The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-02
BRAVERY Of BAT Terry A
With Two Guns the Utah Boys
Made a Dashing Attack
AND TOOK SAN JUAN HILL
LIEUT.. WEBB DISTINGUISHED
HIMSELF AS a LEADER.
Thrilling Story Told In Harper's
Weekly of How a Detachment of
Our Boys Faced a Whitening Fire,
But Dragged Their Guns Up the
Hill and Silenced the Enemy.


taking of San Juan hill, back of Man
liza, on Feb. 4. In that heroic action,
when the leaden missiles from the Maui
ser rifles of the insurgent Fflipinos
battered on the American soldiers like
rain drops, Lieutenant Webb and the
boys of battery A, Utah volunteers, dis
tinguished themselves and made good
all the promises that they would glo-
rify their state and the flag. 1t was a
time to, try the courage of the bravest,
but the Utah boys made it possible for
the hill and the Waterworks to be cap
tured. 1t was one of the most daring
attacks recorded in history.
The thrilling story told in Harper
Weekly is as follows:
when 1 arrived at the Nebraska
camp the preliminary firing was over.
In the distance, near the sea, to the
north, one still heard the roll of vol
leys, but in General Hale's brigade ali
was dark and silent. 1t must not be
supposed that on that account the men
We're inactive, for down in the valley,
in a semi-circle about the camp, each
individual man of the Nebraska reg1-
ment was burrowing into the ground.
Colonel Statzenburgh was hurrying
about among his men to see that they
were we'll placed. Gallopers came and
went. 1t was, however, on the small
hill back Of Santa Mesa that the most
active preparations We're being made;
In charge of the two 32-inch guns of
battery A of Utah was young Lieuten-
ant Webb. Beloved by his men for
his thoughtful kindness, he had gone
the even tenor of his way without at
tracing attention, because no crisis
had arisen to bring out his sterling
worth When the concentrated fire OF
the insurgents poured into the Ne
braska camp, the two Utah guns We're
under tents. The quartermasters de-
partment had not furnished any horses
to drag these guns into position.
Fall in, men, and drag those guns
up the hill, said Lieutenant Webb.
up the hill, half mile from camp,
the men pulled their guns. 1t would
have been hard work under ordinary
circumstances, but with heavy fire
pouring into the camp it was partlcu-
larly trying. However, the work had
only begun, for the battery had not
been allowed to build their gun-pits
beforehand, for fear of exciting the in
surgents. The guns placed, the men
went to work with picks and shoVels
making barricades and filling sand.
bags.
an hours Sleep said a big Utah boy
shoveling dirt.
81 suppose we won't get any break
fast tomorrow, either. said another
worker.
"'You will get sleep when you finish
the work l want DONE said Lieutenant
Webb, coming up, and as for break
fast, you need not worry. [ have sent
a man into town to bring some out IN
the morning
Pound pound. pound went the picks
into the dry, hard earth. Side by SIDE d
Salt Lake City school teacher and a
contractor worth half a million Dug
and shoveled and sweated. From . TO
half past II they worked; then Dushes
were cut down and thrown over the
new white bags, which were heaped
into a semicircular gun-pit, so that IN
daylight the place might look like
clump of bushes. AT last all was done,
and the men, dirty and tired, stretched
themselves on their blankets. They
were not allowed to sleep, however. At
70 bang! ping! the ball opened
again for half an hour. The Mauser
rifles of the insurgents MADE hafHly
any fame in the night, and their pres
ence was only known by the sharp
cracks and the whistling OF bullets
overhead On the other hand Inc
Springfield rifles made a deep ROUND
sound. and the fire flashed from the
muzzles in long StreakS. Even III the
night our men were handicapped by
their weapons, for the flame located
their position exactly. This time the
firing lasted about half an hour-
Neither side seemed quite sure whether
the other was going to advance. In the
da rkness every ciump of trees looked
like an advancing man, and you may
be sure the pickets were not slow to
fire and run in. It was o'clock, ans.
once more the tired battery lay down TO
get a little sleep.
Just then a great shouting came
across the San Juan river from the FIJI
ipinos, and one distinctly heard:
Viva Ia Republica Filipino! Amerl-
canos mucho maloi'
."They were shouting at us in Spanish,
the only means of communication be-
tween the Tagalo and American races.
The firing was still heard indistinctly
on our left, towards Tondo. AT 8 o'clock
the moon came up and lighted the scene
little. At 4 it was still clearer, ans
the insurgents took the opportunity to
renew their firing. This time II was
more serious. They were bent on mis-
chief. for you could distinctly hear the
crack of their rifles advancing, and q
Jew Remingtons among them located
their approach They were coming
down San Juan hill for the bridge. On
our side of the bridge, in an old Spanish
stone redoubu, one company of NebraS-
kans had been placed to hold the bridge
Would they, in the night, be aple to
shoot accurately enough to prevent the
insurgents from crossing the stream
on they came. They no longer stopped
to fire, but shouted wildly as they ran
Now they We're on the bridge, but The
old Soringfields of the little group o.
Nebraska men belched forth flame and
bullets. The bridge was too hot, and
the insurgents drew back TO cover again
to reform. This was not all. The Ma
laws may not have discipline or organi-
cation, but they have pluck. They
charged the bridge once more, with
their wild shout. And still the little
band of Americans held the bridge and
drove back the charge. A third time
the insurgents tried it, and a third
time they were driven back. Lieuten-
ant Webb prayed for light that he
| might do his share.
AT DAWN UTAH GUNS ROARED.
with the last charge the firing OF
the insurgents ceased. There was NJ
more thought of sleep. Every Ameri-
| can watched for the break of day
when good craftsmanship would tell
! for Nebraska had already lost sever
wounded and one killed. AT last dawr
came. Breakfast had been brought
and the coffee heated back of the hill
where the fire would not draw the firt
of tn" enemy. The shooting soon be
gan again, and as the insurgents fret
high, we caught our share of the bull
lets from two sides. The Utah battery
manned the guns. The insurgents wer,
still in the village on the other side o
! San Juan hill. A brigade of the Colo
radoans, under Colonel Mccoy, moved
J up to reinforce our right near the Pa
sig river.
"'At that bridge with shrapnel: Gu