The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-07-21
A LIEUTENANT'S
DASHlNG STORY OF
SAN JUAN BATTLE.
He Commanded Four Gat;lnz- That
Swep. the Spanajrds From
fha SIN

J. H Parker CT the Thirteenth
United States Infantry. who was de
tached from his regimen. at Santiago
and placed ii command Of the four
Calling guns under General Wheeler
wrote the following graphic descrip
ten Ct the battle on July l and to
his father, Judge G ". Burr. of
this town:
I'm the trenches, Santiago July ,.
i am lying fat on my face in a
trench wa have dug To shelter US
when We are 10. "a ac'ion Tie
bullets are tipping iu.t over our
heads, bI; w are safe for the pres
SIT 1a3ment. have been 50 busy
ana so utterly exhausted that / have
not been able TO write before. We
went under fire at a n July
from the enemy's artillery. We
were posted il support Of cur own
field artillery. which was knocked
oat IN about 20 minutes 1 sbsll
burst 10 feet over my head "a the
retreat ans scattered fragments all
about me, but did 10 harm.
The infantry pushed forward then
aboat a mile beyond our position to
he edge OF the wood
There was oh nsar tho edge Of
tbs woods, and the enemy Was post
ed on e range Of bills 500 yards be
yond which embraced tho end of the
defle (road) IN semi circle. He
was strongly iotrenehed in as strong
a position as / ever saw We rushed |
forward az gallop but were stopped |
at the edge Of the wood. There We
laid down under our guns and wait
ed under fire for three hours. There |
were sharpshooters in the trees al
around, aud tLey went for US. But
at last the infansry got it so hot that
Shafter sent ne an order to take po-
sition and open up.
l daeLed NJ beyond the creek at
eallop and uulimkered under fire,
estimated the distances GEO yards on
ny left tn1 500 on my front, ard
saw that my pieces took the sight
This took about 80 seconds I stoe6
near No. l 10 observe the Grit z.
when just as gave the order to
open, two CT my men went over, one
striking me as he fell he never
knew what hit him. The other was
HIT vice and mortally wounded l
jumped into their place and let her
60. So did the others
Li6utenant Landis was near and
took my place and observed the
range to perfection, and in Eve min
utes they began to rUn for their
trenches. Then the slaught be :
came terrific. I saw their lines melt
under my fra, just as 1 always told
yOu they would do. The infantry :
W hen had been at a standstiiI for
.hree hours, aud which had suffered
horribly, swept forward. cheering,
lnder cover OF my fire, and the crest /
vas won.
But the Dons came back at them
They are glorious fighters. They
made charge after charge to regain
he ridge, for this ridge ia the key il
O Santiago We limbered up C
gain and dashed forward under a b
errib!e cross rifle fire at a gallop, g
topping to cut three wire fences on (,
be way, and finally gained tie crest. +
Only frszzle Of my men remain
d with ne I seized siraeglers =
nd reorEanizsd THE battery; then s
zen: TO The crest and rec0nnoitered {
hey were just making & desperate s
harge. bat l gained 6 good view, s
nd, goiog back, placed my guns SO {
: to fusiiiads tLeir charging line. (
len We opened and 1t was fne. I
'ney stood it for about five minutes (
ID ;ben broke and ran. We gave it Z
) them as they ran Then I sent q :
IN TO Roosevelt, who was hard 5
IsLsd. Is
Ssrgesn. Weigle took it il, and {
tells ms it did good work. {
ust at sunset thsy cana On again. 5
'e went L sgsin With the remaining {