Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1898-12-28


 out Hawkins orders tO eHalads the enemy. His men were somewhat shell tered by hedge and a roadside ditch, but from their position oo1ld only ob- tain an oblique fire against the hill In order to get a more effective fire the colonel decided to take his regiment across the road into the high grass and weeds beyond. A Cuban negro. who proved to be one of the heroes of San Juan heights, cut several openings in the fences with a machete. Through these openings the regiment advanced, and, lying down in the tall grass, open cd a steady fire on the enemy's works, both by file and volley.
 Suddenly" says Colonel Egbert, "tho bIockhouse and trenches burst out with can non and musketry, and the whole fire of the bin was developed on my regiment at short range Here was to be seen the value of dis tipiine. Our line was torn with shot and shell; men were falling everywhere Captain Walker, commanding the right center com pany, and his lieutenant, Gross; Captain Tor rey, commanding the Jeff center C1FT- pan r-, and his lieutenant. Purdy; Lleuts---t Tar man of Company and one quar.af r--ls- men were down in ten minutes from rh. fine the heavy fire of the Spaniards couEencei- Yet no one blenched. and all kept stead y fir ing without any tLoughi of stopping until the order should come. This it now became my reluctant duty to give. I saw that the f0rce on the hill in its intrenched position, was en- tireiy too strong for mine, and s-sg is g.e zS- uained another ten minutes the regiment would be destroyed therefore, with my ad- jutant Lieutenant Bennett, walked along the line and cautioned the company commanders to move by the flank quietly but rapidly to the road again. which was done in excellent order, carrying our dead ard wounded along with us As soon as we had bestowed these in safety under the overhangins bank of the river we resumed the fire from the road-
 In this plain language a soldier tells the story of the first encounter with the Spaniards at San Juan blOokhouse. The range was less than 500 yards. The Sixth lost the highest percentage of any regi- ment at Santiago. and the greater part of it was incurred in this attempt 70 reduce the Spanish fire by answer in kind. Colonel Egbert, and Captain ". H. H CroweIl, commanding one bat talion, were war veterans Egbsrt of the regular service and Crowell of the First Ohio, light artillery.
 With the Sixteenth as support the Sixth held on. The Cuban negro drifted over to the Sixteenth, thinking perhaps that it was about to lead fresh attack. Wikoff, with the Ninth, Thirteenth and Twenty-fouTth regulars, was then passing the San Juan at the trail ford and proving that 'Hell's Crossing" de- serves its ghastly name. The cavalry at this hour, still hack behind the fringe of trees, thought that the infantry had been repulsed in an attack on the block house Perhaps others took the same view of it, for soon after that the sick and pain racked leader on Fl Puso hill sent urgent orders to Lawton to leave Fl Clancy and move 10 his position as planned on Fl Caney road heights. north of San Juan ridge Twice Shafter sent this order, proof that in spite of bodily torture the brain had full grasp of the situation at the front Lawton, striking on the flank of San Juan ridge soon after midday, might have made the battle a masterpiece
 Meanwhile the artillery had not been. idle in its efforts to help Kent and Sum- her reduce the San than stronghold. Grimes battery had a perfect view of the blockhouse at 2, 600 yards and struck it at the third shot, say at o'clock The Spaniards replied, and at the fourth shot killed two gunners and wounded four at one piece. Shafter's sGjutaaf general. COioasl 3Is<Slsruar,i- staid with the battery and directed it's firing. He had a telephone wire to headquarters. Grimes once caught sight of the flash of a Spanish gun and, with that sole guidance, the Spanish using smokeless powder, pounded away for three hours with intervals. The black powder of his own guns hung like a cloud about them, making 3 perfect target for the Spanish artillerists. Some of their fire was from batteries in their second line, near the city. The balloon trailed along his line of fire and stepped action for a time. Another rife battery, under Captain Parkhurst. got into posi- tion near Grimes. ready to unite it's fire with his at the supreme moment.
 Parker, whose troubles in landing the Gatling outfit have been mentioned, found his way to the front blocked by stationary volunteer regiment, which, after opening ranks for the guns, cheer ed wildly and drew a fresh shower of Msusers and shrapnel. At last he reach