The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1898-10-07
is BACK FROM CUBA
John Peterson Returns to This
City After Having Fought
The Spaniards.
The Private Regular Gives
Some Interesting Ir1forma-
ton About the War.
THE SESSION WAS ORDINARY
The City Council Only Tran
sacted Routine Business
at its Last Meeting


at its Last Meeting
HE FOUGHT AGAINST SPANIARDS.
john Peterson, One of The Regulars, Was
in the Action at San Juan.
One of the first participants in the
war against Spain whom the writer
has seen is a young man by the name of
John Peterson, who at present is visit
ing with his his brother, Axtel Peter
son, employed at the Milwaukee round
house. MIR. Peterson is a member of
the regular army, having enlisted two
years ago at ST. Paul. He was assigned
to Company E, Second Infantry and
was sent to Fort Keogh, Mont, where
he remained until war was declared
against Spain. In May his company
was ordered to Chickamauga, remain
ing there until they were ordered to
Santiago, where they landed June "a.
Shortly after they landed his company
was ordered to reinforce Roosevelt's
rough riders and were stationed on an
adjoining hill, but theirs services
were not required.
Mr.. Peterson was in the battle at
San Juan, which began on July l. It
commenced early in the morning and
as they were marching up the hill he
said the Spanish sharpshooters con-
cealed in the trees played sad havoc
with our men and lots of men fell q
prey to their Workmanship. The bat
tie, he said, was furious but our boys
fought like tigers and of course every
body knows the result. On the night
of July 2, about 9 o'clock, he said, the
Spanish troops made another attack on
our forces, who were then in the
trenches. The boys were not prepared
for the attack, as even then many Of
the soldiers were at work completing
the trenches. About 200 yards away
several companies of Spaniards were in
eA4OAL tA0hS10o 1AO OHOAOu Al0 OA OuK
boys, the Spaniards taking advantage
of the situation to break through our
ranks on swift charge. Our boys, he
said, got together at once and in Is
minutes fired 100 rounds of ammunition
which had the effect of repulsing the
enemy successfully. Cervera's fleet,
over in the bay, aided in the attack by
throwing shells at the trenches but
they fell wide of their mark and no
damage was done. Had the Spaniards
been successful in breaking through
the ranks of our troops, Mr.. Peterson
said that Cervera would have remained
in the harbor, but after the repulse il
was necessary for him to make move
During the engagement Mr.. Peter
son said he was slightly injured by re-
ceiving small portion of Spanish
shell, which bursted and small piece
struck him over the left eye. HI
showed us six Spanish cartridges as
souvenir of the occasion, which have ,
speed of 2400 q second, while our car
trldges could travel. but 1000 yards ii
the same time. The weather he sait
was bad. It was fearful hot and tn,
rain came in huge quantities 80 ths
they were nearly drowned out Of tn
trenches. The soldiers were in tn
trenches for two weeks and by the tim
they got out hundreds of the men wer
!, sick with fever, he among the numbe,
, and was off duty for two weeks. MI
, Peterson said he had no use for thos
sharpshooters and they we're very d.
ceiving to our boys. One day he an
several others went down to the ha
1 bor and they raw sharpshooter in
t tree. The fellow was discovered /
, his gun protruding through the leave
: He simply wore clout and the rest
d body was painted green, so that it W,
0 nearly impossible to distinguish the
g in the palm trees, owing to both beir
9 the same color. Peterson said the
drew bead on him with their gul
t and in second there was one le
sharpshooter in the Spanish army.
9 Mr.. Peterson said that he receive
9 good treatment while in Cuba, at lea
as good as could be given under the ci
oumstances and believed the cover
g ment used every effort possible TO tai
g good care of the soldiers. There W
!. plenty of good food, but in that h
d climate the fresh meat could not
# kept, SIS it would spoil while bei1
d taken from the transport to the cam
After returning with his compal