The National tribune., 1899-03-30

The loss on our side In this engage
ment was far greater than it probably
would have been if Gen. Lawton had had
artillery enough to destroy the fort and
blockhouseS and drive the SpaniardS out
of their riflepits before he pushed forward
his infantry; but it was not expected. ol
course, that the taking of a small and
comparatively insignificant village would
be so serious and difficult a matter; and
as Gen. Shafter had only 16 light heid-
guns in all, he doubtless thought that he
could not spare more than four Tor the
attack on Cancy."
THE sToRMING oG SAN JUAN HILL.
He also gives us vivid description OF
the engagement at San Juan Hill, and
with reference to this he says:
"The battle on the Siboney-Santiago
road, in the center of our line, began
nearly two hours later than the battle at
Caney. Grimes's battery, which had
taken position on Il hill near the POZo
farmhouse, opened fire on the nights OF
San Juan about o'clock. A lew mo-
ments later the Spaniards, who evidently
had the range of the Pozo hill perfectly
| from the beginning, returned the fire with
shraDnei killing two men and woundng
number of others al the first shot,
striking the house at the third, and driv-
| ing from the hill in disorder some OF me
soldiers Of the Cavalry Division who nad
been stationed there, as wei! as lew
war correspondents and non on-cOmbatants
who had gathered to witness The bonn
bardment. For three-quaIters OF an hGur,
| or an hour, there was an artillery Que!
between Grimes's battery on the foZo hiii
and Il Spanish battery situated some
where on the nights to the westward. In
this interchange Of shots the enemy mad
all the advantage, for the reason that the
smoke from Grimess black powder re-
vca!ed the position of his guns. whI!e the
smokeless powder of the Spaniatds gave
no clew Ia the location Of theirs"
"About . o'clocls tho order was given to
advance: and the divisions g Gems. Kent
and Wheeler began TO moee down the
narrow, iungle-slirted trad, toward the
open country which was supposed to lie
beyond the crossing OF the second stream,
under the nights of San Juan. Gen.
Rents orders were TO move ahead TO
green knoll on the western side OF the
San .Juap River uhe second streaml, and
there deploy to the left in what was be-
Iieved TO lie the margin of the densc
forest which covered the bottom OF the
valley. At the same time the Cavalry
Division, which, owing to the illness oi
Gen. Wheeler, was temporarily under com
mand of Gen. Sumner, was directed 10
advance along the same tran. cross tne
San Juan River, deploy to the right IN the
margin of the woods, and there await
further orders. The attempt OF two dl
visions to march simultaneously down
forest trail which in places was not more
Than u feet wide resulted, naturally, In
crowding, disorder, and delay; and when |
the head OF the column, after crossing the
FIRST stream, came within the zcI:e Of the
enemy, fire, the cOnfusion was greatly |
increased. The Spaniards, as Gen. thai-
Zee predicted, had taken the bearing and
range of the road, between the first
stream and the western edge of the forest, |
I,nf Division reached |
the ford of the San Juan, on the other
side of which it was TO deploy and await |
orders, it was receiving heavy fire, not
only from the batteries and rifiepits on |
the San Juan nights, but from hundreds |
Of trees along the trail, in when the
enemy had posted sharpshoOters.
$50 far as ! know, rifienen had never
before been posted in trees to check the
advance OF an army through broken ana
forest clad country; but the scheme was |
good one, and it was carried out WIN
thoughtful attention to every detail. Inc
sharpshooters were generaiiy hiodeh III
carefully prepared nests OF leaves; some
OF them had tunics OF fresh palm-leaves
tied around their bodies from the shoul-
ders down, SO that at little distance
they could not be distinguished from the
foliage oi the trees in which they were
concealed; and IN a lew cases thaC were
reported to me they wore under their
leafy tunics double canvas jackets filled
With sand and carefully quilted, as a
partial protection from bullets. 1his
swarm OF tree-men formed the Spanish
sl<irmisil- line, and a most dangerous and
effective line it was, for the reason that II
could he neither seen, driven in, nor dis |
lodged The hidden marksmen used
Mauser rifles with smOlseless powder and
although our men heard the reports and
were KILLED or disabled by the prolectlles.
they had no guide or clew Whatever to
the location oil their assaiiants. a skT-
mish-line in thcketS or clumps OF chapar-
raj ON the ground might have been driven |
back as our army advanced, and thus
our rear would have been all the time |
secure from attack; but sklrmlsh-iln |
hidden in tree-tOps was as dangerous to |
the rear as TO the front, and a soldier
pressing forward toward what he sup |
posed to be the enemy's position was Just
as likely to get Mauser bullet in his |
back as in his breast. Scores OF wounded |
men who were brought into the First DI- |
vision field hospital on Friday and Sat
urday had never seen Spanish intrench-
ment or had even so muc1 as glimpse |
Of u Spanish soldier.
.In spite of the deadly fire to which |
they were subjected from front, sides, and
rear, our troops pushed on, as rapidly as
the conGested state of the trail would per
nit, toward the ford OF the San Juan |
iiver. The loss which our advance sus-
t;lnp0 al tNlS point "dS Bfcdliy
by the sending up OF an observation bal |
loon, which hung over the road, Just
above the trees, and not. only attracted |
the fire of the SpaniardS in front, but |
served their artillerymen as target and |
a range finder. II was an even better |
firing guide than the sheets of iron or
zinc roofing which they had put up in
some of the openings through which the
trail ran; and until il vas finally torn |
by shrapnel so that ii slowly sank into
the forest, the men under and behind 1t
we're exactly in the focus Of the converg-
ing stream of bullets which it attracted
from all parts of the San Juan nights. |
Tho only uscfu! discovery made by 1T was
tho fact that there was a second or
branch trail leading TO a lower ford of the |
San Juan River which Gen. Kents Di- |
vision might take, and, thus, relieve the
crowding on the main road.
"Parts OF the divisions Of Gems. Kent
and Summer crossed the San Juan shortly |
after noon, and made an attempt to de-
ploy on its western bank and form In |
line. Of f-battle; but the Jungle was so
dense and the fire which swept the whole |
margin OF the forest between them and
the nights OF San Juan was SO deStruc- |
tive, that they could do LITTLE more than |
seek such cover as could he had and |
await orders. So far as have been able |
to ascertain, no orders were received at
this critical time by either Of the division |
commanders. The narrow road, for a dis |
tancc of q mile back Of the firing line,
was crowded with troops pressing forward