The record-union., 1898-12-18

~ TF n que norm OF the
where there was a house with outbuild-
ings and trenches, all used by the
! Spaniards for cover. The cavalrymen
| say that some time after they reached
| this point, which was known to them
as San Juan House, they heard heavy
| firing at the blockhouse. This led
| them to suppose that the blockhouse
had not yet fallen when they reached
the crest of the ridge. However, the
infantry said that they fired from the
captured blockhouse and vicinity upon
| the retreating Spaniards and at their
second line. Many gallant fellows of
| Wikoff's and Hawkins brigades fell af-
! ter the blockhouse was in the posses
sion of the Americans. Among these
was Lieutenant Ord of Hawkins staff,
who broke away from his leader in or
der to go in with the men of his own
regiment, the Sixteenth. Ords con-
duct that day was heroic, his death
most gic. When the brigade was at
the creek, deploying for the attack, he
had said by way of encouragem
You can take it in thirty minutes" +"
Major Forse of the First Cavalry, who
went forward with his battalion after
the capture of "Kettle" hill, was also
killed
The infantry reformed lines at the
blockhouse and took position to resist
| a counter attack, which a little later
was threatened from the Spaniards in
| front. The blockhouse was a brick
| building, loopholed, with trenches on
each flank and in front. West of it,
toward Santiago, the ground falls into
| a deep depression. Six hundred yards
westward, on both sides of the main
| road to Santiago, the Spanish had
! strong works. On the American right
and left of this depression the nights
are abrupt. and possession of these
was essential to the holding of the
blOckhouse as we'll as of Kettle" hill,
| because the nights of the American
right of the blockhouse itself are high
er than Kettle" hill.
| AS soon as the cavalry took posses
sion of Kettle" hill, as already de-
| scribed, many of the soldiers had rush
| ed forward to the west crest and open
| ed with their carbines upon the Span
| iardS around the nights in front Ma
| jors and Captains got their battalions
and troops together and with a cheer
charged forward. Two troops of the
| Third Cavalry, led by Major Vessels,
| Captains Morton, Hunter and Morgan,
dashed straight for the building known
| as the San Juan House. The Ninth
and Tenth Cavalry, with part Of the
| Rough Riders, seemed to strike for the
house, but owing to obstructions the
line became mixed. On this charge
there were some casualties Captain
Bigelow and Lieutenant Roberts of the
Tenth were wounded in charging down
from 'I<ettle" hill into the swale, and
| Captain Mccoy was wounded in as
cending the ridge. Captain O'Neil of
the Rough Riders was killed Soon
after reaching the house. Major Wes-
| sells and Captain Hunter of the Third
were hit The fall of Major Vessels
left the command of the regiment in
the hands of Captain Morton Troops
l and b, under Broughton and Dugan.
coming up from San Juan blockhouse
| Joined, and Morton pushed forward 265
yards to the crest of the ridge. The
Ninth and part of the Rough Riders
were off to the right of that point, and
Captain Galbraith, with Lieutenant
Berkeley and two troops of the First
Cavalry, was also there
The Sixth Cavalry had kept in touch
with the infantry all the way I'D the
hill to San Juan blockhouse, AMI, reach
| ing the crest, was on the left Of the
Tenth Thus the cavalry had a strong
| line upon the highest part of the ridge
| extending from the Santiago road
| northward toward the FL Caney road,
ready to form connection with Law
! toms left, according to plan. These
| troops Immediately began intrenching,
some using tin plates and fingers, and
| others, especially the Tenth Cavalry.
| tools brought along on their backs. The
| right of the line was under fire from a
| blockhouse off toward the Ell Caney
| road. Parker took his guns up the hill,
| and, under the direction of cavalry Off
GERS, used them with good effect. 1t
was believed at the time that the Span
| iards were ready for a counter attack.
| The Ninth Cavalry on the right of ,he
| line, being only one battalion strong,
asked for help from the infantry, and
| finally Kent sent to it's assistance some
of the blockhouse victors-name1y, the
Thirteenth Infantry.
| AS San Juan blockhouse was situated
on the crest of the ridge no advance
was made by Wikoff's and Hawkins
| troops. They intrenched the line from
| the San Juan road, the Sixth Cavalry
| position, southwark, using for this work
the Krag -Jorgensen bayonet. which is
simply a very heavy knife with blade
| about an inch and a half wide. Haw-
fxins' brigade, which had lost the heavi-
est of any in climbing the hill and was
also weakened by the detection of some
| hundreds of volunteers, had been
strengthened early in the day by the
Twenty-first Infantry from Pearson S
Second Brigade This regiment had been
| detached by General Kent to assist
| Hawkins, but owing to the DIVIDED
road had not got into position in time to
charge with the Sixth and Sixteenth
| However it lost under the fire at the
| creek and also in ascending the hill
close upon the heels of the other regi-
| ments.
| Meanwhile what of the crest south
| west OF the blockhouse, the region
| which seems to have been most easy fcI
attack by the Spaniards? Kent's Second
Brigade, under Pearson, as before stat
ed, had orders to rest its left upon q
green knoll on the. same ridge with a
blockhouse Geo yards south. With
that Pearson's orders stopped. Wher