The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-01
PEACE CAME TOO SOON
DRAMATIC SITUATION IN THE BRIEF
PORTO RICO CAMPAIGN.
Gen. BrOOke's Brigade Was just be-
ginning an Attack when an Omcer
Came Flying Up with the News.
iuayama Letter in New York sun.

TWO minutes Time II was prevented from
being war.
Peace rumors had flown thick and fast
yesterday. all the way from Arroyo. seven
miles away, to the outposts two miles be-
yond this town. They seemed more than
rumors-almost facts-for dead calm had
settled down on General Brookes headquar-
ters, and all military preparations had come
to standstill. Officers and men. ohagrined
at the prospect of no immediate forward
action, were just bracing themselves to face
long period of moro or less monotonous
routine. when suddenly, about O'clock,
the report ran through the camp that an
immediate movement was to be made. Half
an hour later came the orders from head
quarters. Regiments were to provide them
selves with ten days rations and be ready
to start at daylight The artillery and bag
gage trains were to get under way at once
From one end of Brookes brigade to the
other jubilant cry went up, 1T means on
to San Juan!"
At headquarters explanations of this sud-
| den move were not forthcoming. Unoffi-
cially, it was stated that report that the
Spaniards had planned night attack on
Guayama had caused General Brooke to
take immediate action. There was very lit
tie sleep INDUCED in in Guayama or its en-
| been Unexpectedly run to cover and the tune
that the men were singing now was an up
to-date edition of 'Arma Virumque Cano."
And yet all OF them realized the serious
ness of the movement. The scouts that had
been securing the country for several days
| had verified the suspicion that the Span
iards were strongly intrenched about five
| miles out on a hill which commanded a
magnificent range of that desperate pass in
| the hills where the Fourth Ohio's skirmish
| had taken place on Tuesday. If there was a
! battle at all. ii would be a desperate fight
which would inevitably entail great losses
on both sides.
| All through the night the OK carts and ar
tillery wagons came rumbng along the
road which leads up from the sea. At the
| 1lrst streak of daylight they had to clear
| pain 10 allow General Brooke and his staff
| the right of way. They galloped past the
cathedral just the clock was striking s.
| They hurried through the town and made
| straight for the hills. Colonel Classford
! Captain Ryan and the signal corps and en-
| gmeers followed close behind them and lost
| not a moment in getting at work BY
| o'clock the telegraph lines had already been
! stretched mile and half up the hillside.
Meanwhile the regiments which had camped
OUTSIDE the town were mastering in the side
streets. Presently the Philadelphia City
| Troop and Troop A, Sixth Cavalry. tore
! through the town. They never stonned for
moment until they had crossed the bridge
mile and half outside and were ordered
| to let their horses browse for an hour in
| the meadows. While the horses grazed the
men stretched themselves in the long grass
and watched the infantry regiments as they
| marched to the positions assigned them fur
| Their up the hill.
PICTURESQUE SPOT.
Search the world through and you could
find no more superbly picturesque spot for
such a war pageant. The valley heresis
| seven miles long, and it goes down in slight
| dips and undulations to the sea. On the
north side this great red road winds for
miles to and fro among the mountain
| passes, and as from the bridge outside the
! town, we watched the troops slowly ascend
| ing, it looked as though a wide blue rib
bon were unwinding itself along the foot
| of the hills Across the valley where the
| Spaniards were posted the hills were high,
| put they Sloped upward az far easier an
| gle. The only relief from their greenness
| was given by the little spots of white which
stood out mile or SO apart. showing where
| Looking down the valley you could see the
transports lying al anchor off Arroyo.
In a few minutes a cheer started some
| where inside the town, and as the cause OF
| 1t approached the cheer was taken up by
other regiments and carried UP the hill
Captain Potter, of Company F. Fourth
| Ohlc and his dynamite guns caused the en-
| thusiasm. 1t was only the day before that
| it became generally known that the last
| shot which he threw over the hill in Tues
| days fight had killed twenty-six Spaniards
| There was another reason for the cheering
too. 1t was the soldiers way of showing
| the Ohio boys that whatever odium might
| attach to last Tuesdays fiasco when so
| first fire. belonged entirely to Captain Bid
| die and his company, and had nothing to
| do with the rest of the regiment.
1t was after II when the brigade was
| finally in line for the march through the
pass. Colonel Haines and his battalions OF
the Fourth Ohio were the only absentees.
hnh hnan Gin DO l.
| gagged in flank movement behind the hills
| which was to prevent the SDaniards from
forming an ambuscade on the north side
| while our men were marching through the
| pass. The line of formation fol-
| lows: General Brooke and staff engineers
and signal corps, Captain Haines with
| Battery b, Pennsylvania Volunteers, two
| battalions Third Illinois Volunteers, Cap
| tain Potter Lieutenants Mccoy and Car
| diner. in charge of dynamite guns battery
| of Missouri Artillery Volunteers. Captain
| Gronin with Philadelphia City Troop.
| Lieutenant Ryan with Troop II. Sixth Cav
| airy; Lieutenant Colonel O'Neill and
| Fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 1t want
ed but a few minutes ,, of noon when the
| pass. He has ordered Battery BIS guns un-
| limbered. They're going to fire Even
| the native oX-cart drivers stopped chatter
| ing. Every man in the brigade was at con-
! cert pitch
The correspondent reached the pass lust
| in time to hear General Brooke order Cap
| tain Hunt TO get his gun ready. The order
was passed to the Missouri boys to unlim-
| Frank Hay, with his hand on the lanyard
| was elevating his sight, when Lieutenant
| Mclaughlin galloped madly up the hill. He
was crying stop" at Ihe top of his voice.
For moment some of almost believed
| that we had strayed by mistake into the
| pages of q Ouida novel, the whole situation
| macked so strongly of Under Two Flags"
| But before General Brooke had time to see
| what all the noise and interruption were
| about, Mclaughlin had reached him and
| was exclaiming:
II have the honor to inform you. sir. that
| President Mckinley has ordered all military
| operations suspended"
General BroOke'S face was study. Those
who were standing very close to him say he
sWOre But this statement is not official.
| What he did say. however. as he turned
sterny to Mclaughlin. who gasping
! for breath and trying heroicaily to keep his
horse from sinking under him. was:
You have arrived I'VE minutes too SOOn
lieutenant You should have shown more
consideration for your horse.
As for the balance of the brigade. the
news reached him. every man of 1t voiced
his feelings in one eXclamatiOn--an exclama-
ton which is entirely unfit to print. Word
10 retire was passed down the line. and re-
luctantly. almost suleny the only Amer
lean general who has literally been a the
front in this war withdrew from the head
of his army. AS one Of the regiments
marched back 10 town Lieutenant Ryan, OF
the signal corps. who still standing in
the pass just where the bullets were falling
thickest the other day, turned to the Sun
man and said
Lets wait a few minutes and see how
the Spaniards take it. I'll bet they're sing
ing Ave or two.
We kept our eyes glued to our glasses. and
-.