The age-herald., 1898-08-11
SEVENTY-FIRST NEW YORK
He Tells How One Battalion Refused
 to BudSe.
STAID BEHIND THE FIRING LINE
Until Threats Had to Be Made to Move Them-A Jolly Jack Tar From the Oregon En Route
 Home.

There has been much dispute in New ment of that state wavered in the battle about Santiago. Private Minkle, of the Sixteenth infantry, who passed through the city yesterday en route to his home in this connection.
 "I saw d good deal of the Seventy-first New York volunteers. who just now exciting much talk all over the coun- try said he.
 You know there is big discussion be- ing carried on in the northern papers, es- pecially those of New York city, debating the question of whether the Seventy-first wavered in battle. The World said it did, but nearly all the other papers have been denying the charge strenuously.
 "As my regiment was marching to the front to deploy on the battle line-July 1 believe was the date-we passed part of the Seventy y-first New York who were standing by the roadside. Two of their battalions and a number of men from the other battalions had gone quickly to the front as they should have done but the battalion in question, for a while refused to budge. They said they had no orders to move Their officers didn't urge them forward, so they just stood there. Threatened to Gall Guard "Finally their action became so conspicu- ous that threat of calling provost guard had to be made before this battalion would move forward to the line of battle. But this they finally did
 ''T aftarward learned from some woundad soldiers in the hospital at Key West that the ofiicer-I forget his name-over whom the New York papers were making such a fuss for having planted the American col ors on San Juan hill, was at that time away to the rear taking care of some wounded soldiers
 That fight hot one. There were only two pieces of our artillery anywhere near our regiment and they were silenced by the Spaniards very soon after they went into action. Our victory was won entirely by the infantry, including, of course, the unmounted cavalry.
 "I was wounded in the fight with Mauser, which struck me in the chest and came out through my left arm. I didn't pay any attention to what happened around Santiago after that time, for was feeling
  ton to keeping myself alive. was shipped on a transport for Key West on July 3.'
 MT. Mnkle wore the uniform which had served him during the Cuban campaign and his flannel shirt showed the holes through which the bullet which wounded him had passed.
 A Jolly Jack Tar There was another of Uncle Sam's boys
 in the city yesterday, who excited great deal of attention. He was a volunteer seaman by the name of N. D. Ely, and has
 been serving on board the Oregon. He IS from Davenport, Ia., where he enlisted at the beginning of the war in the Second battalion of Illinois naval reserves. He left for that place yesterday at noon. Ely gave graphic description of the fight between Schley's and Cervera's fleets off Santiago on July 3. He said that the opinion in the American navy was that the Spanish admiral handled his fleet very poorly, and that he couold have done the Americans great damage if he had tried to do so.
 Ely was very proud of the record the Oregon made in this fight, and which she had previously made in her long record breaking voyage around South America, though at that time he was not one of her crew.
 Ely was slightly wounded and afterward
 was taken sick with fever, and for this reason was given furlough.