The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-11-06

was the Eighth regulars, a fighting
command dating back to 1888 when II
was organized with General Worth as
it's first Colonel. Major E. B. Savage,
who served in the civil war in the One
Hundred and Fifteenth New York Vol
unteers, and was with Ames in the
desperate battle of Fort Fisher, COM
manded one battalion at Ell Caney, and
the regiment was commanded by Ma
jor Conrad, who later died of fever.
There were seven companies of the
Eighth in the fight, numbering 450
men. The regiment got within range
of the Spanish sharpshooters at about
s o'clock While advancing toward a
field adjoining the road leading 90 Ell
Caney it formed in line and charged
forward toward the blockhouses at Ell
Caney village. When within 500 yards
of the blockhouses, the regiment found
rise of ground which served as shell
ter, and there it remained until
o'clock The losses of the regiment be-
gan when the sharpshooters opened on
it and continued during it's advance
to the shelter and while lying there.
One officer wounded, six men killed and
forty-five wounded were the total cas-
ualties
On the line with the Twenty
and Eighth regulars was the only vol
unteer organization engaged at Ell Ca
ney, the Second Massachusetts, mi
litia regiment with a history in war
and in peace. The commander of the
Second Massachusetts, Colonel E. P.
Clarke, is a splendid type of a militia
soldier. He had no war experience be-
fore he went to Cuba. Lieutenant Colo
mel Shumway and Major Whipple were
both war veterans. The strength Of
the regiment at Ell Caney was $50 men,
but two companies were detached as a
reserve. The Second was armed with
the smoking Springfield rifles and nat
urally drew the fire of the Spaniards.
Lieutenant Field and Captain Warner
were killed and Captain Hapgood SER
1ously wounded. Total loss. forty kill
ed and wounded.
General Ludlow was personally con-
splcuous along his line all day, wearing
white straw hat. His horse was shot
under him early in the fight The Gen
eral said that he had to hold in his
men instead of encouraging them
mere was no fiinching nor crouching
Inc work OF the brigade was rather
negative than positive, because. while
II advanced we'll in the front in order
10 get cover from the Spanish bullets.
II could not at all times answer the
spanish fire, for fear of shooting into
Chanee's men, who had the chief role
IN the battle and were pressing uo
closer and closer to the Spanish works
on the north and east.
The interval between LudIoW's and
Chaffee's brigades was filled about noon
by the Second Brigade of the division
commanded just at that time by Lieu
tenant Colonel A. S. Daggett of the
Twenty fifth United States (colored)
Colonel Daggett was a soldier in the
civil war in the Fifth Maine. one of
the hard fighting regiments, of the
Army Of the Potomac He has recent
ly been promoted to Brigadier General
for skillfully handling the brigade dur
ing a crisis July LIST.
AT Ell Caney the Second Brigade con-
sisted of the First, Fourth and Twenty
fifth regulars. The First was detached
to guard the roads in the rear of the
division and also to support Capron's
battery. About II o'clock Captain Dac-
gett was ordered to lead the Fourth
~NNN~ SAAtS III ~ d pOSllIOH south OIL
the fort where there was gap of
three-fourths of a mile. The stone fort
against which Caprons guns had been
numbering was pointed out to Daggett
as the objective of his brigade. The
trenches around the fort were very
heavy, extending on three sides. These
trenches as we'll as the smokeless pow
der were something new to the Ameri-
tel,
fifty yards in length, just wide enough
for men to stand in line, and deep
enough to cover the body up to the
shoulders. The soil taken out of the
trench is spread over the ground, and
il its color is not like that of the earth
it is covered with brush or leaves or
sod, so that from a distance an enemy
cannot see the trenches except when
| they are occupied by men. The men
keep out of sight except when they rise
to fire. There are no exits from the
trenches. Men are put into them to fight
and repulse the enemy or be killed in
the ditch.
The Spaniards had no skirmishers nor
outposts at Ell Caney, but were ready
with their blind trenches, loopholed
fortresses, smokeless powder and barb
eli wire FENCES 10 slaughter the Ar0eri"
cans at close quarters
The Twenty-fifth Regiment being di-
rectly opposite the fort, Colonel Dag
gett led it forward across a stream six
feet wide and one foot deep. The men
found some cover under the high bank,
but beyond the bank the ground was
open. Across the ground the colored
troops advanced by rushes-that is to