Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-09-10

| keck was Leading his men along SUI
perbly, quietly, too"
"He seemed to take everything easily,
didn't he2"
"Well, believe the Major says men Of
his complexion (sandy hair, tawny mus
taches, etc. didn't suffer as much as the
rest, /" said the Captain, with faint laugh
as he recollected his own Celtic appear
ance, "but light and dark seemed to get
it alike. Why, the Cubans themselves
knocked under as easily as the white
men,"
"And the ramp
ooh, that was wonderful. especially
remember one night. 1t was July 10,
and a blacker night never saw. Really,
you could feel the darkness. If man
was as near as you are you never could
tell it till a flash of lightning came. 1t
was terribly heavy rain.
1--WE were in the trenches. 1t was as
bad for those in tents in the bitches. We
had it arranged so that we could turn
about. That is, if two companies we're
in the trenches at one spot, one officer
would watch for both; but l concluded
I'd better be right there in case anything
turned up, so l dug shelf for myself.
at is this way: One side of the trench
slopes-the outer side. On the inside
one wall is straight; the other has step
so men can get up and see to shoot over
the parapet, On the straight side 1 dug
out shaft remember it we'll, for it
took me good two hours to do it. had
two pouches, one good one and rubber
cape, so fixed things to keep me dry,
one under me and one over.
81 had it fixed beautifully, with little
drain around it and ALL
II must have been there about one
hour when was literally washed out. 1t
was inky black, and as ] stumbled on to
my feet l grabbed somebody and said,
Who's that3' He answered, Colds
borough the Captain of Company
M-'I've come to see how you were
"Of course, there was no use trying to
keep dry, and sleep was out of the ques-
ton. So we stood around together wait
ing for daylight"
Didn't you fear night attack"
"Well there was danger of that, for
they knew the ground and we didn't,
and we might easily have begun shooting
our own men. The sentries could only
see when there was a flash of lightning.
Then they would throw their eyes about
and see if anything was going on"
"Was the rain cold2"
eyes, very, it seemed to us, and so
heavy. We lined our men up and sent
down to the hospital tent and got bottle
of quinine. We stood them up and made
'em take their medicine one after an
other. 1t was all we had, and so quinine
was given 'em for everything.
---'sff It wasthen- the-whoie- susizzl
was often hungry and tired and thirsty,
as everybody was. We had only hard
tack and green coffee and no way to pre-
pare that. Then we ran short of rations
and the anxiety-the men were changed
about from trench to trench to reform
the line and reorganize commands, and
that's very trying-all told upon the men
and fever was planted in their systems. "
"How did you first get separated from
your regiment"
"Some militia officers would stay in
one spot till ordered out if their very last
man was shot. Now, l have a whole
some disregard for all that sometimes.
believe times come when you've got to
disobey or to anticipate orders and you'll
win honor and credit for doiBg so. Dis
cipline and obedience are great things,
but not to be followed under all circum-
stances"
when you were ordered to retire from
the crest of the heighth with the regu-
lars, had the firing become less steady3"
"No; they kept clearing that slope
with volleys right along. That's why the
unprotected battery over ON the right,
which we went to support, had to hurry
to get away. can't collect my thoughts
just now, but think it was Battery K,
of the Fourth artillery. They were
stripped for hot work-revolvers, belts,
everything was on the ground around
them. 1 remember picking up one officers
revolver and returning it to him the next
day."
The Captain was full of his subject,
and forgetting his physicians orders sat
upright and spoke earnestly, but his
watchful wife here stepped in and begged
him to rest. He sunk back, and then
reiterated his first remark about not
wanting praise not due him. 81 appre-
ciate all the good words that have been
spoken and enjoy them, but don't give
me credit where it isn't mine"