The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-07

things that Shrieked, whistled,
hummed, ratified and sang through the
air, clipping the boughs from the trees
and sending twigs and leaves whirl-
ing around like sands in desert ty-
phoon.. Bullets seemed to be every
where; they sped over us, around us
and between us.
Did the boys duck? / did not see
any one doing SO. It was too dark
and my time was taken up about the
limit in ,steadying fellow by the
name of Healy in whom l take con-
time to look for men ducking. What
/ do know, however, is that no man
hesitated, no man faltered, no man
turned Backward; all advanced as
steadily as at a Preside parade. Our
captain (who, by the way, has proved
himself a splendid officer and game to
the core), Eggett, of l. Company, had
no need to cry Steady" His COM
mands rang out clear and cool, as when
he marched us down Market street.
They were repeated with equal cool
ness by Lieutenants Curzons and Ad-
Ter, and were obeyed with promptness
and exactness by the men, which, con-
Sidering the weather, the darkness of
the night and the fact that we were
undergoing our baptism of fire, was
little short of marvellous.
AS with the commissioned officers. SO
with the "non-coms." Grundman, our
first sergeant, seemed to be more con-
cerned In seeing his tobacco become
pulp than in the whistling bullets. I
actually heard Sergeant Leary trying
to tell funny story amid all the din,
and If the laughter with which his
brother sergeants Iauber and Left
mani, greeted it was not as hearty as
might have been, I am sure it was not
because 1t was Leary's story and not
on account of their surroundings Both
they and the corporals were as cool
and as game as veterans of the thirty
years war. And the men! Well, they
were all right from great big Clancy
on our right down to little Collins on
our left, who when a bullet passed
through his haversack wanted to
know what the Spaniards were doing
that for. Lieutenant CurZons had
bullet pass so close to his ear that he
claimed that that member was red hot.
Private Joe Donnelly stepped UP to
Clipped from his blouse. Mr. Donnelly
promptly returned to his place in the
ranks. But despite these incidents,
and despite the rain of lead and steel
we continued to advance.
AS we entered a narrow strip of tim
Der separating the third paddy field
from the Pasay road, which field Is the
last piece of cultivated ground before
the trenches are reached, shell tore
through the brush, cut tree seven
inches In diameter completely in two,
and lit in the earth at the very feet
Of our fourth squad. Luckily it did
not explode or none of that squad. or
the ones on either side of it would have
answered roll call again before the day
they line up for general muster and
final judgment on the last day of ALL
At the Pasay road, another ditch
crossing our line Of advance, we took
up our final position and lay in the
mud and water on our faces all
through the terrible night with the
rain beating upon us, the wind seeking
out our very marrow and causing it to
freeze in our very bones, while bullet,
shell and solid shot tore through our
ranks and over our heads
AT about o'clock in the morning, the
Spanish advance having been checked
and their forces repulsed we returned
to camp cold, hungry and worn out.
but victorious and happy. I, M, z and
A Companies of the First Battalion be-
haved like heroes. And to the adj
vance of the First California volun-
teers the ultimate victory must be as
cribed. Our colonel, lieutenant colonel
chaplain and field and line officers be.
haved nobly and are body of COM
manders of whom any body of troops
may be proud. OF our hospital CORPS
cannot speak too highly They took
every risk with the utmost intrepidftv
and performed every office with cool
ness and courage that commands the
highest admiration. The American
loss was eleven killed and about forty
six wounded. The Spanish loss in
killed and wounded was near 1900. ~.