Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-03-18

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posed to blow up pursuant to Cervera's
orders. The American naval officers
claimed the vessel as their prize, and
during a warm discussion among Off
GERS Of both branches Of the service
General McKibben, the military gov
ernor Of Santiago, turned her over to
the navy. When Miley heard Of that,
so the story goes. he declared that Me-
Kibben should be removed, and he was
almost instantly replaced by Colonel
Wood. Miley is now a lieutenant colo
mel Of volunteers and off to the Philip
pines. Shafter says that Miley was so
clever as a regimcntal officer that while
be himself was yet a colonel he marked
him for his future aid-de-camp.
-
The demand for the surrender Of San
tiago on July 3 was borne through the
lines by Colonel j. II. sDorst, adjutant
general Of Wheeler's cavalry division.
Dorst is the hero of the Gussie expe-
dition Of the early days Of the war
and is the type of soldier who never
Graves distinction, but simply does the
duty which comes to him with marked
firmness and execution. Officers Of the
division say that he was all along the
line during the attack at San Juan,
making up to some extent for the un-
fortunate absence of General Wheeler,
who was engaged elsewhere.
Another gallant aid Of the cavalry
division was Captain r. l.. Howe of
General Summers staff. Sumner COM
manded the division all the morning of
July /, and Howe carried orders all
over the field under fire, n Of the
very, very few who kept in saddle
through the hail of bullets. He is a tall,
athletic and very intelligent Texan,
with native traits to make him a splen-
did soldier. 1t is no reflection upon the
few of them rode up San Juan hill.
Many of them were without mounts,
and some were compelled to dismount
back on the route in order to get
through distractions to carry orders
where a horse could not go. The gem
eral officers who had horses left them
in the shelter afforded by the river
basin, and even Colonel Roosevelt con-
tradicts the early statements Of his over
jealous admirers by declaring that he
~dismounted at the first wire fence in
the creek bottom and didn't see his
horse again that day.
Lieutenant +. +. Koehler Of Wikoff's
staff, the qu~artermaster of the brigade,
was on horseback all day. He rode a
COMMON government horse, which be-
haved so well under fire that he put in
a bid to buy him for his regular saddle
horse. Koehler worked his way from
the ranks to a commission and is one
of three brothers who met the Spaniards
in battle. The commissary of Wikoff's
brigade, Lieutenant Paul b. Malone,
also carried orders that day under fire.
He was close to Wikoff and Worth
when these two officers fell within a
few minutes of each other at the ford
of the San Juan known as Hell s Cross
ing"
1t was n staff officer Of Wikoff's bril-
gade who proved a mascot" for Raj
ferty and i company of the Seventy
first. Lieutenant Charles Tayman was
one of the brigade staff that day, and
as three of the commanding officers fell
one after another Tayman was com
PEELED to race the field over again and
again to bear the tidings to the next in
rank. He waded the creek and climbed
the hill at least three times, and once
was stricken down with something like
sunstroke. A boy in one of the regi-
ments saw him lying helpless and I'M
conscious in the tall grass, and bringing
a hatful of water from San Juan river
restored him to consciousness. After
Wikoff and Worth fell at the crossing
Tayman set out to notify Lieutenant
Colonel Liscum of the Twenty-fourth
that he was in command. He found the
stalwart veteran striding up the slope
at the head OF his negroes, gave him
the message and was barely out of reach
when Liscum dropped. Then Tayman
covered the slope again, to find Lieu
tenant Colonel Ewers of the Ninth reg