The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1898-09-02
DENYING DEATH.
Sergeant Spears Tells a Thrilling Story
of the Assault at San Juan Hill.

The Lexington Press Transcript
prints the following:
But for the gallantry and dashing
charge led by Captain w. c. McFar-
land, of Company Z, Sixteenth Infant
ry, up San Juan hill, the battle OF San
tiago would not have been so sum ma
rily ended remarked Sergeant NJ
Spears, of Company b, of the same
regiment. Mr.. Spears received his dis
charge after three years service and
left Santiago on August 1, for his home
in Lexington. His account of the
three days fighting and the surrender
of Gen. Toral Oh July 8, makes inter-
esting reading and fills in some Incl
dents not hitherto published. On tile
morning of July 1, the order was given
for a general advance on the Spanish
works. The Sixteenth Infantry, I'M
der Gen. Hawkins, formed the center,
and the entire line reached from the
ocean on the left around to Ell Caney
on the right and beyond Santiago. At
ter an interesting description of how
they cut their way through the under.
brush and cactus for about three miles
and waded the San Juan river under
the fire of Spanish sharpshooters, Mr..
Spears tells of the Fl n a l assault
Grimes battery of three-inch field
guns was located on hill to the rear
of the Sixteenth aud about two miles
from the Spanish entertainments. As
soon as the open ground was reached
this battery shelled the block-house on
San Juan hill, and the troops deployed
right and left into line of battle and
rapidly advanced. Here it was that
Capt. Mcfarland rushed to the front
and, sword in hand, urged his men up
the hill under a whitening fire. When
about fifty yards from the block-house
a shell from Grimes battery exploded
right over Capt Mcfarland. Lieuten.
ant Ord, Sergeant Spears, Sergeant
Boone, Corporal Fleming and Private
Goade, who were some distance in ad-
vance of the others. Lieut. Ord was
knocked down and Captain Mcfarland
was struck in the head and fell for
ward, the blood streaming from his
wound. Sergeant Boone rushed to him
and helped him to bind up his head
with what is known as the enc .gency
bandage. They were standing in wild
grass up to their necks, and the Off
GERS in charge of the battery could not
distinguish them even with their glass
es. Mcfarland sprang to his feet and
put his hat on his sword and waved it
to notify the battery to cease firing.
All of this was in a perfect rain of
Mauser bullets, and it is a mystery
that all of this gallant band was not
killed. 1hev cut the barbed wire
fences with their sword bayonets and
drove the Spaniards from the trench
es, killing and wounding all of them
who had not reiterated to the BLOCK
house. Lieut. Ord had the guns and
side-arms removed from the wounded
and while looking after their wounds
was shot by wounded Spaniari who
was leaning against tree a few feet
away. Sergeant Spears turned and
killed tie Spaniard as Ord, placing his
hands to his head, staggered away sew
eral steps and fell dead. Private
Fleming, of company A, was wounded
and Sergeant Boone carried him to
the rear and dressed his wound. Capt
Mcfarland ordered the eating guns
to the front, and four of them were
dragged to the top of the hill by the
soldiers of the Sixteenth and opened
fire on nearly 10. 900 Spanish reinforce
ments who were rushing up the oppo-
site side of the hill from their second
line of works, about 500 yards away.
By this time the rest of the troops who
opened such CALLING fire all along
the line that the enemy were moved
down by the hundred. Nearly 1000
Spaniards were killed here and Santi-
ago was practically captured, altho'
the fighting continued until Sunday
morning about IL o'clock, when the
flag of truce was raised During all
this fighting Capt. Mcfarland never
left the firing line, and while his men