Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-01-14

- s--.sz--sz. and go forward to
------------GE Caney road
heights as originally intended. Some
such order was sent. The story goes ON
to say that Lawton told the aid he must
fetch it in writing; that he went to
army headquarters, got it in writing
and returned with it to Lawton. At
that hour Chaffee's men were charging
forward, and Lawton pointed to them,
saying to the aid, ITS too late" The
aid insisted, saying, but / must de-
liver it" "AlI right" said Lawton
"You will have to deliver it on the
firing line" As that was impossible,
the charge went through.
General Chaffee, when pressed for his
views about Lawton in the Ell Caney
business. simply said, "Lawton is
lion.
Lawton started from Ell Caney for
the position Oh the Ell Caney road
heights about dark on the evening of
July l. At that hour the divisions of
Wheeler and Kent were busily digging
trenches on the captured crest of San
Juan ridge. The story of Lawton's fur
Their adventures in getting into the posi-
ton assigned him will be taken up after
description of the battle of Wheeler
and Kent on the American left. The
whole illustrates the adage, universally
applicable i'll war, about the best laid
plans going ''aft agley." In point of
fact, Ell Caney fell about day behind
time, and that threw the battle of the
San Juan ridge a day ahead of time as
planned.
AS the cavalry division was the next
in order after Lawton, from right to
left, when the army faced Santiago,
and was the first to score success on
the San Juan heights. it's story should
next be told
In the march down from Ell Poso to
the crossing OF the san Juan, the brigade
of General Sumner then commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Carroll of
the Sixth cavalry, had the lead. At
that time Sumner was in temporary
command of the division. The strength
of CAROLS brigade that day in the
fighting line was about 900. The Ninth
cavalry, colored, under Lieutenant Colo.
mel j. M. Hamilton, on the right of the
brigade, had but one squadron in the
fight. 1t was commanded by Major A.
ID Dimmick. The Third cavalry was
led by Major II. w. Vessels, son of
: Major General Vessels, distinguished
in the civil war. The First squadron
was commanded by Major Henry Jack
son and the Second bysCharles Morton.
The Sixth cavalry, Summers own regi-
ment, was led by Major T., @. Debo.
With the exception of Vessels, all
squadron and regimental officers, like
the division and brigade leaders, were
war tried veterans. Hamilton had
served in the Thirty-third New York,
Dimmick in the Fifth New York cav
airy, jackson in the regular cavalry and
Morton in the Twenty fifth Missouri as
a boy, afterward polishing off at West
Point. Lebo served through the war in
the First Pennsylvania cavalry. All
these officers are born soldiers, not car
pet knights.
The brigade lost many men while
lying along the road before the advance
began, Grimes battery having opened
on the Spanish works about Z $50 in the
morning, drawing fire of she'll and
shrapnol, some of which fell short of
the target on Ell Poso hill and dropped
among the troops lining the road to the
front. AT the very beginning there was
delay at the crossings Of the creeks
and river. The cavalry was ON the right
Of the road, and the men say that they
crossed the Aguadores several times, and
that including the San Juan, they wad-
ed streams six times before they were
lined up in the charge. In some places
the San Juan was up TO the waist and
at other points the water was SO deep
and the current so strong that some of
the men had to be assisted to save
drowning.
The Third cavalry, which was on the
right of Kents infantry. lost heavily
in what is sometimes called The
Bloody Angle" between the Guiana
and the San Juan, north of the junction
of these streams. This place will also
go down in the memory of Santiago
survivors as "Hell's Crossing" The
first man | met at Camp Montauk in
the Third cavalry, Captain q. A. Dodd
of Troop +, made famous by the Co.'S
sack drill, carries a long scar down his
forehead, which was given him at the
angle by piece of shrapnel. A Spanish
shot fired at Grimes battery knocked
over three men Of Troop / of this regi-
ment. When the brigade came to cross
ing the stream, it was halted, and the
regiments took position according to
the lay Of the ground. The men unship-
ped their packs and left them in the
bed of the river The bank in front Of
fered cover from the Spanish fire, and
beyond that was dense underground.