The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-01

aroused by a few rife shots, which l
afterward learned were shot by the
Spanish at our men at work in the
trenches. \ few moments after this
the orderly came on double quick to
us, saying to report to Maj. Cuthbert-
son at the trenches in double quick
time. (Cuthbertson was in command.
Col. Hawkins being Sick). We did so,
followed by Company E. During this
time there was no more firing. Com
panies ID and E were ordered to the
right of our breaStworks into a small
wood of bamboo, which came up TO the
edge of our earth works. We were
taken about $50 yards to the right of
our trenches and about 80 to 40 yards
in front of our line, Company E. being
on the left Of Company d. We reached
our places along the outer edge OF
wood facing on an open spot or place
At this time | don't think there was a
man in Companies E or d who had
any idea of what was coming. The
Major may have anticipated it, for we
were put there to guard against any
attempt to flank us on our right And
it was a fortunate thing we got there
when we did, for we no sooner reached
our places where We could look out in
to that open spot than we saw the
fire at once, followed by Company E.
The Spanish returned the fire and the
engagement became general immed-
lately clear down the lines on both
sides / don't know how to describe it.
He'll broke loose and stayed loose for
nearly four hours. The cannon belched
and doomed, shells exploded over us,
and during it all was the ceaSeleSS
crack, crack, crack of the rifles, and
we could hear the bullets sing as they
passed over us. We, in Companies d
and T., were almost surrounded; shots
came from almost every direction eX-
cept down towards our trenches. We
were in the woods and got separated
more or less. 1t was a case of fighting
from down low; every man was as fiat
on the ground as it was possible to be
and at the same time use his gun. AS
it was the bullets whiZZed and struck
near us. We were not expecting any
such battle and our company went out
that day with only fifty rounds. But
with that fifty rounds Companies ID
and Z did effective work and get credit
with having saved the works. in that
we prevented the flank movement on
our right. Company E had five killed
and seven wounded, Company ID had
one killed AK - twelve wounded. Com
pany ID had only thirtv-nine men in
those woods, so you - 49, than one
out of four got out u,-. EssStssmpany
e pr Sae bly, had no mora ~gffif OF there
than We as they had the sam4e details
elsewhere. 1t 2t!sSsAappened in the short
space of time It Took to fire fifty
rounds. and we were firing as fast as
we could load. When Cet.A~+ast rounds
were fired the captain gave command
to fix bayonets, expecting a rush, but it
did not come We had done our work
and stopped them 1t was at this time
that we lost our only one killed.
I'VE had ten or eleven wounded. 1t
is surprising how few of these are SER
iously hurt. When our ammunition
was all gone we were recalled behind
the trenches, a lucky thing for us. as
fifteen or twenty minutes more of that
and there would not have been any of
Company d left. Just after we got be-
hind the trenches it began 10 rain and
continued till morning. The fight be-
gan about II o'clock and was continu-
Gus and hot stuff till about in the