Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-04-06

white troopers of the First cavalry.
General Young declares that the charge
was most gallant from start to finish
The troops crossed plain in open range
Of the Spaniards posted behind stone
walls on the ridge With closed up
ranks they DETECTED to the right or left
to pass distractions, and maintained a
bold front until the ridge was cleared
Of Spaniards. White officers fell. but
the negroes marched on to victory.
Meanwhile the Hotchkiss guns back
on the hither ridge fired over the heads
Of the advancing column, making every
shot tell in the Spanish ranks. At one
time the fire was so hot that General
Young ordered the guns under cover to
save them from destruction. At the
right time they came out again, and
almost instantly negro who was fix
ing the sight had his hand lacerated by
Mauser bullet. Nothing daunted, he
worked at the sight with his wounded
fingers, and another negro pushed him
aside, saying: ''Get away from here.
You cant do anything with that
hand"
The arm of the newcomer was quickly
punctured, and General Young fixed
the sight himself. BY that time there
were more black hands ready to take
the risk, and they fired the gun with
good effect until the affair was over.
From first to last / didn't hear word
derogatory of the valor of the blacks in
action. Every whits officer who saw
them on the field said that they were as
brave as the best. But that is not the
whole Of soldering, speaking Of the life
and stability of an army.
A fit companion piece to the many
tributes from white officers to negro
valor is the story Of Robert Edward
Lee y of Alexandria, Va, trooper in
Company A, Tenth cavalry. Describ-
ing the battle Of San Juan hill Trooper
Lee said:
''It was about p. m. when the
Tenth was ordered to the front for the
charge. Most every man said one to the
other: Now, boys, here is our time to
see what Spanish soldier knows about
a charge of this kind. Now keep to-
gether and every man keep his full dis-
tance from the right and left, and as
soon as gap is open close it as quickly
as we can, and know if we stay to-
gether the Spaniards can't last long.
During the time the Spanish Mauser
steel bullets were falling all about our
heads, but the Spaniards couldn't be
seen. Once in awhile one Of our men
would fall and would say: lam struck.
Give them one for me when you see
them, boys
''Cowardly as the Spaniards are,
when they saw rs coming upon them
they would run about 90 yards, turn
and fire q deadly volley upon us as wa
would advance upon them on the hill
of San Juan. But we were on to their
tricks. When they would turn their
Mausers upon us, down every man
would fall upon his knees. The hot
steel went over our heads like bees, but
the moment it had passed over us we
were upon our feet again. Then the
towards began running from their
trenches. Now came our time to take
a deadly volley at the retreating Span
iards. After two volleys from our crack
rifles the Spaniards were seen falling
by the hundreds. We soon reached the
top of San Juan hill, but the Spaniards
had fled, leaving their many dead and
wounded behind them.
"After gaining our victory we took
q short rest upon the hill. While we
were resting the Spanish sharpshooters
began. They shot our officers and even
our wounded who were being taken to
the rear. Later on they began firing
their big guns upon us on the hill which
we had gained and had been holding
for nearly three hours. I thought Just
before my wound that the Spaniards
were trying to regain the hill.
81 was shot about 80 p. m. while
at the front on the firing line. After my
comrades had dressed the wound, while
on the field, / had to walk ten miles,
wading through streams part of the way,
to reach the hospital ship. 1t was a ter
rible ordeal The bullets were flying
about my head and 1 did not expect to
get to the rear without being wounded
the second time.
Iasked the white leaders of tho Tenth
the question, "How did your men be-
haver' The answer was, "We don t ask
for better soldiers in battle" The Tenth
came under fire while passing down the
San Juan road, just behind the balloon
when it was high in the air drawing
Spanish fire. Bullets and shrapnel aimed
at the balloon fell into the ranks, but
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