The San Francisco call., 1898-12-23

airy Volunteers (Rough Riders) in front
 of Santiago. One is addressed to
 Colonel Wood commanding, and the
 second is to Brigadier General Wood,
 after Colonel Roosevelt took command
 of the regiment. The War Department
 has hitherto refused to make these re-
 ports public. The second and more inn
 portant report is as follows:
 CAMP HAMILTON, near Santiago de
 Cuba, July 20, 1S9S.-Brigadier General
 Leonard Wood, Commanding Second Brl-
 gade, Cavalry Division-Sir: In obedience
 to your directions 1 herewith report on
 the operations of my regiment from the
 1st to the 17th inst, inclustve:
 As have already made you two reports
 pass them over rather briefly. On the
 morning of the first day my regiment was
 formed at the head of q second brigade
 by the Fl Poso sugar mill. W hen the
 batteries opened the Spaniards replied to
 us with shrapnel, which killed and
 wounded several men of my regiment. We
 then marched toward the right and my
 regiment crossed the ford before the bal.
 loon came down and attracted the ire Of
 the enemy, so at that point we lost no
 one. My orders had been to march for
 ward until l joined General LaWtonS s left
 wing, but after going about three-quar-
 ters of mile l was halted and told to
 remain in reserve near the creek by a
 deep lake. The bullets dropped thick
 among us for the next hour while we lay
 there, and many of my men were killed
 and wounded, among the 4ormer being
 Captain O'Neil whose loss was a very
 heavy blow to the regiment, for he was
 a singularly gallant and efficient officer Acting Lieutenant Haskell was also shot at this time. He showed the utmost cour- age and had been of great use during the
 fighting and marching. It seemed to me some action should be taken about him:
 You then sent me word to move forward in support of the regular cavalry, and advanced the right in column of com panies, each company deployed as skir- mishers.
 lines of the regiment ahead of us, as it seemed to me our only chance was in rushing the entrenchments in front ln- stead of firing at them from a distance. Accordingly we charged the blockhouse and entrenchmentS on the hill to our right against heavy fire. It was taken in good style, the men of my regiment thus being the first to capture any forti- fled position and to break through the Spanish line. The guidons of c and E troops were first at this point but some of the men of A and B troops who were with me personally got in ahead of them. At the last wire fence up this hill l was obliged to abandon my horse and after hiii we. first of all, directed a heavy fire upon the San Juan hill to our left, which was at the time being assailed by the regular infantry and cavalry, supported by Captain Parker's Calling guns. By the time San Juan was taken a large force had assembled on the hill we had captured, consisting not only of my own regiment, but of the Ninth and of portions of other cavalry regi- ments. We then charged forward under a heavy fire across the valley against the Spanish entrenchments on the hill in the rear of the San Juan hill. This we also took, capturing several prisoners. We then formed in whatever order we could and moved forward, driving the Spanish before us to the crest of the hills in our front, which were immediately opposite the city of Santiago itself.
 Here I received orders to halt and hold fragments of the Sixth Cavalry Regiment and an occasional infantryman under me, three or four hundred men all told. As l was the highest there I took command the next morning. The Spaniards at tempted to make counter attack that afternoon, but were easily driven back, and then until after dark we remained under a heavy fire from their rifles and great guns, lying flat on our faces on a gentle slope just behind the crest. Cap up to the right of my regiment, and did most excellent and gallant service. In or der to charge, the men had, of course, been obliged to throw away their packs, and we had nothing to sleep in and noth- ing to eat. We were lucky enough, how ever, to find in the captured blockhouse the Spanish dinners, still cooking, which we ate with a relish. They consisted containing a stew of fresh meat-proba- bly, for the officers. We also distributed the captured Spanish blankets as far as they would go among our men and gath cred a good deal of Mauser ammunition for use in the Colt rapd-fire gun, which was being brought up. That night we dug intrenchmentS across our front. At o'clock in the morning the Spaniards made another attack upon us, which was easily repelled, and at o'clock they opened the day with heavy rife and cf fra under this, replying whenever we got the chance In the evening about o'clock the Spaniards fired three guns and then CTS coming well forward. l got all my men down into the trenches. as did the other command near me, and we opened was at once stopped, and after an hour their fire died away. This night we. com pleted most of our trenches and began to build bomb-proofs. The protection af- I had but one man wounded from the rifle and shell fire, until 12 o'clock, when the truce came. l do not mention the officers and men who particularly dis tingushed themselves, as 1 have nothing to add in this respect to what was con- tained in my two former letters. There were numerous Red Cross flags flying in the various parts of the city, two of them so arranged that they directly cov- cred batteries in our front, and for some time were the cause of our not firing at
 The Spanish guerrillas were very active, especially in our rear, where they seemed hv interference to attack the wounded men who were being carried on filters, the doctors and medical attendants with Red Cross badges on their arms and the burial parties I organized a detail of sharp Shooters and sent them out after these of whom they killed thirteen. Two of the men thus killed were shot several hours after the truce had been in operation, because, in spite of this fact, they kept firing on our men as they went to draw water. They were stationed in the trees, as the guerrillas were generally, and owing to the density of the foliage and to the use of smokeless powder rifles 1t was an exceedingly difficult mat ter to locate them.
 For the next seven days until the 10th we lay in our line while the truce contin- ued We had to continually work at ad- ditional bomb proofs and at the trenches. and as we had no proper supply of food and utterly inadequate medical facilities the men suffered a great deal. The off, cers clipped together aand purchased beans, tomatoes and sugar for the men, so that they might have some relief from the bacon and hardtack. With a great deal of difficulty we got them coffee. As for the sick and wounded. they suffered so in the hospitals when sent to the rear for lack of food and attention that we found it best to keep them at the front and give them such care as our own doc- tors could. AS l mentioned in my pre- vious letter, thirteen of our wounded men continued to fight through the battle in
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