The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-23
REPORT OF COL. ROOSEVELT
OPERATIONS OF ROUGH RIDERS
 BEFORE SANTIAGO.
Taking of the Bloclshouse and of San Juan Hll-Charges spaniards With Firing on the Wounded and the Red Cross Flags.

partment to-day made public two re- ports of Colonel Roosevelt on the fights of the First United States Volunteer cavalry, Rough Riders, in front of San tiago. One is addressed to Colonel Wood commanding, and the second is to Brigadier General Wood, after Col onel Roosevelt took command of the reg iment. The war department has hither- to refused to make these reports pub- lie. The second and more important report is as follows:
 Camp Hamilton, near Santiago de Cuba, July 20, 1898.
 Brigadier General Leonard Wood, Com
 manding Second Brigade Cavalry Division:
 Sir-In obedience to your directions l herewith report on the operations of my regiment from the first to the 17th in- stants inclusive.
 As I have already made you two re- ports about the first days operations, l shall pass over them rather briefly. On the morning of the first day my regiment was formed at the head of the Second brigade, by Fl Poso, sugar mill. When the batteries opened the Span iards replied to us with shrapnel, which killed and wounded several of the men | of my regiment. We then marched to- ward the right and my regiment cross | ed the ford before the balloon came | down there and attracted the fire of the enemy, so that at that point we lost no one My orders had been to march for ward until I joined General Lawton's l left wing, but after going about three quarters of a mile I was halted and told to remain in resere near the creek by a deep lane. The bullets dropped thick among us for the next hour while we lay there and many of my men were killed or wounded, among the former being Captain O'Neill, whose loss was a very heavy blow to the regiment, for he was a singularly gallant and eff cient officer. Acting Lieutenant Haskell was also shot at this time. He showed the utmost courage and had been of great use during the fighting and marching. It seems to me some action should be taken about him. You then sent me word to move forward in sup | port of the regular cavalry and I ad- vanced the regiment in column of com- panies, each company deployed as skir- mishers. We moved through several skirmish lines of the regiment ahead of us as it seemed to me our only chance was in rushing the entrenchments in i front instead of firing at them from distance. Accordingly we charged the block-house and entrenchments on the | hi 10 ,,t,
 It was taken in good style, the men of my regiment thus being the first to capture any fortified position and to break through the Spanish lines. The guidons of G and E troops were first at this point, but some of the men of A and B troops who were with me per- sonally got in ahead of them. At the last wire fence up this hill I was obliged to abandon my horse and after that went on foot. After capturing this
 hill we first of all directed a heavy fire upon the San Juan hill to our left, which was at the time being assaled | by the regular infantry and cavalry supported by Captain Parker's Gatling guns. By the time San Juan was taken 1 a large force had assembled on the hill we had previously captured, consisting not only of my own regiment but of the Ninth and of portions of other cav airy regiments. We then charged for ward, under very heavy fire across the valley against the Spanish en- trenchments on the hill in the rear of the San Juan hill. This we also took, capturing several prisoners. We then formed in whatever order we could and moved forward, driving the Spanish before us to the crest of hills in our front, which were immediately opposite the city of Santiago itself. Here I re- ceived orders to halt and hold the line of hill crest. I had at the time frag- ments of the Sixth cavalry regiment and an occasional infantryman under me-three or four hundred men all told. As I was the highest rank there I took command of all of them and so con- tinued until next morning. The Span iards attempted a counter attack that afternoon, but were easily driven back, and then until after dark we remained under heavy fire from their rifles aud great guns lying first on our faces on l a gentle slope just behind the crest
 Captain Parkhurst's Gatling battery was run up to the right of my regi- 1 IleHt anu Ulu HlOSl e&CGlleIL anu gall | lant service. In order to charge the men had of course been obliged to throw away their packs and we had nothing to sleep in and nothing to eat
 We were lucky enough, however, to 1 find in the last block-house captured the Spanish dinners still cooking which we ate with a relish. The food con- sisted chiefly of rice and peas, with a
 big pot containing stew of fresh meat, probably for the officers. We also dis tributed the captured Spanish blankets
 as far as they would go. among our men, and gathered a good deal of Mauser ammunition for the use in the 1 Colt rapid-fire guns, which were being brought up. That night we dug en- | trenchments across our front. At 3 o'clock in the morning the Spaniards made another attack upon us, which was easily repelled and at four they opened the day with heavy rifle and
 shrapnel fire. We lay all day long un- der this, replying whenever we got the chance. In the evening at about 8 o'clock the Spaniards fired three guns and then opened very heavy rife fire. their skirmishers coming well forward. got all my men down into the trench
 es, as did the other command near me and we opened a heavy return fire. The 1 Spanish advance was at onca stopped and after an hour their fire died away. ! se. ,o,--