The Lambertville record., 1899-05-31
THE VOLUNTEER.
%
A Sketch of the
Cuban War.

!
With the intensity of tropical day
the sun seemed to expend its entire
force of furnace heat upon the unshel,
tered spot in front of Santiago, where
lay grievously wounded American
soldier boy. The wide, tortured eyes of
the youth stared fearfully upward to
the glazing zenith, past the foul birds
watching his suiferings with Calculat-
| ing vision and waiting for their human
| feast which seemed sure to come. He
| thought with sickening brain of his
northern home the green hills, the
rnnning streams. the dear mother
Tears welled up into his aching orbs,
and the hot drops crept down his cheeks.
He did not try 10 wipe them away. lie
could not A Mauser bullet had struck
him in the thigh, another i'll the right
arm and another in the left. He was
helpless But what matter The dead
could not see and the mother would
probably never know how he had nobly
/ fought even IA the gates Of death. At
his feet lay the dead body of Cuban,
| blAth anu bili NltlAi ny itt hdlitb VI
n Spanish sharpshooter. For these Gu
bans he was dying, for them he had
come TO help free the island from the
tyranny of Spanish rule.
Then he recalled the events of that
day at San Juan hill The American
troops had been on their feet since day
/ break. There was scanty breakfast.
and as the men ate IL mere were indi-
cations Of the coming clash of arms
! The files on the march to the firing line
were closed up. Every sense WAS alive
! The hugle sounded and then came the
order to advance. The tempest of mus
| kerry and shrapnel through which they
moved forward drove like storm of
steel into the faces of the men, but
nothing could resist the imperious ad-
vance, and tho first line of the enemy
was swept away.
The battle grew. Here and there n
soldier went down. but the column
stood firm The officers marched close
by the men. Sometimes through the
smoke they caught glimpse of the
colonel leading on in front.
The din increased The earth seemed
reeling underfoot. Shells burst with
horrid shrek and flung out quick
death. Still the men pushed on. An
officer picked up the gun of man who
had fallen and spoke CHEEKY word.
Tho Spanish artillery and the far
reaching Mausers swept within GER
tain limit every inch of ground, but
with IA firm and rapid step that uniinch-
ing column moved forward.
Louder grew the tumult, and thicker
came the angry messengers. A sharp
cry Of pain, and one Of the men Is help
ed to the rear. The bullets came hotter
and faster from the Spanish in the
trenches and from the blockhouses.
More comrades stretched ont quietly
with tho death mark on their faces.
There was no time for words only
mad swelling Of the heart and throb-
bing Of the brain, A deadly thirst for
blood dried up all other feeling as an
other man was lifted back.
Suddenly cool voice they had heard
before rang ont an order; "Come on,
boys Charged" And the thin line rushed
through the smoke and advanced mp the
hill. With cheer they answered the
fiery blast that swept into their faces
with sudden fury. The air seemed in
stinct with leaden life, and volley after
volley pealed forth from the deadly
rifles
For one awful moment the men fal
tered Groans of agony and hoarse com
mands mingled, and all around Ameri-
can soldiers lay down to die But the
check was only momentary, and on into
the jaws of death the column went.
Every man leaned forward as though
breathing heavy wind. From right,
left and front they felt the pounding of
the enemy's guns. and shrapnel swel ;
through the ranks like hail
On the summit Of the hill the block
house swarmed with the foe, dimly seen
through putting lines Of smoke from our
guns. The Spanish were intrenched -
Americans in the open. But never
mind Forward And soon the foreign
foe was driven back and the stronghold
captured.
Half way down the slope, as the vic
tors pursued the flying enemy, with
erlng blast OF mauser bullets swept
across the open ground. and the boy
who now lay dying in the open space
in the tall grass fell forward with ball
in his thigh A comrade ran to his as
sistance, and he made his way painful
ly to the rear, bnt as he passed along
another Spanish bullet struck him in
the right ann. and presently he was
wounded in the left. Then his day Of
battle was done and the black hours Of
unconsciousness followed
When reason returned the sounds of
battle had ceased. and he wondered
where his comrades were. Were they
all deadl Wonld they search for him 7
He was alive. but he knew that death
would come in few short hours. How
hot the sun beat down. How still ev-
erything seemed to him-no whizzing
Of bullets in the air. nor shrek Of
screaming SHE'LL nor the yell Of charg