The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-23
ROUGH RIDER VYNKOOP
Tells His Story of the Battle
Before Santiago.
COL. ROOSEVELT'S GOODNESS
The Cubans Fought Little, But Were
on Hand When the American Food
supply Was AvafIabIe-The Hard
ships of Sleeping on the Ground
LIS Pleased With Washington.

LIS Pleased With Washington.
harmon II. Wynkoop. of the Rough
Riders. who has been for the past -four
weeks in the hospital at Fortress Mon
roe, having been wounded at the battle
of Siboney, together with other com
rades. arrived in the city yesterday.
MT. Wynkoop was convalescent from
typhoid pneumonia as well as being
wounded. He was a newspaper reporter
In New Mexico when the war broke out,
and when the recruiting officers of the
Rough Riders reached that Territory he
decided 10 enlist in the army He has
lived in New Mexico for a number of
years, and was thoroughly acquainted
with the Spanish language and character.
I'VE landed at Baiquiri on the sd of
June. about 6 o'clock" he said to a Times
reporter. in speaking of the Rough Rid
erS' part In the two battles before San
tiago but we were not allowed to make
camp. AT that time we had our blanket
rolls and slept on them The next morn
ing we were awakened by reveille at 8
O'Clock, and were ordered to make camp.
Shortly after the tents were raised the
regiment received instructions to move
toward Siboney, where we arrived about
$780, and again slept on the. ground.
That place was something horrible. The
stencil that came from the town, added
TO the discomforts caused by sleeping in
the rain and mud, made a fellow appre-
ciate the comforts of home.
The Sand Crabs.
1.-THE land crabs. too. were very annoy
ing. They are about twice the size of
the ordinary sea crab, and can walk in
all directions apparently at the same
time. During the hot nights the little
pests would climb all over the men, and
many time you would see wounded SOL
diers raise from their hunks and pull a
handful of crabs out of their hair.
I'VE were called up at o'clock again
on the morning of the twenty-fourth. and
and made forced march over the hills.
We reached point about two and a half
miles from where we started We were
almost upon the Spanish. At that place
We were forced to march in single file
| between the barbed wire fences that con-
Stituted the trocha, and the Spaniards
had the range of every inch of the place
Capt. Capron was in the lead and
Sergt. Hamilton Fish was Immediately
behind him. Following them was L Troop
Of the Rough Riders. Right behind L
Troop came my troop, Z, and then Troop
A. When Capt. Capron reached the top
of the hill, he ran into the Spanish out
posts and we received a Yoiiey from them.
The captain ordered a charge down the
incline, and shortly afterward fell, riddled
! with Mauser bullets.
Sergt. Fish was shot shortly after Capt
CaprUn fell. Troop L was made the Gen.
ter of the attacking line and Troop A
was deployed as skirmishers to the right,
with Troop Z TO the left. This was the
first time that the new open order for
nation was used in battle and it proved
to be the best way of fighting.
The Spanfards were in ambush all
along the line, and as soon as our ad-
vance appeared in sight. they began fir
ing. They had the exact range and it
was wonder that more men We're not
killed
Marching Forward.
"Col. Wood ordered US to keep right on
forward and never mind the Spaniards.
and We obeyed the order strictly. Then
the detachment from the First and Tenth
Cavalry came up. We would have been
cut to pieces but for them. All this time
we had been firing al an unseen foe and
although We were killing good many
OF the enemy We were ordered to cease
firing till We could locate him.
We lay in the tail grass for over two
hours and the Spanish rapid-tire guns
were playing right around us. When
they would swing forward the shots
would clip the grass just behind US. and
as they came back the bullets would tear
up the ground in front of u.s. That was
the most trying time during the entire
battle and one calculated to try the
nerves of the coolest men The bullets
were falling all around US, and we could
near the swish of the Mausers, together
with the burr of the rapid-fra guns
The worst of it was that the Spanish
were using explosive bullets and when
they hit, they were almost sure to kill.
we were moved forward in a short
time and 1t was then that the officers of
our regiment, and indeed of every regi-
ment, showed what they were made of.
Instead of taking the places allotted TO
them In the rear of the line they went
up in front of the troops and led them in
to battle.
We drove the Spanish out of the hills
and then came the work of buryiny the
dead and taking care of the wounded
In the early part of the day we had
thrown aside our haversacks and blanket
rolls and as ii darkened we remembered
that We were hungry, and went to hunt
up our food. There was not a single
haversack or blanket in sight The Gu
bans who followed us into battle found
the food and blankets and made off
with them.
we had neither tents, blankets, nor food
and but for the kindness of the officers
and men of the Second Massachusetts
Regiment we would have gone hungry
for some time there Were plenty of SUM-
plies on the transports off Baiquiri. but all
the small boats were being used in land
ing the troops and we could not get a
thing from the stores.
Fortunately the Second Massachusetts
men had more than they needed, and
shared their food with US.
Position on the Hill.
Friday afternoon we took up position
on a hill between Los Guisamas and San
Juan, where We buried seven of our dead
and the other regiments buried all theirs.
Tuesday morning we moved two miles
nearer Santiago, and Thursday afternoon
we were marched to a place a few miles
farther on, where Grimess Battery was
planted