The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-07-27
HAIL OF SPANISH BULLETS.
Adjutans Charles &. raynsn Writes Of the
Charge on San Juan Hill
PROUD RECORD OF THE OATH.

r Iayman, Adjutant Of the Twenty
fourth U. S. Infantry. WAS received by
his parents, Mr.. and Mrs D. p. K. Tay-
man, Of I.avansville, few days ago, aud
they have kindly given il to the HERALD
for publication As Lieutenant Tayman
Is the only officer Somerset county has in
the regular army, and as he is personally
acquainted with many of our patrons, his
account Of the fight ia front of Santiago
win be read with interest:
FORT SAN JUAN. Cuba,
July 5, lsss.
This is the first opportunity have had
Of writing 10 you since the battle Of July
lst and ID. ] hardly know where to be-
gin, as SO many things have happened.
and there were seconds that seemed like
years; but it was frightful. with the bul-
lets falling like hail, the cries of the
wounded, and the dull thud Of battle
when some poor fellow was struck by
yonr side.
Well. 10 begin: We left our camp for
the battlefield at 3 p. m, June SOth, aud
marched until 2 a. m. July lst We did
not go far, IS the road was so blockaded
We left camp at G.30 a. m. July LIST.
marching towards Santiago. finding the
road the same as the night before, block
AIDED snd crowded with infantry, cavalry,
artillery and Cubsns. We reached the
San Juan river about eight o'clock, and
after crossing, saw a battery of our artil
lery firing on our left, as wo afterwards
Il.
brigade was halted and the packs taken
off and piled by the road. just as this
was being done the eHemy opened fire
with their artillery on the battery men
toned above. 1t was the first hostile
shell had ever heard and it was terrify-
ing, to say the least The shell burst
over the regiment ahead of ours, killing
several men. Just then Cartwright came
running down the road for troops, and
our regiment, which was the rear OF the
brigade, was the first 10 pass General
Kent's headquarters, and he turned us
down 10 a stream where we found the
troops hugging the earth and bullets (ri-
fie fire. whizzing TO beat the band. The
whole regiment was on the run and
the bushes so thick that / couldn't
see anything; but we soon came
10 the river again and crossed it,
when / believe we struck the hottest
plsscs the earth ever held. The stream
makes quite bend where crossed and
in that bend chaos reigned. counted
dead men by the dozens, and hundreds
of men were falling in every direction.
Our regiment passed on through the
crowd, Colonel Liseum leading. Beyond
the bend was an open space in fun view
of the block house and the entrenchments
on the hill. / shall never forget passing
over it. One hundred aud fifty yards be-
yond we reached a small bank which af-
forded some protection from The fire from
the hills. We looked about for the regi-
ment, but found only part Of g Compa-
ny. or course, as Adjutant, / was sent
back and brought up the rest Of the bat
taIlion. Then I was sent back for
Captain Wigants battalion, and again to
General Kent for reinforcements TO take
the hill. Six times did 1 cross that awful
place, and the last time / found men of
different regiments lying down in the
grass and was forced to strike some of
them with my sword before could make
them get up and move on. We then
moved on up the hill where I saw three
field officers killed; while hurrying on
we passed Major Resde, and 1 was direct
ed to take ali the troops 1 could find. /
sent up the Twenty first and Second reg
iments of regulars and brought up the
Seventy-frst New York. The way back
was awful, over dead and dying men,
and men falling all around like leaves.
1 can never outlive the horror of the
scene. returned just as the line started
forward and stopped with poor little
Augustine. who was shot twice through
the breast. and poor Gaerney, who was
dying, and Colonel Liscun. who was
shot through the shoulder. The charge
was glorious, but the slaughter was ter
rible. The Thirteenth, Twenty fourth,
Sixth, and Sixteenth took the hill, driv-
ing the enemy before them. We lost two
officers and II men killed, and four Off
GERS wounded. Captain BIenton. Laws
and Ly on were wounded on the second.
While Laws and l were leisnrely walk
ing to a tree on the evening of the second
our conversation was interrupted by a
bullet striking him in the arm.
/ don't know how many Spaniards
were killed, bat / buried S5 in the trench
es on the night of the second. 1 also per-
formed the sad duty OF burying poor
Guerney.
1t is wonderful what a man can stand.
haven't had a bath, not even washed
my face, since June SOtb, and have had
very little to eat, bat feel first rate, and
slept for hours on the night of the I'd
within six feet of two dead men and a
wounded Spaniard, whose groans were
loud enough to arouse the dead. In addi-
lion to this, bullets were flying overhead
throughout the night. fred from batter
les on the hills. The regiment had been
under constant fire from s o'clock a. M
June lst, until u o'clock noon, July ID,
when a flag of truce was sent out.
This is certainly the greatest campaign
any American army has ever had on
foreign shore and the hardships and pri-
vstions are something difficult to believe.
T have slept on the wet ground, not only
one night. but many, and in wet clothes.
without the cover Of tent or blanket
This being the case on the staff, you csa
imagine what company officers must suf-
fer. General Kent says there was never
anything in the civil war to equal this.
lunched with him to- day. | forgot to
say that the firing kept up all the rest OF
the day after we had driven the enemy
from the hill. and when night came we
entrenched ourselves safely, so that when
morning dawned the hill WAS ours for
keeps, and our lines had advanced to the
right and left close to the town. This
point is the key to the whole position and
is the centre of the American line. We
can look down into she town. The people
OF Santiago have been removing their
valuables 10 place of safety all day. The
noise Of the big guns Of the navy Storm
ing the entrance 20 the harbOr was the
sweetest music / ever heard. Our old
regiment has made reputation that viii
last forever. Officers and men crowded
around to shake hands with the men of
the 24th. heard an English officer say
that ''the world has never Witnessed any
thing like the charge we made" i fell
exhausted by the heat once. but soldier
saw me and ran to the stream and got
some water aud poured it on my head.
after which was all right.
In the brigade the Commander and one