The record-union., 1898-12-23
Rscounted In Two Reports Made to Gen.
eraI Wood by Colonel Roosevelt.
Great Praise Bestowed Upon the
Rough Riders for Their Heroic
Conduct in Their Trying Posi-
ton During the Several Engage
ments Leading UP to the Cap
itu1ation of the Spanish Strong
hold.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-The War
Department 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
Santiago. One is addressed to Colonel
Wood, commanding, and the second IS
TO Brigadier General Wood, after Colo
nel Roosevelt took command of the reg
iment The War Department has
hitherto refused to make these reports
public.
The first report says:
Trenches outside of Santiago, July a,
1893. Colonel Leonard Wood, COM
manding Second Cavalry Brigade-Sir:
On July 1st the regiment, with myself
in command, was moved out by your
orders, directly following the First
Brigade. Before leaving the camping
ground several of our men were wound
ed by shrapnel. After crossing the
river at the ford we were moved along
and up the right bank, under fire, and
were held in reserve at a sunken road.
Here We lost a good many men, includ-
ing Captain O'Neil killed, and Lieuten-
ed your order to advance and support
the regular cavalry in the attack on the
intrenchments and blockhouses on the
hills to the left. The regiment was de-
ployed on both sides of the road. and
moved forward until we came to the
rearmost lines Of the regulars. We con-
tinued to move forward until 1 ordered
a charge, and the men rushed the block
house and rife pits on the hill to the
right of our advance. They did the
work in fine shape, though suffering Sc
verely. The guidons of Troops E and G
We're first planted on the summit,
though the first men up were some of A
and B, troopers who were with me.
They then opened fire on the intrench-
ments on hill to our left, which some
of the other regiments were assailing,
and which they carried a few minutes
later.
I'm the meantime we We're an
der a heavy rife fire from the in
trenchments along the hills to our
front, from whence they also
shelled with a piece of field artil-
lery until some of our marksmen ST.
fenced 1t. When the men got their wind
We charged again, and carried the sec
ond line of intrenchments with a rush.
Swinging to the left, we then drove the
Spaniards over the brow of the chain or
hills fronting on Santiago.
by this time the regiments were
much mixed, and we were under a very
heavy fire, both of shrapnel and from
rifles, from the batteries, intrenchments
and forts Immediately in front of the
city. On the extreme front now found
myself in command, with fragments or
the six cavalry regiments and the two
batteries under me- The Spaniards made
one or two efforts to retake the line,
but were promptly driven back
Both General Sumner and you sent
me word to hold the line at all hazards.
and that night We dug a line of in
trenchments across our front. using the
captured Spanish intrenchment tools
We had nothing to eat except what We
captured from the Spaniards. but their
dinners had fortunately been cooked,
and we ate them with relish, having
been fighting all day We had no blank
cts or coats, and lay in the trenches all
night. The Spaniards attacked us once
in the night, and at dawn they opened
heavy artillery and rifle fire.
Very great assistance was rendered
us by Lieutenant Parker's Gatling bat
terry at critical moments He fought
his guns at the extreme front of the
firing line in way that repeatedly
called forth the cheers of my men. One
of the Spanish batteries which was used
against us was directly in front of the
hospital, SO that the Red Cross flag flew
over the battery, saving it from our fire
for a considerable period The Spanish
Mauser bullets made clean wounds. but
they also used a copper -jacketed or
brass jacketed bullet, which exploded
making very bad wounds indeed.
'Since then we have continued to hold
the ground: the food has been short.
and until to-day we could not get our
blankets. coats or shelter tents, while
the men lay all day under the fire of the
Spanish batteries, intrenchments and
guerrilias in trees. and worked all night
in the trenches. never even taking off
their shoes; but they are in excellent
spirits, and ready and anxious to carry
out any orders they receive. AT the
end of the first day the eight troops
were commanded: Two by Captains,
three by First Lieutenants, two by Sec
ond Lieutenants, and one by the Ser
geant whom you made acting Lieuten-
ant.
I'VE went into the fight about 49O
strong; st were killed or wounded, and
there are half a dozen missing. The
great heat prostrated nearly forty men,
some of them among the best in the reg
iment- Besides Captain O'Neil and
Lieutenant Haskell, Lieutenants Leahy
Devereaux and Case were wounded. All
behaved with great gallantry. AS for
Captain O'Neil, his loss is one of the
severest that could have befallen the
regiment. He was a man of cool head
great executive ability and literally
dauntless courage.
THE guerrillas in trees not only fired
at our troops. but seemed to devote
themselves especially to shooting at the
surgeons, the hospital assistants with
Red Cross bandages on their arms. the
wounded who were being carried in lit
ters, and the burying parties Many of
these guerrillas We're dressed in green
uniforms. We sent ou. detail Of