The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-14


drawn before daylight-very much to
heart. In a brigade made up exclu-
sively of volunteers at the date of its
maiden battle he was the only officer l
had felt obliged to reprove-and he was
an old regular
But 1 can see him now as he came
running to me on the Santa Ana road,
just after crossing the bridge. a Skin
miSh line was dancing out across the
rice fields against the f1re-spitting en-
trenchments toward the river, and the
! IdahoS-eXcept three companies sent in
| to back up Washington for the rush
| into Santa Ana from the South-were
! destined to act in support. We had
exchanged cordial greetings early in
the morning, McConville and 1, when
the regiment reported for duty in East
/ Pace, and now his face was aglow, his
eyes blazing with eagerneSS and excite
ment. 1t had been all planned that as
soon as the IdahoS We're across and
deployed for the attack from the high
road-the souHl-that Captain Fortson,
with his two companies of the Wash
] ingtons, should ford the COncordia and
attack from the west the first and most
formidable of the Iedoubts-now fully
located on q singular mound rising
from the midst of a level plain.
''Yonder are the works, Major" were
the words of the order Gross the
fields IN front of the Norwegian con-
sul's house "a big stone affair that
stood close to the stream 800 yards to
the left of the road and charge every
thing into the river"
California was to support on the
right, Fortson on his left, but he
never stopped to inquire. Eagerly he
answered: "All right, sir and hasten
ing to the head of his men. Eagerly
he led them over the field, and, in his
eagerness, got mixed as to the consurs
house, and passed behind, instead of
in front of it, so that it took ten min
utes to straighten him out, but then
with cheers and volleyS, the lines
rushed in. Just as the center of the
Idahos reached a little clump of trees
and shrubbery half way across the
plain they We're greeted by a sudden
and furious volley that staggered
them. In an instant McCOnville leaped
to the front, waving his sword over his
head and shouting to his men: Come
on Come on, Idahoi" and then, as he
turned and led the rush into the shrub
berry, a shot struck him square in the
breast, and down he went. Even then,
they told me, he strove to crawl for
ward with the line, but the wound was
mortal, and presently the brave old fell
low realized that he had but an hour
or two to live. j never saw him again.
The order he received from my lips on
the Santa Ana road was his last, and to
the letter had he striven to obey it.
Five insurgents. lay dead about the
Krupp in the middle redoubt where,
side by side, California and Idaho leap
ed in to the capture, and dozen lay
strewn over the field in front of where
the honored old major fell. The big re-
doubt on the mound TO his left was lit
tered with the bodies of the insurgents.
Hemmed in between McConVille, Fort
son and the river, and unable to beat
back the dashing charge OF the "Ameri-
canos," they raised the white flag, and
then shot dead the first soldiers to
reach the work. The roar of muSketry
was resumed for three minutes, and
followed by scattering shots as the fug-
itives ran for the stream, but there was
a smile on McConville's griZzled face as
they bore him off the field. Everything
had been swept to the river. All these
redoubts were won. Both the Krupps
were ours, and there were places where
the insurgents lay two deep in the
trenches. AS the main line made its
grand wheel to the left, and. charging
into Santa Ana from the south,
rounded up the insurgents who
strove to escape along the bank. Cap
tain Cunningham of the First Califor-
MIA caught sight of the big 'casco'' or
barge crammed with the enemy pol
ing" over to the opposite shore. In less
than no time he had his company lined
UP behind the convent enclosure
through which they had fought their
way, and opened fire. In five minutes
up went the white flag across the
stream, and. under cover of the rifles
of a whole battalion by this time
ranged along the bank. Cunningham
went over. found the inSurgent captain
and five men dead, several mortally
and seventeen slightly wounded, and
made the whole detachment prisoners.
But while the First brigade had car
ried out its plan of battle without ap-
preciable check, there was some hard
work in front of the Fourteenth in
fantry (regulars) of Ovenshines (Sec-
ond) brigade, further to the right. Here,
in the thick woods, the insurgents had
thrown up breaStworkS and possessed
themselves of block house 14-once &C.
cupied by our men, but later aban-
doned because of the length of the line
and the small number of troops to
defend it. Both in front of the First
and Second brigade, but especially in
front of the first at Santa Ana bridge,
the same condition of offairS was
found to exist. The insurgent officers
had taught their men to believe that
the Americans were towards who dare
not fight-who would probably run If
attacked and would certainly recoil be-
fore a determined stand. For weeks
the little shareholders and men
would come out to the bridge, whet
their .'bolos' on the stone parapet and
dare our sentries to fight. As they
drove or rode through our lines and
our sentries saluted the officers as they
We're ordered, the latter often ieered
and tainted them, though they be-
haved with exemplary propriety when
meeting parties of our officers. The
Fiiipinos. seeing and hearing all this.
were impatient for the attack to begin.
believing all Manila would he thAi's