital. After a brlet
service parting volley was fired over the
grave of the dead captain and bugle call
sounded "taps" as the sun sank over the
mountain tops beyond Santiago"
Excursion Tickets.
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