The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11

advanced Firat sergk. Morris Jurth OF Com
pany A fell. instantly killed By a bullet
through the body. Every few yards some man
fell bltthe battalion kent on until they reached
the old insurgent trench. They had not been
At the front before since our own outwork was
built and they thouRhtthis old trench was ours.
They saw firing ahead OF them and they heard
the bullets whistle by. They did not stop to
ask what had become OF our men, but opened
nre by volley straight into the backs OF tho
Pennsylvania and the regulars In the trench
ahead Of them.
Col. Smith. who had cauRhtup with the regu-
lars OF Battery H and was with Capt. 0'Hara In
the trench, at once sent one OF his officers back
to warn Major Boxton OF his mistake. The ofi-
Ger went on the run. but before his message
was delivered three volleys had been fired.
II was impossible to tell what the result OF
the shooting was or whether any OF our
men were hit. TIL surgeons say that they
cannot distinguish q Mauser wound from n
Springfield. but that no man was killed BY
shot from behind. One man was hit In the
back. but that was by a Mauser bullet that
struck him as he was lying down In the adj
vance across the open field. The bullet stuck
in his cartridge belt, and that's how It was
shown to be a Mauser.
When the California battalion finally got to
the front IL was sent out with part OF the reRu-
lars to the support OF d and E companies OF
the Pennsylvanians on the right. There and
in the march up through the open field most OF
our loss was met with. But there were
some casualties in the trench. Private
Brady Of I Company. Tenth Pennsylvania.
was killed in the trench. and Private McIlrath
Of Battery H got the wound there from which
he died the next morning. McIlrath had been
in the regular army for fifteen years. and was a
nrst-class man. He was acting Sergeant in
command Of twenty men. When his men got
TO the trench there was a great deal OF con-
fusion and excitement among the Pennsylva-
mans. and McIlrath jumped up on top Of the
parapet and shouted:
Its all right. boys. now we've got 'em. Get
together and give IL to 'em in volleys.'
He was walking back and forth on top OF the
parapet steadying the men. when he was hit
in the head by a Mauser bullet and fell back
among his comrades. He died in the brigade
hospital early on Monday morning.
BRAVE PRIVATE FINLAY.
Private ]. +. Finlay OF @ company. First Cali
fornia, especially distinguished himself. For
such work as his Englishmen get the Victoria
Cross. Finlay is detailed to Major Jones's trans
portation department. as interpreter. His mother
was a Mexican. and he learned Spanish before
he did English. When ammunition was sent
forward Finlay was In charge Of the train. He
had eight carromatta loads OF IL. each CARO-
malta with a native driver. He started when
the Spanish fire was hottest and went straight
up through the open fields. The bullets buzzed
and whistled all ABOUT him. They ripped
through the tops OF his carts. and one of them
hit one OF his drivers In the leg.
Finlay kept on as IL he were going after corn
on a pleasant afternoon until he reached the
old insurgent trench. Then he halted his
train and went forward alone to find some one
from the Tenth Pennsylvania to whom he could
| deliver the ammunition. That last hundred
yards into our trench was what Capt. 0'Hara, a
| grizzled veteran who has seen a-plenty of hot
work called a very hot place." It was swept
incessantly by Spanish bullets. But Finlay
hunted around until he found his man. went
back and got his carromattas. and started for
ward. One OF his ponies was shot just in the
rear Of our trench. Finlay took It out OF the
cart and with the native driver hauled the cart
along to its place. delivered his cartridges. and
started back.
On the way he found Capt. Richter lying in
the field where he had fallen. He jumped out
| Of his carromatta, put the Captain in. and
started on. Pretty soon he found an
other wounded man. That one was picked
mp, too. and back he went to camp.
Then he turned the wounded over to the
surgeons and got orders to take ten CARO-
| mattas to the front and bring back the
wounded. Back over that bullet-swept field he
went again. as cool and unconcerned as II on a
| drive through Golden Gate Park, did his work.
brought in the wounded, and turned in to get
what sleep he could before the hard days work
began soon after daylight.
REPuLsE OF THE SPANISH.
After he had sent forward everything that he
| could to help the men at the front. Gen. Greene
went out himself. By this time 1t was after2
| o'clock and the worst of 1t was over. The reg
| ulars were pumping in heavy volleys. and the
Utah boys were cracking away at their I'M
disturbed target practice and the at
tempt at hanking" was repulsed. Gen.
Greene stayed at the front until after 8 O'Clock.
| and then returned to camp. At daylight there
was a sharp burst Of firing by the spaniards.
but our men did not respond. and there was no
damage done. The wounded were all brought
into camp, and the serious cases were treated
| at the brigade hospital; the others were taken
| care OF at regimental hospitals or went to their
tents.
In the afternoon the eight dead were buried
in the yard Of the old convent at Maribacan.
back OF the camp. There were no cof1ns
| available. so each man was sewed up in his
blanket, and an Identification tag was sewed
fast to 1t. They were buried all in one trench.
| and headboards were set up to mark the
| graves, bearing the names OF the dead. The
| Chaplain OF the Tenth Pennsylvania took q
careful description of the place and the graves.
with the names and records Of the dead.
The surgeons worked all day over the
wounded and did not get through until 8
o'clock in the evening. They found several
very serious cases. some of which have since
resulted In death.
sHARP FIRE ALL NIGHT.
On Monday two battalions Of the First Col
orado and the third battalion of the First Cal
ifornia were sent into the trenches with a new
detachment OF the e~ven-tempered Mormons.
They finished the work on the embankment,
and the California men. who went in on the
right OF the road where d and E companies OF
the Pennsylvanians suffered so severely the
night before. began to dig a trench for them
selves. 1t was q nasty. Shiny place they had