Evening star., 1898-09-20
i SPLENDID. R!..tORD
Career of the piitAa Signal Corp. in
Pv Poi hoo.
lEVAlUABLE1lb RENDERED
Review of the 5sWerk Of Captain
Lamar'sss Command.
E CITIN G EPISO ODES

/
| Captain William H. Lamar, who was
| commanding officer of the United States
Volunteer Signal Corps during its connec-
ton with the 1st Division of the 1st Army
| Corps. Major General James H. Wilson
| commanding, in the Porto Rican campaign,
| is in Washington on business with the War
| Department.
| Captain Lamar's command is known
| throughout the service as "the District
| Signal Corps" having been enlisted in this
| city, and very large proportion of its
| members are residents of the District and
nearby Maryland and Virginia. The record
| made by the command was particularly
| brilliant one. In a recent communica ton
to the adjutant general Of the army Gen.
| eral Wilson states that in all respects the
| work of the company had been efficient and
thoroughly accomplished, and at no time
| had his lines of communication been other
| than the most satisfactory possible The
| greatest credit, declares General Wilson,
! should be given to this efficient company
| and its officers, and he especially recon-
| mends Captain Lamar for promotion and
| that he be retained In the Signal CorDs of
| the United States army as an officer of the
regular military establishment
| Wonderful Work in Two Months.
The command left Washington barracks
| in this city when it was organized Julv o
| last, and reported next day to Mai Gen
| wilson at Charleston The time allowed
Capt Lamar in which to prepare for leav-
| ing Washington. orders having been issued
July 8. was so short that 1t was Impossible
| 10 get all the equipments required, but at
! charleston. where a stay was made until
| July ~. the deficiencies were supplied and
| signal stations established in
| around Charleston for practical purposes
day and night, with the effect of improving
the efhclency OF the men in a marked man
| ner
When the start was made for Porto Rico,
| by direction of Gen. Wilson, the company
| was divided into three detachments and as
| 30 (the Obdam) and La Grande Duchesse,
in order to keep the transport fleet in com
| munication during the voyage.
A signal station was maintained on each
| vessel during the voyage. and the signal
men did very satisfactory work transmit
| ting and receiving official messages be-
tween the boats both by day and night.
The 1st Division disembarked at Port of
Ponce July %. 20 and 80. the signalmen
| rendering valuable servica from stations Oh
| shore and aboard the ships.
| Destruction by the spanIards.
| Captain Lamar and a detachment of
the men took possession Of the tele-
graph and cable office at Port of Ponce
July % and found that the Spaniards had
| cut the cable, demolished the telegraph and
| cable instruments and the battery The
| men were equal to all emergencies, how
ever, as they comprised telegraphers and
| electrlcianS of wide experience. Some of
| the battery jars remained intact and bat
terry of twenty cells was reconstructed and
| party of linemen sent out to repair the
! line to the city of Ponce and established
| immediate communication with the port.
| of fnln
| graph lines. two to the port, three to San
| Juan through various towns and cities and
| two others to other Porto Rican towns.
Capt. Lamar Immediately aScertained the
| availability of all these lines for military
| operations in all directions. July 81 he es-
| tabished a telegraph station at division
headquarters and from that time until the
| final surrender there was not a moment
when the headquarters at Ponce was not
in perfect communication with the picket
| lines of the army and all intermediate
points. Everywhere that a Spanish tele-
graph station was found 1t was discovered
| that all instruments had been removed or
| destroyed and a general wrecking had been
! INDUCED in.
| Received Surrender OF Adjuntas.
August l Capt. Lamar with Lieut.. Lenoir
and fourteen mounted men, had a thrilling
adventure. They went to accompany Gen.
| Ray Stone a reconnaissance of the coun-
| try in the direction Of Arecibo.
Capt. Lamar was directed by Gen. Stone
| to proceed to Adjuntas without delay join
him there and establish communication with
| Ponce. With Lieut.. Lenoir and his fourteen
| men Capt Lamar, all on American horses,
made a rapid ride to ,Adjuntas, which was
| eighteen miles outside of the American
| lines, and arrived there about o'clock ex-
! pecting to find Gen. Stone and part of Gen.
| Henry's command at Adjuntss. When the
| small detachment dashed into town they
| found they were the first American soldiers
to arrive there. The regular Spanish troops
! had evacuated Adjuntas d few days pre-
| Viously, but about hundred volunteers,
| armed and equipped, were still there. Capt.
| Lamar's small party was entirely unsup-
| ported and armed only with revolvers; but
| the people, who were favorably disposed,
| were told there was a large force near at
hand. and then the Spanish volunteers soon
| came and surrendered their arms and am
| munltlon. Gen. Stone accompanied by an
orderly and several newspaper men. arrived
| three hours later and company of infan-
| try the following day.
Frequently In Great Peril.
There was continuous hard work for the
| District Signal Corps all the time and
when the lighting began around Coamo and
Albonito the men were engaged in signal
( ing, running telephone lines and operating
| them frequently under heavy fire from the
enemy. This was particularly the case Au-
gust 10. when the American artillery was
| engaged In Smelling the Spaniards position
| on ASomantee hills
The artillery took a position short dis
tance in front of the telephone and signal
station Capt. Lamar had established under
| the brow OF HILL putting the station and
Its attendants directly in line Of the en-
emys fire. who returned the fire of our ar
tillery very promptly. Their guns were
aimed little too high. however. and about
thirty shells fell close to the signal station.
one Of them striking about eight feet from
where Capt. Lamar stood, two pieces of it
| imbedding themselves in the tree upon
which the telephone was hung. Private
Henry ]. McKenney~ Of this city had charge
OF the telephone at the time and had step
! ped away from 1t only a moment before,
or he would have been certainly killed.
from the close OF hostiiities August
| IL to August 81. Capt oLamar's command
was engaged in operating telephone and tel
| esraph lines. taking inventory of property,
| etc Capt. Lamar was assigned to special
| duty on Gen. Wilson's staff August 81, and
the command devolved on Capt Henry H.
Canheid The men of the command are
! greatly scattered as many were detached
| ior signal duty on transports and other