The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-10
THE 5ISE
The Story Of Its Action Related by Another
Odlcer.

Odicer.
To THE EDITOR OF The SuN-Sir! So much
has been written about the Seventy-6rst at
San Juan that / feel a hesitancy In stating
what actually occurred there. Still. at the
same time. there is so much confusion that
feel 1t due to the regiment that the true facts
be known.
As an officer Of the regiment | think that
can give these facts correctly:
On the morning OF July l the regiment broke
camp about $3.50. and. after marching some
little distance. was directed into a field to the
left OF the road. II was near this point that
the war balloon made It's ascension. The field
officers were called together and tho Colonel
stated that he had been informed that the
regiment would probably 60 into action on
that day. He designated the First Battalion
as the firing line. the Second Battalion las the
support. and the Third Battalion as n reserve.
and instructed the field officers to notify the
line officers as to this disposition OF the regi-
ment. which was done. My company * was
the junior centre company OF the Third Bat
TALON therefore. we were the third company in
the battalion. After the regiment had again
distance tfsS% %p beyond sSs %' Fl p "a9 Eifi22Ceiispe was . or
road. Immediately upon entering this trail
there was a rapid interchange, OF shots be-
tt ery on tf h Rono Fiji. "f IN tS sps sasde %na o" Of G he
attack tseo Gen. Kent's report, the First Bat
talon recSSiled in disorder. which naturally
f Ssasts Spf lts ss1f S SsH,%s'9 e r sas Sf,' tie Third r
About this time the regiment was ordered
t. Rs LIZ, d 6; NV wh ksn was ., dSn s..d asts M, on; K Maze
commanding, the Third Battalion, II he would
obey any orders from Gen. Kent. Upon re-
GGfI reeR9ssd h az 70 ste eanr9 bis b asElKY M a. The f ffont'
which was Immediately done. Advancing
t ,hs FYyh, the he, trail sdao The 5 Third Batta Man, pqRs ssi
Arriving on the other side OF the river in the
and speedily executed the command Of Major
keek, which was left frSnt into lins OF
never seen the manerHYre more Perfectly exc
cuted on e parade, In this order the battal ign
e about as steep as ,Morningside, Heights at
When we reached. the top OF the hill we found
Gspti rafferty, and a large part OF his company
that crossed Bloody Ford. nor do / know
w69 Sds On 5he ar fE : m az The Of top s6 b the Tsfhi XIII. St
marched to the left Tor the d distances Of about
Si1teenth iT'n%ftS; MAJ 9s'R Rsse SOi ms II he'd ' us
@ 3ash f Gi our & RfSsslO ~s p Tstarned IN n thf fo ,Sp Fl d ssa
Austin and, some of the men Of Company l..
Capt, Austin and about twenty-five men we're
first were there It appears that Capt. Aus;
dnr fns the hts time hHsR when the @s ThI rda Bnttal fne had had
marched to the left, and when It returned Capt.
my, watch at tSis time "a and I was "a Exactly ,SHsf ia.
learned that he looked at his watch when the
battalion first reached the hill and 1t was then
There has been no claim that the Third Bat
f Tbi2a B Hsd the s sGi@ SIotm int tS,t ae ,ban w but the
twenty minutes, All credit is due Capt, Colds
the barbed wire fence where, he had been
tionsd to 20 t sSSp PERT a 3, b tSs e pIoc Th h6nss was sta
Capt. Goldsborough leading his company
a r " the base 81 The hill and it reached tho
1 ws had Ha Sa pet Tq u H fro ao out f f%r1Itl sm sn 9tes aite ep
ported by Capt. GQldsborough's own state
i decry as much as any, one the. undue credit
given TO the seventy: FIRST and the, rough
claim for Company F and the Third battalion
that they were present at the taking, OF, San
s snan T hi5' FRA Fhf % Bstt @ihits1iia olISS@ sssIs sfese IN G d tRs
footsteps 81, the Twenty-iourth Infantry. the
fact Of which can be substantiated by nearly, II
fantry.. oD'0ei' u i"'n''-'0uf'n In
/ have no desire whatevert to ~criticise the reRu-
lars. for they were most kind to us in Cuba, but
l do feel that since our return some Of the
regular officers have made most unfair and un-
Just attacks upon the regiment. do not care
TO go into details now. but ] know Of my own
knowledge the fact. which can be proven. that
there were many stragglers among the regu-
lars as well as our regiment. On the night OF
Seventy-flrst Regiment reported ffty-eight
men missing. Had he, desired to evade the
truth. as was done in the case Of the regular
regiments. the number OF stragglers reported
would have been Just as small. And in regard
to these ffty-eiRht men reported missing. Il ia
only fair to state that a large majority OF them
had become separated from their own regi-
ment in the trail. but had done good service in
fighting with other regiments, and did not re-
port to their companies until some time on the
mnrninR OF July p. JNo. NJ. THOMPSON,
Formerly First Lieutenant Sevcnty-hrst N.
Y. '. Infantry.
NEW YORK. MAY