Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-02-02

On the right of the Twenty second wa.
the Eighth regulars, fighting com
mand dating back to 1888, when it wa
organized with General Worth as III
first colonel. Major E. b. Savage, wht
served in the civil war in the One Hun
dred and Fifteenth New York volun
teers and was with Ames in the desper
ate battle of Fort Fisher, commanded
one battalion at Ell Caney, and the regi
ment was commanded by Major Conrad
who later died Of fever. There were
seven companies of the Eighth in the
fight, numbering 450 men. The regi
ment got within range of the Spanish
sharpshooters at about o'clock. While
advancing toward field adjoining the
road leading to Ell Caney it formed in
line and charged forward toward the
blockhouses at Ell Caney village When
within 500 yards Of the biockhouses. the
regiment found rise Of ground which
served as shelter, and there it remained
until o'clock The losses of the regi-
ment began when the sharpshooters
opened on it and continued during its
advance to the shelter and while lying
there. One officer wounded, men kill
ed and 45 wounded were the total cas-
ualties.
On the line with the Twenty second
and Eighth regulars was the only volun-
teer organization engaged at FL Caney,
the Second Massachusetts a militia
regiment with history in war and in
peace. The commander of the Second
Massachusetts,, Colonel Il. p. Clarke, is
q splendid type Of n militia soldier. He
had no war experience before he went
to Cuba. Lieutenant Colonel Shumway
and Major Whipple were both war vet
Grams. The strength of the regiment at
Ell Caney was 935 men, but two com.
panies were detached as reserve. The
Second was armed with the smoking
Springfield rife and naturally drew the
fire of the Spaniards.' Lieutenant Field
and Captain Warner were killed and
Captain Hapgood seriously wounded.
Total loss, as killed and wounded
General Ludlow was personally con.
spicuous along his line all day, wearing
white straw hat. His horse was shot
under him early in the fight. The gen.
eral said that he had to hold i'm his men
instead of encouraging them. There was
no flinching nor crouching. The work
Of the brigade was rather negative than
positive, because, while it advanced well
In the front in order to get cover from
the Spanish bullets, it could not at all
times answer the Spanish fire, for fear
Of shooting into Chaffee's men. who had
the chief role in the battle and were
pressing mp closer and closer TO the
Spanish works on the north and east.
The interval between Ludlow's and
Chaffee's brigades was filled about noon
by the Second brigade of the division,
commanded just at that time by Lieu.
tenant Colonel A. S. Daggett Of the
Twenty fifth United States (colored)
Colonel Daggett was a soldier in the
civil war in the Fifth Maine. one of the
hard fighting regiments of the Army of
the Potomac. He has recently been pro.
NOTED to brigadier general for skilfully
handling the brigade during crisis
July /.
Eho Hi SahSy tbO tDSSphh Ctu-
sisted of the First, Fourth and Twenty
fifth regulars. The First was detached
to guard the roads in the rear of the
division and also to support Capron's
battery. About II o'clock Colonel Dag
gett was ordered to lead the Fourth
and Twenty fifth to a position south Of
the fort, where there was a gap of
three fourths of mile. The stone fort
against which Capron's guns had been
laundering was pointed out to Daggett
as the objective Of his brigade The
trenches around the fort were very
heavy, extending on three sides These
trenches as well as the smokeless pow
der were something new to the Ameri.
cans The Spanish trench is about so
yards in length. just wide enough for
men to stand in in line. and deep enough
to cover the body up to the shoulders.
The soil taken out of the trench is
spread over the ground, and it its color
is not like that of the earth it is COW
cred with brush or leaves or sod. so that
from distance an enemy cannot see
the trenches except when they are occu.
pied by men. The men keep out of sight
except when they rise to fire. There are
no exits from the trenches. Men are
put into them to fight and repulse the
enemy or be killed in the ditch.
The Spaniards had no skirmishers nor
outposts at Ell Cauey, but were ready
with their blind trenches, loopholed
fortresses, smokeless powder and barbed
wire fences TO slaughter the Americans
at close quarters.
The Twenty fifth regiment being di.
rectly opposite the fort, Colonel Daggett
led it forward across a stream 9 feet
wide and foot deep. The men found
some cover under the high bank, but
beyond the bank the ground was open
Across that ground the colored troops
advanced by rushes--that is to say,
they rushed in groups Of platoons from
cover to cover BY successive rushes Of
40 or 80 yards the line steadily ad-
'vanced. On its second advanceifrom the
bank the regiment met with its heaviest
loss. Volleys were poured into it from
the stone fort, from the village and