The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-16
KANSAS BOY N C(JBA
Private Brennan Calls the
Spaniards Snakes
OWING TO THEIR METHODS
Fighting Through Brush, Cac-
tuS and Barb Wire.
OWING TO THEIR METHODS

|
front, talked with a reporter last even
ing about the bloody fight at San Juan,
in which he was wounded. Private Bren-
nan, who is scarcely more than boy,
wore the regulation blue uniform and dark
| shirt. The shirt was open at the throat,
showing the surgeons bandages that en-
! circled mis- bOdy.As the reporter approach
! ed, he put out his right hand with shrink
! ing movement, for it was upon that SIDE
| his wounds were. When told the object
| Of his visit, he was silent for few mo-
ments, as he slowly famed himself with
his left hand. Finally he said: 1T was
awful not work, but we drove them back,
and 7 was in it only twelve hours"
Inside the house beside the open win
dow at his elbow sat his sister, the wife
Of a soldier who is still before Santiago
LAS you probably remember. my regi-
ment, the Sixth infantry, was in General
Hawkins division he went on. He used
to be my old colonel. We started out at
4:30 o'clock on the morning of the first
days battle. and for four miles the fun
went on in bushwhacking style. No one
who has never been to Cuba has any idea
what thick brush means. The foliage is
five fet high, and so dense that it is i'm
possible to see ten feet ahead Add to this
barbed wire fence, ten stands high, every
twenty-five yards and cactus every foot
and you get some idea of the he'll of that
place. Not a Spaniard could be seen, but
the Mausers were popping all around US.
Step by step the boys advanced. The only
thing they had TO shoot at was little puff
Of white smoke. You never knew when
you were going to be hit or where the bull
let was coming from. For seven hours
the boys kept that up,all the time ad-
vancing. Every once and awhile l would
see one of our boys fall"
A long drawn out sigh-almost akin to
moan came from the young woman in
side the house.
1T was 11:30 o'clock" continued the SOL
der, that l heard the boys in another
part of the line, the skirmixl line was
seven miles long. begin to cheer. In few
moments L saw what it meant. We had
come TO the open. That is the open was
ahead Of Us although we were in the bush.
Eight hundred yards ahead was a Spanish
trench seventy-fiVe yards long with a
book house at each end and one in the
middle. This was real fun. 1t was hot
stuff"
The words came out with such salts
faction that it could not be doubted that
he was fighting the battle over again.
Over at the other end of the porch sat
| Sergeant Michael Brennan, the father of
| the speaker, who was only recently hon
orably discharged from the army after
thirty years Of service. This old warrior
could not refrain from a chuckle al his
sons enthusiasm and NODDED encourage
ingly for him TO continue his recital.
We began firing at the trenches at 500
yards and kept on going ahead the
young soldier continued. AT 400 yards
you ought to have heard the cheer. for
out there floating out before US, was a big
white flag Up we jumped, thinking Of
course. we were dealing with men and not
with snakes and cowardly ours. Do you
know what they did father?" Cunning to
the old man.
The question was probably addressed to
him because he felt that soldier would
better appreciate the answer.
NO. 1 don't" with an accent decidedly
Celtic
"Why they let us get within one humid
red yards of them and then they began
pumping it into US. But the boys didn't
stop; they kept right on, carried the
trenches and drove the snakes over the
other side Of San Juan hill. We got our
revenge. though 1t was when the Span
iards were going down the other side of
the hill and the Gatlings got to work.
You see, they were going down the hill
sailing and we were pumping away at
the same time. ! could see them drop like
corn stalks in cutting time and every once
in Il while one Of them would jump in
the air like a deer when ne gets hit
square"
The smile that came 10 Brennan's face
as he related this was followed by an ex-
preston Of ssdnes.
Il was with Captain Wetherall when ne
was shot" he said. During the fight in
the brush I got lost from the company
and found myself with company A Ser
geant Wallace had been shot through the
lungs and Captain Wetherau asked me %
help take him off the field. He took him
by the arms and I took him by the legs
and we carried him back. The fire was
awful heavy. We had only gone a little
way when poor Wallace died. Just as We
laid him on the ground Captain Wether-
ali sank 70 his knees with a groan. 4
Mauser had passed through his stomach
The only word ne said was oh" 7 had
used my only bandage on Wallace. so /
ran for more. l got help but when we
returned where the captain had fallen he
was nowhere 70 De seen. He had crawled
/ into the brush and died. They found his
body two days after I left
\ saw Lieutenant Ord killed. TOO. That
/ was one Of the sadGest affairs of the dav
/ After We had taken san Juan nil Lieuten-
ans ord came along and saw a Spanish
officer lying on the field wounded. He
/ came forward WIKI the intention Of dress
/ ing MS wound. Before any one could pre-
/ ven, IL the Spaniard suddenly turned over
/ and drew a revolver and shot the Ieuten-
/ an, through the heart"
What become Of the Spaniard?" was
asked.
wei. he IS numbered among the dead
/ and no, the wounded was the reply.
/ But what about yourself? When we're
/ YOU hur;?-'
I'm tell you about ,hat in a minute
/ wanc 10 say something that 1 forgot a
/ moment aEo. The Six,h's regiment COL
ors were the frs - De planted on san
Juan hill Sergeant Moore Of \ company,
! took them there As ne did il ne was shot
/ through The hip. But the flag stayed
/ there"
Once more came the question abou;
himself.
! We'll" ne answered. u never did know
/ when ! got ny first wound. I was lying
/ ia, on my belly IN skirmish when II was
! done. The gall passed through the rim