Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-04-08

leader fell his men charged forward
and the tree was inside the lines. But
if the Johnny was caught up the tree
he kept quiet, for his smoking Enfield
would have brought volley of Federal
bullets about his head. Many deeds Of
heroism were performed to bring down
sharpshooters who had perched them
selves in tall trees and made victims of
conspicuous foemen all unconscious of
peril.
put the question boldly to many vet
eran officers 'areful of their words as to
the Spanish arpshooters Hiding in tbs
American lines and con 1us1g thee
deadly work. The answers were nm
qualified alternatives Sharpshooters
were traced to their eyries and dispatch
ed. Adjutant Barnum of the Tenth
cavalry, said that when he lay in the
corps hospital on July 3, miles in rear
of San Juan and the fighting lines, the
wounded were struck as they lay in
their blood under the surgeon care.
This terrified the poor fellows more
than the armed Spaniards they had faced
In battle. Skaters headquarters guard
skirmished through the woods and shot
some of the wretches. A very touching
story has been going the rounds to the
effect that a captain told one of his SER
geants to take q file Of men to the rear
and kill some of the sharpshooters who
were firing into the American lines on
San Juan ridge. Get dozen of them
at least, before you come back, /" said
he During the night the sergeant drag.
ged himself into the bivouac minus an
ear and FIVE men of the squad. He said
that he got the half dozen all right but
the last of the lot came within an ear Of
doing for him.
True or not, this might have been
true, for there were Americans as des-
perate and more brave than the Span
iards. Rough Rider Perry of Capron's
company shot a sharpshooter out of q
tree while at the creek crossing waiting
for his wound to be dressed He located
the Spaniard by the CLEAN of his Maui
ser barrel in the sun and dropped him
in lump at the first shot
During the day of battle at Ell Caney
the Spaniards in the church belfry and
in loopholed houses of the village made
some good shots at the Americans, and
if they were not sharpshooters then the
average Spanish soldier is crack marks
man. On July 2 and the Americans
on San Juan hill in front Of the town
suffered SO much from good long range
shots that it became necessary to take
picked rifiemen from the trenches and
post them where they could answer this
deadly fire. Pearson s brigade of Kent's
division was especially exposed to this
fire.
One of Pearson's crack rifemen shot
General Linares, and. it is believed,
changed the fortunes of the day by SO
doing. Late in the day on the I'd, there
was great activity noticed in the Span
ish lines in front of Pearson, and Gen
eral Kent. with Hawkins and others
went to the front trenches to recon
hotter. A Spanish officer was seen hav-
ing following which showed that he
was person of high rank. Several of
Pearson's men asked the privilege of
trying their Krag-Jorgensens upon the
Spaniard, but General Kent told them
it would be waste of ammunition, the
range was so great. One of those de-
tailed as sharpshooter persisted until
Kent granted him trial. He fred and
missed and Kent said, Il told you So
Let me try once more, general, said
the man. and with Kent's permission
he shot and brought down the Spaniard.
1t was learned afterward that Linares,
the Spanish general in chief. was
wounded on that spot and at that time.
and in consequence the sortie which
had been planned to take place that
night fell short of success. Linares could
not lead. and the charge was not carried
home.
At first the camp stories ahout Snan-