Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-27

anu ElPntE regulars was Ine only VOlun-
tecr organization engaged at Eel Caney,
the Second Massachusetts, militia
regiment with a history in war and in
peace. Tho commander of the Second
Massachusetts, Colonel f. Z. Clarke, is
u splendid type Of u militia soldier. He
had no war experience before he went
to Cuba. Lieutenant Colonel Shumway
and Major Whipplo were both war vet
Grams. The strength Of the regiment at
FL Caney was $50 men, but two com.
panies were detached as reserve. The
Second was arinsd with the smoking
Springfield rifle and naturally drew the
fire of the Spaniards. Lieutenant Field
and Captain Warner were killed and
Captain Hapgood seriously wounded
Total loss, 46 killed and wounded.
General Ludlow was personally con.
spicuous along his line all day, wearing
white straw hat. His horse was shot
under him early in the fight, Tho gen
eral said that he had to hold in his men
instead of encouraging them. There was
no fiinching nor crouching. The work
Of the brigade was rather negative than
positive, because, while it advanced well
in the front in order to get cover from
the Spanish bullets, it could not Mt all
times answer tho Spanish fire, for fear
of shooting into Chaffee's men, who had
the chief role in the battle and were
pressing up closer and closer to tho
! Spanish works on the north and east
Tho interval between Ludlow's and
Chalfec's brigadcs was filed about noon
By tho Second brigade Of tho division,
commanded Just at that timo by Lieu
| tenant Colonel \. s. Daggett of the
! Twenty fifth United States (colored).
! Colonel Daggott was soldier i'll tho
| civil war in tho Fifth Maine, one Cf th9
hard fighting regiments of the Army of
| the Potomac. He has recently been pro.
/ NOTED to hrigadicr general for skillfully
| handling tho brigade during crisis
July /.
At FL Caney the Second brigade con.
! sisted of the First, Fourth and Twenty
| fifth regulars. The First was detached
| to guard the roads III tho rear Of the
division and also to support Capron &
battery. About / / o'clock Colonel Dag
Eett was ordered to lead the Fourth
and Twenty fifth to q position south of
the fort, where there was Il gap vi
three. fourths of II mile. The stone fort
against which CaprOn's guns had been
laundering was pointed out to Deggett
as the objective Of his brigade. The
trenches III round the fort were very
heavy, extending on three sides. These
trenches as well as the smokeless pow
der were something new to the Ameri.
cans. The Spanish trench is about sc
yards in length, Just wide enough for
men to stand in in line, and deep enough
to cover the body up to the shoulders
The soil taken ont Of the trench is
spread over the ground. and if its color
is not like that Of the earth it is Gov
cred with brush Or leaves or sod, so that
from IA distance all enemy cannot see
the trenches except when they are uccu-
pied by men Tho men keep out OF sight
except when they rise to fire. There are
I no exits from the trenches. Men are
put into them to fight and repulse the
enemy or he killed in the ditch.
The Spaniards had no slirmishers nor
outposts AT FL Caney, but were ready
with their blind trenches, loopholed
fortresscs, smo.eless powder and barhed
wire fences to slaughter the Americans
at close quarters.
The Twenty-iifth regiment being d.
rectly opposite the fort, Colonel Daggett
led il forward across II stream q feet
wide and foot deep. The men found
some cover under the high bank, but
beyond the bank the ground was open.
} \
advanced hy rushes-that is to say
they rushed II groups of platoons from
cover to cover, BY successive rushes Of
10 or 90 yards the line steadily adj
vanCed. On its second advance from the
bank the regiment met with its heaviest
loss. NOllcys were poured into it from
the stone fort, from the village and
from blOckhousos on its left. Colonel
Daggett says that many of the Span
iards left tho fort and came out into
the open, seemingly celebrating wheth-
er To surrender or attempt To reach the
village. Their combativcness was gone.
He supposed they were about to surren-
der. Tho fort had been preached in
many places by Caprun's shells, and
just rs the Twenty fifth got abreast of
it company of the Twelfth regi-
ment of Chatfeo's brigade entered
through "A breach and got the flag which
had been cut down by a she'll. The
strength of the Twcnty-tfth regiment
was $50 men, but only five companies,
numbering 200 men, took part in the
charge The principal loss of ii killed
and wounded came out Of the 200. None
Of the officers IL men of the regiment,
excepting Colonel Daggett, had ever
heard hostile shot before. Three of
the companies III the charging column
were CALAMITY leu by three young lieu
tenants, Caldwell, Moss ard Hunt.
The Fourth regiment, on the left of
the Twenty fifth, did not advance be-
You'd the line within 500 yards range
of the fort, from which the Twenty
fifth charged. The reason was that fur
ther advance would have brought il I'M
der an cntilado fire from the village, the
blockhouses around it, rs we'll as the
fort itself. There was smooth ground
in front of it all the way, and Colonel
Daggett was satisfied that it would have
been annihilated in attempting to adj
vance. Company of the Fourth Skin.
miShcd on the front of its regiment to
within 500 yards of the fort and lost %
Of its men wounded out of As in the
limo. GEORGE l.. KIIMER.