Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-12-24

hill with the line, and President Mo
Kinley commissioned him for his gal
lantry. After the fence had been level
ed the line of Woods brigade wal
formed, with the rough riders in front
Much had been said about this, tina
and the Other one having initiated tn,
charge on sen Juan hill 1t is evident
from what as been told of the situa
ton in Carroll's brigade that the line
officers and men were not left to theil
own devices at this crisis Wood was
the colonel Of the rough riders {" Woods
Weary Walkers" as their regular com.
rades called them, initiating the first
alliterative title), and it is to be sup.
posed that he looked to them and to the
rest of the brigade as we'll.
be was new to command-in fact,
comparatively new to the service. Colo.
mel Baldwin Of the Tenth is regular
army war veteran; same with Major S.
7. Norvell. Major Theo Whit of the
Tenth is war veteran Of the Sixth
Pennsylvania cavalry. Colonel @. D.
Viele of the First has been in the regu-
lar army since 1861, and Major A. G.
Forse was at West Point from 1861 to
1865.
When the line was formed, the barbed
wire fences cleared away-all Of this
some hours, be it remembered, after the
Spanish guns began their killing work
in the crowded road and at the crossing
Colonel Wood appeared on the line of
his brigade and gave the order to ad-
vance. Colonel Baldwin Of the Tenth
arranged his two squadrons one in
front and the other as support. Colonel
Viele Of the First cavalry took his
squadron commanders through the
fringe Of trees and pointed out red
house on hill Ito the right of the
blockhouse), which will be spoken of
hereafter as San Juan hill or ''Kettle
Hill" He said to Captain Tutherly,
commander Of the First squadron,
"That is your right Tutherly asked,
When shall l fire?' to which Viele
answered, "Don't fire on our men fire
when You see the Spaniards. The
First was in the third line of the brigade.
Colonel Viele's caution about firing
was timely, for there were many OBJ
stacles to be passed which would break
the line, and besides Kent's infantry on
the left Of the cavalry was already
working toward the blockhouse. The
two columns were to converge slightly
before reaching their separate goals and
might in the excitement of battle mis-
take each other for the enemy The
gallant Hawkins, leader of Kent's ad.
vance brigade, impatient to dash at San
Juan blockhouse, which he declared
that he could take in the flank, passed
up the road to the front, while the cav.
airy was halted in the bed of the creek.
Said cavalry officer, Hawkins was
the finest soldier there, and the cavalry
knew him WE'LL" All the older regular
officers are known to all the other off
GERS and to the long service privates as
we'll, because promotion takes them
from one regiment to another. Hence,
although Skaters was a new army, it
was by no means an army Of strangers.
1t was about noon when the line of
the cavalry division was actually formed
for attack on the ridge in its front, the
ground having been reconnoitercd and
points for attack shown to leaders of
regiments and squadrons. As usual in
such cases, the exact time was not noted
down, and perhaps the term noon may
be used to cover the time between IL
and O'Clock. An officer of the First
cavalry said it took three hours to pass
down the road from Ell Poso to "Hell IS
Crossing, and that the march began at
$3.50. About ~ hours seem to have
been passed in the bed Of the creek by
some Of the cavalry, perhaps by all.
It should be remem bered that this
was midday, and a tropical midday at
that. The soldiers, when inactive, could
barely keep their feet. They were in a
valley without a breath Of air. They
were wet, some to the knees and some
to the waist, from wading in the
streams. For more than an hour they
had seen the dead and wounded brought
into the angle, victims Of the Spanish
marksmen in front of them on the crest
of the ridge. 1t was this time, if at all,
that the general impulse to charge the
hill swept down the line. Regiments.
battalions and companies had been
formed to attack. Full directions had
been given with the exception of the
word $50" 1t is said that just then a
volunteer field officer, who all the morn
ing had been rather heard than seen
outside of his own regiment, called out
with theatrical wave of the hand:
This hill must be taken! If there are
three men here who will go with me,
we will take it'll" Already parts of the
line were in motion, and shortly the
entire column surged forward, carrying
the excited volunteer along with it, or
perhaps swallowing him up, for he was
not seen by the regulars again until
they had planted their standards on the
first hill
DISTINCTIONS were encountered every
few rods. At the outset there were two
e