The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-02
LIVING 1T ALL over.
Battles of a Year
Ago Fought
Again.
Ell CANEY AND SAN JUAN HILL.
First Anniversary Of the
Hardest Battles in the
Spanish War.
Ell CANEY AND SAN JUAN HILL.

Inc Worcester remnants of the Fifth
army corps, whose work one year ago
yesterday was commanding the atten-
tlon and admiration of the world when
the terrific fighting at Ell Caney and
the Wild charge up San Juan hill was in
progress, are today congratulating
themselves on the fact that they are
sui on this mundane sphere and not
enjoying the delectable fare provided by
a gracious and appreciative nation IN
a foreign country.
worcester was well represented in the
battles of yesterday fought over again
IN the far off Pearl of the Antilles, when
the local companies of the Second Mas
sachusetts volunteers, A, and H. took
part in the battle at Ell Caney and Co.
q of the Ninth charged the blockhouse
at San Juan,
Ihen many of the regulars were Wor-
cester men and those of the Twelfth
regulars can tell of many hard fought
pattle OF year ago this time.
me veterans of the Spanish-Ameri-
can war look back the past short wear
with varied feelings and emotion. Ma
luraiIy the one thought of all is of the
ones VINO failed to return and who now
are resting either in Cuba, under the
ever restless waves of the Atlantic. or
lie buried at home.
yesterday many informal smoke-talks
were held about the city by the ones
VINO participated in the fiercest fight
ing IN the war waged by this country
against the kingdom of Spain.
10 you remember where you were
one year ago today?" was the question
asked by the veterans of one another.
yesterday, and the invariable answer
brought SUCH flood of memories thai
the day was given up to a discussion of
the experiences encountered in Cuba.
! Inc second regiment men took a look
at the pictures of themselves taken on
the ground by the official photographer
and told each other brand new stories Of
the dolngs at the battle of Ell Canev
when the gallant Second sustained such
a heayy loss in killed and wounded.
The representatives of the Nirtb
regiment brought wildly to mind the
debarkation from the goyernm ,nt
transport, the Harvard, at Siboney.
Cuba. The boys parted with that boat
with many regrets, for the shores of
CUBA looked barren and bleake to their
eyes, and the heavy rains that were
falling that afternoon hung like nali
over the island that was destined to
prove so hateful to them after their
stay of few months.
The boys landed after a few desul-
tory plunges into the salt water, and
strolled about the shore inspecting the
Island. They settled down to a nights
encampment with the gigantic land
WI oh ~
walk off with the sleeping men. They
had scarcely got well settled for the
night, when Capt. Alger, son of the
secretary of war, who was on the staff
of the brigadier general in command of
the Third brigade, and ordered the
Ninth and the two battalions of the
Thirty fourth Michiganders to proceed
to the scene of the fighting at San Juan.
The boys, nothing loath, put their kits
together and started at o'clock to
the firing line. They were ordered be-
fore starting to leave their equipments
behind. and left Siboney, and by
marching all night, near the firing
line.
At 3 o'clock in the morning of the
I'd. they rested and made camp for two
hours. They breakfasted and had hard
ly finished their meal when the Twelfth
regulars with many Worcester boys
in the ranks, came by. They had been
on the firing line for four days in sue
cession. with a fare of bareback and
water and raw bacon, and were a sor-
~ looking sight when the Worcester
boys saw them.
The first one to be recognized was
Tommy Conneff, now at the Sherwood
house. and as Tommy had been sep
arated from his barber for about four
weeks, the merry life he was leading
had told so heavily upon him that he
did not look much like the 1eet-footed
miller who had astonished the public
of this country with his running. But
Tommy forgot his abilities as run
ner those days, except in chasing
Spaniards, and he did that IL record
time.
That night the Worcester boys of the
Ninth participated in the repulsion of
the night attack by the Spanish forces,
and though they were not in the thick
of the fighting, still made their pr IS
ence felt by the discharge of their Old
Tong Toms" the Springfield rifles. 1t
was very evident that they did not do
much damage to the forces of the en-
envy, for the next morning, search as
they would, no dead Spaniards could
be found in the neighborhood.
The boys were all celebrating in q
rather informal manner the anniver-
sary yesterday and congratulating
themselves for being lucky enough to
be around Worcester.