The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-12-28

refers to, toward midnight OF July /.
AS already indicated in these articles,
the success of the cavalry in taking the
first hill, giving the Gatling and Hotch-
kiss guns chance to silence the block
house, made Kent's task the easier. AS
things turned out, it was fortunate that
somebody ordered the cavalry to go in.
a word will suffice te carry the story
Of the cavalry over the I'd Of July up to
the hour of q night attack by the Span
iards and the second proposition to re-
treat a few rations and some water
we're got up the first night. At day
break on the Cd the Spaniards opened a
fusiIlade and kept it up all day. The
night Of the Cd heavy fusillade began
on the extreme left of the infantry diyi-
sion and rolled along in front Of the
cavalry. In an hour the Spanish were
siienced. It is held in the cavalry that
General Sumner was then discussing
the question Of retreat, and the result
of the night attack showed that the
Americans could hold ON.
On the leftof the cavalry the infantry
suffered from Spanish fire all day the
Cd. General Hawkins was wound dedthat
day. It was so hot that men tainted In
the trenches, and some of the faint and
wounded who were carried out were hit
before they could get to cover in the
rear. Parkhurst's battery got into posi-
ton the night Of the 1st at the block
house, and af $50 a. m. on the Sd
opened FIRE on the city. The Spanish
answered with Mausers and artillery,
killing one cannoneer and wounding
Parkhurst and two men. Lieutenant
Altman took command after Fa-khurst
fell and continued in action until it be-
came too hot, then withdrew. a shell
struck cne gun, and the wheels were cut
up By bullets. Best's battery tried to
get into action, but the Mauser FIRE
proved too much for the cannoneers.
The night attack If the Cd was sprung
about $50 p. m. on the line OF Pear
sons Ecsgade, left Of Kent's division.
Much activity had been noticed there
IN the. afternoon and 8 Spanish officer
OF high rank, as shown by his follow
ing, was conspicuous object for some
time. It was believed that the officer
must be the Spanish commander. and
one Of the sharpshooters of Pearson s
brigade asked General Kent, who was
on the line at the time, to allow him to
Ere. Kent did so, and at the second shot
the Spaniard fell Afterward it was
learned that .Linares had been wounded
on that ground at the time, about 4 p.
m. Pearson's men had a hard fight Of
it all day the Cd. His Twenty first regi-
ment was IN a salient only 400 yards
from the Spanish trenches. None of his
men dare leave the trenches to cook,
and ate their bacon raw. Marksmen
with records were picked out to do the
firing, and the rest of the soldiers re-
NAMED quiet under cover. 1t was one
of these sharpshooters who brought
down Linares.
z The night attack, SO called, lasted an
hour. Officers in the brigade said that
they saw Spanish troops advance from
their line and believed thata sortie had
been attempted, as directed by Linares
before he was wounded. General Pear
son says that when his men heard OF
the proposed retreat the night Of the I'd,
they insisted on staying on the ground
they had won. ALI the second day on
the captured ridge may be summed up
as day Of torrid heat, constant Mauser
fire upon the men in the trenches and
hunger. It was the condition Of the
men and inability to relieve it which
led to talk Of falling back to better
line for protracted siege Two things