The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-27
BATTLE BAPTISM.

let from a machine gun, while four ct
LIS men went down.
''At the same time, Captain Luna
OF Troop r., lost nine VI his msn. Then
Inc reserves, Troops ~ und X, wore
oi1tred up.
''LoioneI Wood, with the right wing,
charged straight at a block house SUI
yards away, and Colonel hoose ,eit, on
the lett, charged at the same time.
up went the men, yelling Xix. nends
and never stopping to return the fire
Of the Spaniarus, put keeping on with
a grim determination to capture that
block house.
That charge was the end. When
within 500 yards of the coveted point
the Spaniards broke and ran and for
the first time, we had the pleasure of
shooting with the enemy in sight"
With the exception OF Captain Ca
prom all the Rough Riders killed in
yesterdays fight were buried this
morning IN the field of action.
Their bodies were laid In one long
trench and flowers were heaped In pro-
fusion over the dead heroes.
Chaplain Brown read the beautiful
Episcopal burial service Tor the dead
and as he knelt in prayer every trooper,
with barred head knelt around the
trench. w men tuG CuhpldiH dllHOuuCtu
the hymn, Nearer, My God, to Thee"
the deep bass voices Of the men gave
most impressive rendering OF the
music.
The Rough Riders rest on the summit
of the hill where they fell. The site
Ks most beautiful. A growth of rich
grass and flowers cover the slopes and
from 1t reaching view Is had over
the tropical forest,
Chaplain Brown has marked each
grave and has completed records for
the benefit Of the dead soldiers.
Captain Capron's body was brought
into Juragua this afternoon, but it was
deemed nadvisable to send the remains
north at this season and interment took
place on the hillside near the seashore,
back of the provisional hospital.
After brief service a parting volley
WAS fired over the grave OF the dead
captain and bugle sounded taps as The
sun sank over the mountain tops be-
You'd Santiago.
In the two hours fighting, during
which tha volunteers battled against
their concealed enemies, enough deeds
of heroism were done to fill volume.
One of the men of Troop p, desper-
ately wounded, was lying squarely be-
tween the lines of fire Surgeon
1HuICn uuTIltu 10 uio siuc, anu, WIN
bullets pelting all around him, calmly
dressed the mans wound. bandaged 1t
and walked unconcernedly back, soou
returning with two men and litter.
The man was placed on the litter and
brought into our lines.
Another soldier of Troop l., conceal
ing himself as best he could behind
tree, gave up his place to wounded
companion and a moment or two later
was himself wounded.
Sergeant Bell stood beside Captain
Capron when the latter was mortally
wounded. He had seen that he was
fighting against terrible Odds but he
never flinched.
Give me your gun a minute he
said to the sergeant and, kneeling
down, he deliberately aimed and fired
two shots in quick succession.
At each shot Spaniard was seen to
fall Bell in the meantime, had seized
dead comrades gun and kept beside
his captain and fired steadily.
When Captain Capron fell he gave
the sergeant parting message to hts
wife and father and babe the sergeant
good bye in cheerful voice and was
then borne away dying
Sergeant Hamilton Fish. Jr.. was
the first man killed by the Spanish
force. He was near the, head of the
column as 1t turned from the road
into the range OF the Spanish ambus-
cade.
He shot one spaniard who was firing
from the cover of dense patch of un-
derbrush
When bullet struck his breast ne
sank at the foot of tree with his
back against it Captain Capron stood
over him shooting and others rallied
around him. covering the wounded
man.
The ground this afternoon was thick
with empty shells where Fish lay. He
ilved twenty minutes. He gave lady's
hunting case watch from his belt to a
messmate as last souvenir.