The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-05
THE TAKING OF SAN JUAN HILL.

with rare exceptions. no fictienist
ould begin to equal the official reports
n the actions of our navy and army
OR picturesqueness and graphic de-
,cription. General Kent's report OF the
,pht that resulted in the taking OF San
Tuan hill before Santiago is stirring
reading and gives one an even more
-, ,,nressive idea of the sort of work our
soldiers have been doing down In CUBA
than has been possible from the writ
Ings of the talented war correspond
ents.
Kent commanded Skaters first d.
vision. That division comprised the
sixteenth, Sixth, Tenth. Twenty-hrst'
Second, Ninth, Thirteenth and Twenty
fourth regular infantry and the
seventy-first New York volunteers. 1t
was perhaps the banner division and
at all events it had about the biggest
slice of the work planned cut out for !
IL. II was divided into three brigades
and in two days fighting 1t lost one
brigade commander and eleven other
officers and So men killed, S6 officers
and 553 men wounded and 62 missing,
the stray shooting of the third days
work adding slightly to this list.
Fort San Juan represented position
so strong that no military theory could
have admitted the possibility of Its cap
ture without the use of siege guns. The
works commanded n crest of 125 feet
above the general level and was defend
ed all the way UP by deep trenches
and barbed wire entanglements. The
troops were intermixed In the dense
thickets and Gen. Kent attributes the
victory largely to commanders OF
small bodies and individual courage of
the troops. They crossed streams waist
deep. in the face of stinging fire.
They tore down the barbed wire while
the Mausers shattered the ranks. They
crossed open spaces, regaining their
formation despite the hail of bullets
and shell. They went through an in
ferno such as Dante never dreamed.
But nothing could stop them. The SOL
diers followed their officers when they
could be seen. When they dropped or
lost their commands for time the SOL
| diers went on--ever on. One staff OFF,
| Ger carrying orders to brigade COM
| mander found him dead. He took COM
| mand himself and executed the orders
| Generals and colonels led their com
mands or such parts of them as turned
up in order from time to time. The
commander of one brigade was killed
the senior regimental commander thai
took his place was severely wounded
and the next in rank to follow him alst
went down before the whitening fire.
Kent's report gives the circumstances
bearing on the controversy as to th'
action of the only volunteer regimen
| in the division--the Seventy first New
| York. This regiment has been accused
~ cowardice and defended from th'
charge both by its own members ant
rho regulars who fought near 1t. 1t Il
matter OF record that the voluntee
regiment suffered loss OF 1S killed, 3
wounded and az missing. They wer
evidently not towards. According t
Kent's report. what happened was this
Advancing to an important position
the leading battalion was thrown int
corfusion under the terrible fire of tn
enemy and recolled back upon the bal
ance of the regiment, creating disorde
and good deal of panic. Stan OH
GERS attempted to check them an
finally they were ordered to lie dow
and clear the way for the followin
battalions which then swept to tn
front-rear battalions OF the voluntee
regiment along with the regulars, VIII
were trained to so ahead II orders sal
40 regardless OF the terrific fire. Tt
episode was not unlike that of u
Rough Riders to whose support can
regular cavalry at La Guasimas.
was not a question OF bravery. but
:. discipline and the pre-eminent traini'
Of the regulars was demonstrated
II has been before. the emergency d
manding a spirit that only the regul
soldier can be counted upon to- posse
In It's highest development.
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