Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-12-03

mand dating back to 1888, when 1t was
organized with General Worth as its
first colonel. Major e. B. Savage, who
served in the civil war in the One Hun
dred and Fifteenth New York volun.
teers and was with Ames in the desper.
ate battle of Fort Fisher, commanded
one battalion at Ell Caney, and the legi-
ment was commanded by Major Conrad,
who later died of fever. There were
seven companies of the Eighth in the
fight numbering 450 men. The regi.
ment got within range of the Spanish
sharpshooters at about 8 O'Clock. While
advancing toward field adjoining the
road leading to 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 a rise of ground which
| served as shelter, and there it remained
| until O'Clock The losses of the 1egi-
ment began when the sharpshooters
opened ON it and continued during its
| advance to the shelter and while lying
there One officer wounded, men kill
ed and As wounded were the total cas-
| ualties
On the line with the Twenty second
and Eighth regulars was the only volun-
teer organization engaged at Ell Caney,
the Second Massachusetts,, a militia
regiment with 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 before he went
to Cuba. Lieutenant Colonel Shumway
and Major Whipple were both war vet
Grams. The strength Of the regiment at
Ell Caney was $50 men, but two COM
panies were detached as reserve. The
Second was armed with the smoking
Springfield rifle and naturally drew the
fire of the Spaniards. Lieutenant Field
and Captain Warner were killed and
Captain Hapgood seriously wounded.
Total loss, 46 killed and wounded.
General Ludlow was personally con-
spicuous 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. There was
no finohing nor crouching. The work
of the brigade was rather negative than
positive, because, while it advanced well
in the front in order to get cover from
the Spanish bullets, it could not at all
times answer the Spanish fire, for fear
Of shooting into Chaffee's men, who had
the chief role in the battle and were
pressing up closer and closer to the
Spanish works on the north and east.
The interval between Ludlow'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 recently been pro
NOTED to brigadier general for skillfully
handling the brigade during crisis
July /.
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 Sapron' Is
battery. About II O'Clock Colonel Dag
gett was ordered to lead the Fourth
and Twenty fifth to a position south OF
the fort, where there was a gap OF
three fourths of mile. The stone fort
against which Capron's guns had beer
laundering 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
cans. The Spanish trench is about sc
yards in length, just wide enough fol
men to stand in in line, and deep enough
to cover the body up to the shoulders
The soil taken ont Of the trench Is
spread over the ground, and if it's color
is not like that CT the earth it is GOV.
cred with brush or leaves or sod, SO til; /
from distance an enemy cannot SET
the trenches except when they are occu
pied by men. The men keep out of sigh
except when they rise to fire. There are
no exits from the trenches. Men are
put into them to fight and repulse the
| CuCLly VI w Ai1iSu Ill thS dAVOls
The Spaniards had no skirmishers moi
outposts at Ell Caney, but were ready
with their blind trenches, loopholee
fortresses, smokeless powder and barbet
wire fences to slaughter the Americans
at close quarters.
The Twenty-fifth regiment being di
rectly opposite the fort Colonel Dagget
led it forward across stream 6 fec
wide and ! foot deep. The men founf
8 some cover under the high bank, bu
beyond the bank the ground was open
, Across that ground the colored troops
0 advanced by rushes-that is to say
they rushed IN groups of platoons from
. cover to cover. BY successive rushes O
40 or so yards the line steadily ad
: vanced. On its second advance from tn,
bank the regiment met with its heavies
. loss. Volleys were poured into it from
l Lo I'll o,,S