News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1899-03-01

There was another staff officer con-
spicuous at the ford and before noting
what happened to Ord it is well to have
a glance at General Skaters imam for
the hour, Lieutenant j. D. Miley.
When these same troops of Hawkins
began to cross the creek, the Spaniards
were pouring in Mausers at a very
lively rate, and Miley stood on the bank
nearest the Spanish lines He is tall,
slim fellow of about 30, sober, earn
est sChOolmasterish sort of a soldier who
wouldn't laugh without the best of
causes He stood in view of the line in
direct range of the bullets, swinging
his hands and clapping them gleefully
while he kept up fire of comment to
encourage the men. That all right p
(Meaning the bullets overhead "The
Spanish are simply wasting their am
munition, that is all. " Soon it got too
hot for him even, and he strobe away
under the bank, saying with a smile,
"I'd better be getting out of it, though. .
There was more work for Miley to do
that day as Skaters representative,
and he is to be met with all along the
line in the narratives Of the soldiers.
There is a story afoat in the army
that Ord said to comrade that morn
ing, "I'll come out of this a colonel or
a corpse, - but his companion officers
deny this and say it is unlike Ord. He
was capable Of rashness under excite
ment, but not given to bravado The
story of Ord's gallantry and death was
given me by his companion officers of
the Sixth. After the brigade had
been under fire a couple Of hours or
more, it reached the shelter of a
"bench" in the hillside well toward the
crest Some confusion in the lines took
place owing to the thick high grass,
the barbed wire fences and other OBJ
structions, aud Ord, seeing a detached
band of men little ahead of the rest
making ready for the final rush, asked
Hawkins permission to join it, Haw-
kins assented under the spur of the
prevailing excitement, but said after
ward that he had it on his lips to re-
call the words. However, he did not,
and Ord kept on at the head of all.
When the handful reached the trench,
Ord saw wounded Spaniard and with
gestures told his men to take good care
of the luckless foeman. Evidently the
Spaniard misunderstood the gesture,
and the words were also unintelligible
to him. He drew a revolver and shot
Ord dead. Ord's companions shot the
Spaniard, a natural act of revenge un-
der the circumstances.
Lieutenant Miley received praise out
side of the report of his immediate com
mander, General Shafter, fact which
makes the mention all the more EN-
phatic. General Kent, who led the in.
fantrv at San Juan hill says that he
often saw Miley delivering orders under
fire with great unconcern. Miley was
the bearer Of truce dispatches and ac
companied Shafter when he talked with
the Spanish generals. He it was who
received the honor of hosting the
American flag over the governors pal
ace on July H. and found rival at the
last moment in the shape of NEEDLE
some newspaper correspondent whC
tried to rob the army of honor won a
the lannon's mouth
Miley was one Of the three American
commissioners who negotiated the sur
render of Santiago, the others being
General Wheeler and General Lawton
There is an army story told to illus
frata the rom arkahl influence at bend
quarters Of this comparatively youni
aid-de-camp. When the Spaniards sur
rendered. there was Spanlsh gunboa