The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-14
RETuRNED ROlGH RIDER

san Juan, arrived home at noon TO-
1 day over the Baltimore & Ohio. His
friends here win be glad to know thai
the wound Is not OF dangerous char
acter, being only a flesh wound I'm the
left arm. 1t was sufficient to prevent
him from taking further part In the
/ dghting. however, and with the otheI
wounded men he was promptly senl
back TO the United States where more
careful attention could be given 70 hii
4 wounds He carries his arm IN q sling
and viii not be able to use It for some
time. Mr. Cash Is home on a sixty days
! furlougb. Mt the end OF which time, Il
! the war Is not over, he VIII JOIN ms
I regiment again and continue fiGhting.
Mr.. Cash passed through the hrst
| battle Of the Rough Riders at La Qua
sta unsclthed, although many OF the
! regiment were killed He and Richard
| Harding Davis found the body Of Ham
ffton Fish md carried It OF the battle
field together. He saw many others
wounded or heard them cry out when
/ they were shot, but not o bail came
/ near him. The battle Of La Quasita
was In the woods. Both there and In
the battle OF San Juan most OF the men
who were hit were shot by sharp shoot
ers. At La Quaslta they would cover
their clothing with leaves and foliage
| and climb up into the mangroVe trees
where Il was almost impossible to see
| them From these points OF vantage IN
the trees they would hre whenever an
| American soldier came in sight anu
| would nearly always hit him. They
used Bmokeless powder, so their shot
did not betray their hiding places. DC.
casIonally an American soldier would
see one and every time he did dead
SpanIard would fail from tree.
The battle OF San Juan occupied two
! days The American forces were near
the foot OF a slope leading up to the
summit OF q hill at San Juan, and all
over this hill was thIcket Of tail wild
cane. Through this cane the Americans
the Rough Riders, the First, Sixth,
Ninth and Tenth cavalry, the last two
regiments colored-charged the Span
iards. who were entFeHched at the top
OF the hill with block houses ana earth
works to protect them. The space TO be
covered was about thousand yards. all
OF which was covered with cane and
few trees except narrow space at the
top The Rough Riders and the two
colored regiments were in the rear
when the advance began. but tmmedi-
ately started to join the advance.
I'VE were under fire for several
hours" said Mr.. Cash, before we
reached the firing line. We had to
cross a small stream and clear space
before We began the ascent OF the hills.
The balloon. which was directly over
our heads, first attracted the attention
OF the Spanlards and showed them
where we were. We deployed into Skin
nish line, about three yards apart and
tried to advance IN line, but after the
shooting began the troops were separa-
ted, orders to advance were obeyed by
some before they we're given to other
and there was little semblahce OF order
as we moved forward.
Nearly every man who was killed or
wounded was shot lying down. We lay
down fiat on the ground in the cane and
waited the command TO advance. Then
rising suddenly, we would dash forward
about thirty yards and fall to the
ground again. It was almost impossible
for US to see the Spaniards. The cane
was 80 thick we often could not see the
men next to us. But the Spaniards from
thelr positions in the trees or in the
block houses at the top OF the hill kept
a close watch and every time a sharp
shooter saw an American head bang
would 60 his gun and nearly every time
one Of our men would fall, From fifty
to sixty per cent OF our men who were
struck. were shot lying down. II was q
hard fight. We were from q. m. to 3 p.
m. advancing the 1000 yards TO the top
OF the hill. The next day the Spaniards
attacked our forces and there was an:
other days fighting, but our men held
their ground,
II was shot In the arm before had
had a chance to shoot. / had only seen
two Spanlards in the battle and they
disappeared before could get ms gun
up. Neither our own men nor the
Spanlards wasted ammunition. There
was no wild firing. We waited TIL We
saw the head Of one Of the enemy and
then we let him have it."
The battle OF La Quasita was not 90
hard or so long as that Of San Juan. but
was against larger force. One thou
sand Americans fought at least four
thousand Spaniards,
Mr.. Cash says the regulars should
have as much credit as the Rough Rid
ers for the part they took in the bat
Ties. He spoke enthusiastically OF the
work Of the Ninth and Tenth cavalry
especially, the two colored regiments,
who fought side by side with the Rough
Riders.
Mr. Cash was IN sight Of Santiago.
From their camp before they advanced
on San Juan they could look over into
the citv. 1t has about $4,000 people and
is beautiful city He speaks highly
Of the courage of the Spanish soldiers.
'They will never surrender" ne said.
"They may be ordered to surrender,but
unless they are they will fight to the
death. This Is In strong contrast TO the
conduct of the Spanish seamen, but the
soldiers are splendid fighters and shoot
well, They have had a good deal OF
practice In shooting Cubans in the last
few years"
He married Miss Elizabeth Thomp-
son, daughter OF the late Colonel George
w. Thompson, OF this city, whose relief
at having him home again, even though
he was hit By q Spanish ball, can be
Imagined. Throughout the several bat
ties in which the Rough Riders particle
pated her anxiety was Intense, when
the news came that he was wounded II
became almost unhearable, but later
messages arrived conveying informa-
ton that his wound was not dangerous
In It's nature and that he would soon be
home on leave Of absence. He Will re-
main here until his wound is healed
sufficiently to allow Of his return to Gu
ba, where ne VIII return II peace has
not been declared by that time.