The times., 1898-12-23
COL. RoosEVELTs REPORTS.
Two of Them Made Public by the
Adjutant General.

be interesting to the country. The work
OF the Rough Riders. commanded by Co.
(now Maj GEM Wood, before Santiago, Is
especially so. and the reports of Lieut..
Col. Roosevelt, detailing the movements
of the regiment on the occasions referred
to, just issued by the adjutant generals
Office. will be read with pleasure. The
public, however Is rather we'll equipped
with information on the matter contain
ed in these reports, which come forth so
tardiiy as to amount almost to ancient
history. In the official statement of the
affairs at Ell Caney and San Juan HiH
which have been heretofore published, We
have been able to see the excellent results
achieved by the selective and organizing
abilities of Leonard Wood
The suspicion is aroused thai the adju-
tant general in giving out these stirring
narratives OF one part OF the military
movement against Toral's position thinks
he is assuagfhg a universal curiosity to
know what really was contained in the
suppressed report of Col. Roosevelt after
his return TO the country-and before he
became Republican candidate for governor
of New York-in which his friends say
he scored the War Department its head
and his alter ego Corbin. for criminal
abuse of the troops in the field. The pub
lie does not yet know the language of that
particular report. 1t remembers clearly
that 1t brought forth most scathing ana
ungentlemanly letter from the Secretary
OF War addressed to the commander of the
Rough Riders, in which the sanctity OF
private correspondence was violated and
Col. Roosevelt was set down as a man de-
termined to sneer at the services of our
volunteers generally.
1t need not be assumed that Corbin has
deliberately reserved the reports which
we summarize below, until their original
historical or other value is destroyed by
magazine articles preceding official publi-
cation. Corbin acknowledged that he does
not read the newspapers; hence il is very
likely that he may not peruse periodicals
and may not know that the matter he now
utters has been read, digested, and per-
haps some of It regurgitated long ago.
The great point Is that corbin has failed
to fill a ''long-felt want in not giving
out the real Roosevelt report-the one in
which the sanguinary officer in question
made remarks about the celebrated "round
robin and eased his mind regarding Al
ger. Algerism, and such things.
The first report was written in the
| trenches outside of Santiago and was
dated July l. shortly after the battle ir
which Capt O'Neil was killed and a mum.
Der of other brave officers desperately
wounded. II was addressed TO Col
Leonard Wood. comman nding Second Cav
airy Brigade. and contained an interesting
description of the work of the Rough
Riders up to that time.
The report says that on July the reg
| iment, with Lieut. Col. Roosevelt in COM
mand. moved out by Col Moods orders.
I following the First Brigade. Before leav-
\ ing the camp ground several of the men
were wounded by shrapnel. After cross
| ing the river at the ford not far from
San Juan HILL they Were moved along
and up the right bank, under heavy fire
and We're held in reserve at a sunk road
There they lost a good many men. in.
cluding Capt O'Neil, killed, and Lieut.
Haskell. wounded.
There they received Col. Woods order
to advance and support the regular cav.
airy in the attempt upon the blockhouses
| on the hills to the left. The regiment
| was deployed on both sides of the road
and moved forward until it reached tn.
| rearmost lines of the regulars. 1t con
tinued to move until Col Roosevelt or
| dered a charge and the men rushed tbs
| blockhouses and rife pits on the hill tC
| the right of their advance
| They did the work in fine shape tn.
report says. although suffering severely
| The guidens of Troops Z and c. were frs
| planted on the summit though the frs
men up We're some of 4 aud B troopers
| who were with Col Roosevelt From
| there they opened fire on the intrench
ments on a hill TO their left which som'
| of the other regiments We're assailing
| and which they carried a few minute:
later.
Meanwhile they were under heavy fir,
from the intrenchments along the hill:
to the front, whence the Spaniards shell
| ed them from piece of field artillery un
| til some of the marksmen in the Rougl
| Riders silenced the gun When the mel
/ got their wind another charge was mad,
and the second line of intrenchments wa:
| carried with a rush. Swinging to the lef
| then they drove the Spaniarls over tn,
brow of a chain of hills fronting on San
| tiago.
BY that time the regiments were mucI
mixed and Were under heavy fire, botl
| of shrapnel and from rifles from the bat
| teries intrenchments and forts immedi
| ately in front of the city. Col Roosevelt
| found himself in command on the extrem,
! front with fragments of six cavalry reg
| iments and of the two batteries unde
him. The Spaniards made one or two ef
/ 10 Ttldht me Out were prompt
| ly driven back.
Col. Roosevelt received word from boil
Gen. Sumner and Col. Wood TO hold tn
line At all hazards, and that night a in,
| of intrenchments was dug across tn
| front. using the intrenchment tools whicl
had been captured from the Spaniards
| They had nothing TO eat except what ha.
been captured from the Spaniards bu
fortunately the enemy's dinner had Jus
been cooked and was eaten by the Ameri
cans with relish The men lay all nigh
in the trenches without blankets or coats
| Once during the night they We're attack
ed by the Spaniards and at dawn a heav!
fire was opened on they.
Very great assistance was rendered a
critical moments by Lieut.. Parker's gat
Ting battery. The report says that h
fought his guns at the extreme front @
the firing line in a way that repeated
called forth the cheers of the Roug
Riders. One of the Spanish batterie
which was used against them was direct
in front of the hospital so that the Re
Cross flag flew over it, saving it from tn
American fire for a considerable period
The Spanish Mauser bullets. the repoI
says. made clean wounds, but the Span
iards also used copper-jacke or brass
jacketed bullets. which exploded, maxim
very bad wounds.
" From then until the report was write
the Rough Riders continued to hold tn
ground The food was-short. and for sey
eral days they could not get their blank
cts, coats, or shelter tents. The men la
in the trenches all day under the fire c
the Spanish batteries, Entertainments, an
guerrillas in trees, and worked all nigh
in the trenches, never even taking Of
their shoes. AT the end of the first da
the eight troops were commanded two
captains, three by first lieutenants, tw
by second lieutenants. and one by sci
geant who was subsequently made actin
lieutenant.