The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-10-26

he is now able 10 use his knowledge
and his skill in depicting them as he
saw them in their first battle against
a European army. The following ex-
tracts are from an article by Mr.. Rem.
ington in Harper's Magazine for No
vember:
THE AMERICAN GENERALS.
We had not seen the fight of the cav
airy brigade, because we were not at
the front We slung our packs and
most industriously plodded up the Via
del Rey until we got to within hailing
distance of the picket posts, and he
said, Nov, Frederic, we will stay
here. They will pull off no more fights
of which we are not party of the first
part" And stay we did. If General
Lawton moved ahead, we went up and
cultivated Lawton; but if General
Chaffee got ahead, we were his friends
and gathered at his mess fire. To be
popular with us it was necessary for
general to have command of the adj
vance. But what satisfying soldiers
Lawton and Chaffee are! Both season.
ed, professional types. Lawton, big
and long, forceful, and with iron deter
mination. Chaffee, who never dis
mounts but for little sleep during the
darkest hours of the night, and whose
head might have been presented to
him by one of Williams Norman
baron's. Such a headl We used to
sit around and study that head. 1t
does not belong to the period; it is re-
mote, when the race was young and
strong; and it has "warrior" sculptured
in every line. 1t may seem trivial to you
but l must have people "look their
part" That 30 many do not in this age
is probably because men are 80 compli-
Gated; but "war is a primitive art"
and that is the one objection 1 had to
Won Montke, with his simple student
face. He might have been anything.
Chaffee 10 soldier.
WHAT CORRECTED OUR GENERALS
BLUNDERs.
The troops come pouring up the
road, reeking under their packs, dusty,
and with their eyes on the ground.
Their faces were deeply lined, their
boards stubby, but their minds were
set on "the front"-''on Santiago"
There was suggestion of remorseless
striving in their logged stepping along,
and it came to me that to turn them
around would require some enterprise.
thought at the time that the Spanish
commander would do we'll to assume
the offensive, and marching down our
flank, pierce the center of the strag.
Cling column; but have since chang
fighting ability which our men showed.
1t must be carefully remembered that,
with the exception of three regiments
of Skaters army, and even these were
''picked volunteers" the whole COM
mand was our regular army-trained
men, physically superior 10 any in the
world, as anyone will know who under
stands the requirements of our enlist
ment as against that of conscript
troops; and they were expecting at
tack, and praying devoutly for it. Be-
sides, at Las Guasimas we got the NOR
al on the Spanish.
DoDaINa SPANISH SHELLS.
As gallant soldiers and as daring cor
respondents as it is my pleasure to
know did their legs proud there. The
tall form of John Jacob Astor moved to
my front in jack-rabbit bounds. Prus-
sian, English and Japanese correspon-
dents, artists, all the news, and much
high-class art and literature, were
flushed and went straddling up the hill
before the first barrel of the Dons.
Directly came the warning scream of
No. Q, and we dropped and Rugged the
ground like star fish. Bang! right over
us it exploded. was dividing small
hollow with distinguished colonel of
the staff.
Sis this thing allowed, colonel?"
"Oh, yes, indeedl" he said, 81 don't
think we could stop those shrapnel."
And the next shell went into the bat
terry, killing and doing damage.
GOING INTO THE BATTLE AT SAN
JUAN.
Troops were standing everywhere,
lying all about, moving regularly up
the jungle road toward Santiago, and l
wound my way along with them, say
ing, "Gangway, please"
War, storms at sea, mountains des-
erts, pests, and public calamities leave
me without words. l simply said
"Gangway" as / wormed my way up
the fateful road to Santiago. Fellows
l knew out west and up north and
down south passed their word to me,
and / felt that / was not alone. A
shrapnel came shrieking down the
road, and l got drink of water from
Colonel Darlington, and a cracker.
The soldiers were lying alongside and
the staff officers were dismounted, also
stopping quietly in the shade of the
nearest bush. The column of troops
was working its way into the battle
line.
The long columns of men on the
road had never seen this condition be-
fore. Ii was their first baby.
l could hear noises such as you can
make if you strike quickly with small
walking-stick at very few green
leaves. Some of them were very near
and others more faint. They were the