El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-07-28
THE FIGHT ON SEVILLA HILL.
Description Of.The Battle BY Tex
as Rouuh Rider.


a letter from Waco to the San An
tonic Express says: Hon. John G.
Winter of this city and his wife are in
receipt of the following letters from
their son, John G. Winter, Jr., who
was with the famous Rough Riders in
the Santiago campaign.
Camp near Santiago, June 29.-Dear
father: 1t has been impossible for me
to write until now. My hands have
been so busy, marching fighting, pitch
ing and breaking camp. L wrote NAM
ma just before leaving the troopship
Yucstan. OF course you read the let
ter. Since then q great many things
have happened, and l have been
through great many unusual ex-
periences: the battle of the 4th being,
of course, the most important. l be.
lieve it has been named the battle of
La Quasina. You have read in the
account OF the fight, but | will describe
It from my own standpoint. After
leaving the troopship we camped for
the might at the landing, and next day
made a quick march of twelve miles
to little village on the coast, the
name of which have forgotten.
1t was pretty we'll known that the
Spaniards were very near our camp,
aud that we were to fight the next day.
the discomfort of rainy night, kept
me from sleeping. AT last the most
earnest desire of our hearts was to be
satisfied. Nearly all the men showed
some excitement. At o'clock next
morning we we're on the march again,
q reconnoiterinR party being sent out
ahead. Suddenly the column was stop
line to load chambers and maya
zines" L troop, immediately in front
OF us, and the first in the line of
march, wheeled to the right and
f to the left to cover the left hank,
the other troops taking their positions.
The march was resumed with the regi-
ment in line of battle; + Troop, "a
have said, on the extreme left, took DO
sition on the brow of low hill. Ex-
cept for the troops next to F, / soon
| lost track of the movement of the other
men. Then came the most unique ex-
perience of my life, and one l shall
| never forget: both lines opened fire,
| and Mauser bullets began to whistle
around our heads. The Spaniards
were on q hill and in sunken road
imm ediately opposite to us, and in q
position of no disadvantage. They
had several machine guns, which were
/ quickly put in action, and then the
men began to drop. You have never
been under a fire of u gun shoot
| ing 800 times minute-this is one OF
| the first battles in civilized warfare in
| which is has been used. When the
bullets strike the ground they all sp-
pear TO do so at once, and as if they
/ were strung out in row. One man in
my squad was struck in three places
| simultaneously. 1t would be difficult
almost impossible-form me to describe
clearly my feeling during the first
part of the engagement. / felt very
| much as il were shooting doves. and
| held my carbine in the same position,
advancing slowly, excited and imps-
| tient for the order to fire at will"
For the first half hour. | loaded, aim
ed and shot as fast rs my hands and
! eyes could work, but after
| while the first excitement of
worked more calmly and methodicslly.
L cannot say whether or not my shots
had any effect, but for the most part
directed my fire toward a kind of block
house in which there were large
number of Spanisrds. At one stage
of the fight the enemy made q move
| ment to ward our right, and the troops
on the left, considerably scattered,
were ordered to march ''by the right
| flank, double time" 1t was not until
this moment that realized the hor.
rors of war. There was q man named
Irvine [probsbly Erwin OF San Anto-
niol in our troop With whom | had
been thrown good deal in company.
We had become .as close friends as an
scquaintanceshipo of several week could
make us, aud we had been fighting to-
gether. n good deal. In executing the
order just mentioned he was little in
front of me and to one side, both of US
running: there were a number of dead
around, and several wounded that had
not been taken to the rear and the
sight of them stirred me greatly,
but as / looked at the man in front of
me the breath left my body for the
moment, as the whole top of his heal
flew up in the air, his skull blown to
atoms BY an explosive bullet He fell