Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-06-24
AT "HELL'S CROSSING. F"
Continued from Page 3.

shot fired at Grimes battery knocRpU
over three men of Troop of this rcgi
ment. wnon the Drlgaue came 10 UrUss
ing the stream, it was halted, and the
regiments took position according t.
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, ana
beyond that was "a dense underground
The first order heard in this brigade
came from Major Vessels to his own
regiment. 1t was, 1.-The Third is order
cd TO go through this brush !" Immedi.
ately Major Jaokson's squadron deploy.
ed as skirmishers and attempted to adj
vance Morton's squadron deployed 200
yards in the rear as support. Major
Vessels observed, 81 don't see how we
ran do it, hut we will il we can"
plunging into the brush, the men found
that it was only hedge on the border
Of an open field. When the skirmis kers
got through. they called out that there
was cavalry moving across the front
That made it necessary to- draw the line
back.
Through the openings in the trees,
Captain Morton and others saw the left
Of the San Juan intrenchments and
Spaniards with guns at hand 600 or 700
yards away, looking at the American
line At this time the dynamite and the
Hotchkiss guns in rear Of the brigade
opened fire on the Spaniards. The dyna.
mite gun was choked with the first car.
fridge, and the cavalrymen say that the
IIotchkiss gun was silenced by the
Spaniards, who then turned their rifles
and shrapnel upon tho cavalrymen. In
this plight the cavalry remained an
hour and half, subjected to constant
volley firing and to shrapnel. The Off.
GERS of the brigade estimated that the
cavalry division suffered from 10 to 90
per cent of its casualties around that
crossing. Dead and wounded were
brought there through ranks of men,
only few of whom had been under fire
before. Says Captain Morton, a veteran
of 20 battles, ut was enough to rattle
the bravest, bat not an officer or soldier
left the position, except to help the
wounded. "
To some old soldiers it may seem
strange that at Santiago fighting men
left the ranks to help the wounded. But
that is according to the new order OF
things. Every man has first aid pack
age in his kit, and 1t is part Of his duty
TO apply it when comrade is stricken
down. If il had not been for this, the
| -, nrt,Iity ne Sapti,uo ,voull bayo baan
terrible. The first aid bandage stops
the flow of blood and keeps the wound
clean, also giving the patient relief and
hope, which Conduce to recovery. In
general, officers criticized the "shame.
full neglect of wounded" at Santiago.
The next order to this brigade was
brought by aids who came to Major
Vessels and told him that the brigade
was to advance. They could give no
definite instructions. Vessels said that
he was not in command Of the brigade,
but that Colonel Carroll was and was
somewhere on the ground. Tho aids
discussed among themselves what was
to be done, and finally agreed that the
brigade had an order to advance.
The cavalry troops spoken of before
as being in front Of CAROLS brigade
evidently belonged to Woods brigade.
In attempting to move out of tho range
of the Spaniards' missiles and also to
find clear ground to form in the differ
ent regiments got out of line u matter
which caused some confusion to the bri-
gade commanders. 1t was this state of
things which led to the assertion that
the general officers were weak ut San
Juan ridge. The fact is that the ground
was unsuitable for forming and charg.
ing in brigade columns. The regiments
kept well together until they started to
go up tho hill, when some commands
DETECTED to the right or to the left, ac-
cording as they saw favorable ground
or Spanish position to strike at.
General Sumner says that the cavalry
division was ordered to take position in
the road near the crossing of San Juan;
that he formed his line, and, being fired
upon, said to q representative Of Cen
eral Shaftar who was present: "We
cannot stay here without heavy loss
We must go back or go forward" The
general added significantly, Forward
we wentv'
There was no lack of fearless and
capable men to carry orders to the COM
mands through fire and blood. Colonel
]. II. Dorst, the adjutant general of the
cavalry division, was seen all along the
line all day, and the Same of Captain
r. l.. Howe of Summers staff, who
was on horseback until the hill was
taken.
After the aids had settled it that
CAROLS brigade was to 90 forward
Major Vessels ordered his second
squadron to go forward, supported by
the first, and to move at once. Captain
Morton saws that the majors did not