The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-23
BATTLE OF san JUAN
Details of the Cruel Climb Up
That Awful Hill.
ORGANIZATION ALL GONE
But the Broken Squads Did
the Business as Well.

in fact at this moment, has been taken a.
vantage Of by the Spaniards TO extens
their trenches in such a way as IN gfv
them, when firing is resumed, an enfilad
| ing ire on our most advanced position
now occupied by the Second and Twenty
FIRST Infantry. A flag of truce was sen
over few minutes ago, to ask them WHY
they were violating the articles of wa!
by doing work under a truce which could
not be done under fire, and they replied
that they were digging because the reb
els over there were digging They meant
the Cubans on our extreme left I cannot
say from personal observation whether
the Cubans are retaly entrenching, but
L know the Spanards still are, for ]
! watched them just now from the old block
house on top Of this hill.
This position here commands a full
view Of Santiago, except the part of the
! city which lies under the hill nearest the
water. can see clearly into several
| streets Of the city, up and down which
| people are passing. I see women in the
/ yards or gardens, close TO their houses
| On the road before us are dead horses,
over which clouds of vultures wheel. A
few refugees can be seen passing along
the roads leading out of the city; this is
nothing new, for people have been desert
ing the city for the laset month. The
Spanish are plainly visible all along their
entertainments which are not more than
700 yards from the nearest position of the
Second Infantry. The long, evencrested
hill on which the Spanish are entrenched
is for the most part lower than the hills
which the American forces occupy, and
their musketry fire against our trenches
is ineffective because it is a rising fire.
However, they have at least five cannon
planted in positions which command our
lines, and it is these guns which have
given them the advantage up to the pres
ent moment, so far as advance from this
point is concerned. How strong their
position is, at least until our artillery
gets TO work, is indicated by the fact
that last night the commanding general
sent around to the commanding officers
! of all our regiments on the firing line
to get their opinion as to the desirable
ity or advantage of a general assault on
the Spanish works, and they unanimously
advised against it. No doubt the works
could be taken by such an assault, but
it would mean an immense and needless
sacrifice of life
Everything now awaits our artillery,
and eight light artillery guns are at last
in position on a hill back towards Gen.
Skaters headquarters. This position is
said to be a good one. but its excellence
must be tested by the event The fact still
remains that the Spanish artillery is US
ing smokeless powder while our men have
nothing but black powder, and conse-
quently must define their position perfect
ly TO the enemy, while the Spanish fire
is masked by invisibility. Up to this point
the campaign has been almost wholly an
infantry one, or one of gatling guns com
manded by infantry officers, and the most
brolliant and effective lighting has been
fighting under the direction of company
commanders. The battle of San Juan was
a battle of squads. Not one complete com
pany got to the top of the hill during the
fight, and the credit for the capture of it
belongs to two captains of the Sixth
United States Infantry. The story of the
charge they led is really a fine one and
deserves to take prominent part in his
tory.
The Sixth regiment, which lost 131 men
killed and wounded out of a total of $50
men who went into the fight, came
through the woods on July l. between here
and FL Pozo under Col. Eebert's COM
mand. In the midst of these woods,
before they reached the San Juan River,
they encountered a hot Mauser fire from
San Juan hill and other elevations in the
vicinity. This hill is a long and steep ir-
regular ridge, which runs in a general
northeasterly and southwesterly direc-
ton, but winds more or less as it does So
1t is of unequal height, and the highest
point fit is crowned by an or building
which had been converted into a fort.
with trenches in front of it. and the ord
nary broken construction of The Spanish
blockhouse. In front Of the blockhouse
the iill is at least one hundred feet higher
than the meadow before it; and the ascent
is at an angle Of fully forty-fve degrees.
The face OF the hill is stony and thorny.
The meadow all along the base of the nil.
stretching away to the e. Pozo woods.
out Of which our troops advanced. is
about a third of a nile wide On the mar
sin OF this meadow. furtherest from san
Juan. is a wilderness of trees and thick
brush, through which the San Juan river.
stream for the most part abou, knee
deep. winds.
In this brush the fire on the morning Of
the Isl became killing. and the troops
who advanced through il in their en-
deavor to ind cover and ascertain which
way the fire came from and how TO meet
81, were very much broken up. so that
racfr7err41 officers v,-a-. s.--.---
ces unable to find their company com
manders 70 get any orders. Indeed. the
whole division was in confusion. II vas
here thai Capt. I. W. V Kennon Of E.
company. the Sixth Regiment. with Capt.
Charles Byrne Of F Company. encounter
ing Col. Egbert. and asking what they
We're 10 DO were told by him 10 press for
ward The order had previously been not
to advance beyond the river However.
the fire here was too killing II remain.
and neither officers nor men had any dis
position 10 remian. Il was not far from
here that Col Egbert was shot and dis
aoled- Ne5ther officer had his fun com
pany. and both had men belonging TO
other companies.
Caps. kennon and Capt. Byrne. each on
his own responsj bnity. and BON 50 TAR
separated thai neither saw or knew any
thing tae movement OF the other. press
ed forward into The open. Capt. Keunon
made his men lie down. and ordered taem
not 70 shoot al any thing bat men. and
not % IRE without orders. The men
watched him eagerly. anticipating orders
10 advance Very soon he ordered them
forward. The mems faces" Capt. Ken
non says, were Ike the faces OF school
boys when hey near that thsy are To have
al unexpected hoHday." They rushed on
eagerly. and found a road which for;u-