The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-20
RANK and FILE DID /
Wading Through Death at
Caney and San Juan.
STEPHEN CRANES STORY
CubanS Worse Than Worth
less as Allies.
STEPHEN CRANES STORY


San Juan on July 1 was, PARTICULAR,
sOeakng. a. soldiers battle 1t was Ike
Jnkerman. where the English fought hall
lsaderless all day in a fog Only tbs
Cuban, forest was worse than any fog.
No doubt when history begins to grind
out her story we will find that many a
laundering, fine order was given for tina,
days work; but after all there will be
no harm in contending that the fighting
line, the men and their regimentaI Off
GERS, took the hill chiefly because they
knew they could take it. some having no
orders and others disobeying what orders
they had.
In civic life the newspapers would have
called it grand, popular movement 1t
Will never be forgotten as long as Amer
! lea has military history.
a line of entrenched hills held by men
| armed with weapon hike the Mauser is
not TO be taken by front attack of in
fantry unless the trenches have first been
| heavily shaken with artillery fire. Any
theOrist will say that it is impossible
| and proved it to be impossible. But it was
done. and we owe success to the gallantry
Of the American private soldier.
As near as one can learn, headquarters
expected little or no fighting on the LIST.
Lawton's division was to go by the Caney
road chase the Spaniards out of that
interesting village, and then, wheeling
ba1f Lee
other divisions in some kind Of attack on
San Juan at daybreak on the End.
But somebody had been entirely misin-
formed as to the strength Of the Spanish
forces at Caney, and instead of taking
Lawton six minutes to capture the town,
it took him nearly all day, as we'll it
might.
The other divisions lying under fire,
waiting for Lawton, grew annoyed at
delay which was, of course, not explained
to them, and suddenly arose and took the
formidable hills of San Juan. 1t was i'm
patience suddenly exhaulted to one of the
sublime passions.
Lawton was WE'LL out toward Caney
soon after daybreak, and by o'clock we
could hear the boom of Capron's guns in
support o fthe infantry. The remaining
divisions - Kent's and Wheefer's - were
trudging slowly along the muddy trail
through the forest.
When the first gun was fred a grim
murmur passed along the lean column
They're off" somebody said
The marching was of necessity very
slow, and even then the narrow road was
often blocked. The men, weighted with
their packs, cartridge belts and rifles.
forded many streams, climbed hills, slid
down banks and forced their way through
thickets.
Suddenly there was roar of guns just
ahead and a little to the left. This was
Grimes battery going into action on the
hill which is called FL Pasco. Then, all
in moment the quiet column moving
forward was opposed by men carrying
ible burdens. Wounded Cubans were be-
terrible burdens. Wounded Cubans were
being carried to the rear. Most of them
were horribly mangled
The second brigade of dismounted
American cavalry had been in support of
the battery. its position being directly to
the rear. Some Cubans had joined there.
The Spanish shrapnel fired at the battery
was often cut too long, and. passing over.
burst amid the supports and the Cubans.
The loss of the battery. the cavalry and
the Cubans from this fire was forty men
in killed and wounded. the First regular
cavalry probably suffering most griev-
iously. Presently there was a lull in the
artillery fire, and down through spaces
in the trees We could see the infantry
still plodding with its packs steadily in
toward the front.
he artllerymen were greatly excited.
Some showed with glee fragments of
Spanish shells which had come danger
ously near their heads. They had gone
through their ordeal and were talking
over it lightly
In the meantime Lawton's division.
some three miles away. was making
plenty Of noise. Caney is just at the
base of a high. wilow-Ereen crinIlled
mountain. and Lawton was making his
way over little ,knolls which might be
termed foothills. We could see the
great white clouds Of smoke from Can
ron's guns and hear their roar punctuat-
ing the incessant drumming of the infan-
try. It was plain even then that Lawton
was having considerably more Of A fete
than anybody mad supposed previously.
At about 25oo yards in front of Grimes
position on Fl Pso arose the gentle green
hills Of san Juan dotted not too plenti-
fully with trees-hills that resemhled
sloping orchards in summer. Here and
fh.ara b,f,
mer villas. but now loopholed and bar
ricaded. They had heavy roofs OF red
tiles and were shaped much like japanese.
or better. Javanese houses. Here and
there too, along the crests Of these curv-
ing hiuocks We're ashen streaks. the rifle
pits of the Spaniards
At the principal position Of the enemy
were a flag. a redou5t. a blockhouse and
some sort Of posanda, in the shape OF
which Spanish officers were wont to Pro-
menade during luils and negligently COS
SIP about the battle. There was one man
in a summer resort straw hat He did
a deal % sauntering in the coolest man
Ter possible, walking out in the clear
sunshine and gazing languidly in our d.
He seemed 10 be carrying a little cane.
At ll-e5 our artillery reopened on the
central biockhouse and intrenchments.
The Spanish IRE HAD been remarkably
fine bur il was cur turn now. Grimes had
his ranges TO nicely. After the great
shout Of the gun came 4 e broad. WIN
dy. diminishing noise OF the flung shell:
then fainter boom ard cloud ~ red
debris out OF the blockhouse or up from
the ground near the trenches.