The Lafayette gazette., 1898-08-13

o9C000s we o0va0CS ABOUT 1So
yards through . gfass field. and
crossing lane with q barbed wire
fence on either side, enter an open,
pineapple grove. The Spaniards
Immediately begin pouring most
tmurderous IRE into us-our men be-
gin to drop--the enemy 10 using
smokeiess powder and we cannot
therefore locate him-~ith 4 rain oi
bullets in our faces we continue to
ADVANCE with a, helpless kind of q
feeling-:his won't do, something
must be done. Lieuts. Mccorkle,
| Kennison, Murdock and myself hold
a brief consultation--Lieut. Nc
| CoTkle Nis about a yard to
my left and front and is kneel-
ing on one: knee ~ unbuttoning
his shirt he towers his head and be-
holds under the rissof his right arm
a CHASTITY wound, and poor fellow,
falls oyer mortally wounded.
maa on my right er,es cut e'MY
Coda and dropping ehis' gun falls
ldead-auother slightly HI front, ex,
claims. ssE1eavens, I am shot "
It's'Iainning .bnlletsi. We make two
attempts, to-cxepRf McCorkle's body
to a place of shelter a few yards
away, but the .fire's too hot--a third
effort is successful. McCorkle is
dead-I am in command of the
company; rush of 500 yards
takes us to place of comparative
shelter. Here we rest awhile.
Lieut.. Murdock is wounded and I
am directed to take command Of
his company, too. Another rush
forward over exposed ground and
we find sheltersin a small stream.
The air is filed with bullets. tsNow
men; altogether, follow. mel" and
forty yards takes, us to the crest OF
small hill,2 15o yards from the
Spanish block-house. The Span
iards are now shaken and demoral-
lied, as they run from their in
.trenchments' to. the block house and
from the block house to the in
trenchments, our men shot them
down like SO many dogs. A small
block house on our left flank is an
noying us little. Lieut.. Kennison
is wounded and taken off the field.
The rest Of the support is now com;
ing up:' the brick and mortar ale
flying: the block-house is getting
too hot for the Spaniards: they
present to US the white aag; we are
preparing for. final charge; all is
ready and we're off! Men are still
falling by the way-side: but on, on,
up, up we go-and now the block
house is ours!!. Where only a. few
moments ago aoated the Spanish
flag now flutterss the Stars and
Stripes!! And thus il was that on
the fields of Ell Caney the day was
won by the gallant 25th.
After the battle this battered
bl0ckhouse presented scene of
ghastly horror that battles descrip
walls were covered with
blood, the floor inside and the
ground, outside were strewn with
the mangled bodies of the dead, the
air was filled with the groans OF the
and DYING! Indeed war
is terrible!! =. .-. I!
One sight struck me as being
particularly CHASTITY and horrible: in
one of the rif1e-pits there was dead !
Spaniard in sitting position, his
back against the end of the pit and
MS knees drawn up; toward his !
body; his head was slightly thrown
pack, exposing the white of his
eyes. and his mouth was par
tally. open; by his side lay
lis ffabby arms and in his knees
'ested his hat containing blood and
,rains! A piece of shell must have
truck, the poor fellow on the head.
How did feel under fire? Wen; f
went into the battle with the sanfs
ceiling that preacher goes into a
:hurch, lawyer into a courthouse
nd surgeon into sick-chamber
such is my profession, the pro-
ession of arms. After the ball
tarted a-rollihg I was SO occupied
nth the men under my command
hat did not have time to be afraid
Il did not have time to think I
bout myself. -.
After the battle the colonel of my
egiment complimented me on my
'ork during the fight and mentioned
le in his official report.
CONTINUATION OF DIARY.
Friday, July 1:-That night BIZ
ouaced on main road to Santiago.