Evening star., 1898-07-22
Experience of Captain Fisher in the
Battle Of Santiago.
AMONG THE DEAD ANDDYING ON FIELD
Caring for the Wounded During a
Calling FusiIade.
TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY

Capt H c. Fisher. assistant surgeon Of
.he list United States Infantry. wrote a
letter to his wife from the camp near San
tlsso de Cuba, under date Of July 4, of
which the following is an extract:
You have seen in the papers full ac-
ocrnts of the battle of the 1st. We had
advanced to a second camp from Siboney,
and at early daylight the 1st instant start
ed to advance again. There was cannonad-
ing on the right about o'clock, and the
battle had begun. On we went through
muddy roads, and fordng streams some
times knee-deep. AS We began to get under
fire cur resimental officers dismounted. and
We left our horses, with blankets, rain
coats, haversacks and everything behind
with Rankin. The men paced their blank
ct rolls and shelter tents at the roadside
and man was left to guard They carried
OILY the things they wore, their rifles and
ammunition and canteens-the officers the
same bkept my canteen and all the first
aid packets l could carry
we crossed a small stream and were nm
der fire. As l came up with the regiment
they were lying under a small bank by the
roadside with the bullets tipping about
Capt. EbsteIn called, Get down DOCTOR
and the doctor got down and listened to
the hornets. Soon some one called out that
Lieut. Meade, just from West Point was
wounded, and Ike eping low till / got to him.
dressed the wound in his forearm through
Whlch a bullet had passed, both of us lying
down Then came a staff officer, saying
that Gen. Kent ordered the 21st to gain a
MIL or Importance, and they started ahead
at double time. About that time 1 was
called to dress some officer of the 10th
lying in the roadway wounded and when
l could go on, the 21st was away ahead 1
started along different fork of the road
and reached another stream with high
irry71 NA1 f,,t4
my knees.
"On the other side some one said. oh.
here's doctori Lieut.. Michey, an aid to
Gen. Kent. is badly hurt, won't you look
after him. and they took me to him, living
on the muddy track.
First Fatal Case.
Poor fellowI 1t was my first fatal case.
and 1t made a very deep impression on me-
A bullet had passed through his abdomen
and he was pale, weak and bathed in cold
sweat. AS 1 bent over him, he grasped my
hand and told me he was done for. 1 did
all 1 could for him and then asked for the
2lst but all over the track were the wound
ed of the 18th, 9Th, nth and 16th begging
my aid, and L could not leave them. l hur-
ried through the most urgent cases and
chased away to hunt up that 21st L ran
across cclor sergeant. who said Col. Egg
bert was wounded and was then by the
roadside The patient old gentleman said
1t was not much and not to bother about
him, but 1t was a weak tone and he ap-
peared very low. He had been shot also
through the abdomen on the right side, and
l fixed him up and sent Beckwith, who was
with me, for a litter.
The little bandsman and Haring my or
derly, with pouch of dressings, stuck to me
most bTavely and well that day and l
shall always have a Sood word for Beck
with. Ny other men were where they could
find cases and did some fine work, being
the farthest advanced on the battlefield
They tell me they were the only ones with
the advance, with the exception of one
acting steward.
We'll, after leaving the colonel there was
a soldier in misery by the same roadway
with gunshot fracture of the thigh, and
l had to fix him. Again we could get Off
end Haring and l started across the broad
field over which the charge had been made,
and up the hill toward the block house and
rifle pits from which the Spaniards had
fled. Haring says the bullets were drop
ping or passing over, and l remember as
we were going up the hill hearing them,
but our men had then chased away the
enemy.
Along the way up more demands were
made from the list and others. The firing
over the hilltop sounded pretty hot My in
quiries about the 21st were somewhat
vaguely rewarded, and as l very dubiously
started ID crawl up on the top of the hill.
the men back behind the brow called to
me that 1t was dangerous to go on, SO /
stopped behind a tree