Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-06-24

fringe OF trees ana pointed OUT req
house on hill Ito the right Of the
blockhouse), which will be spoken Of
hereafter as San Juan hill or kettle
HILL" He said to Captain Tutherly,
commander Of the First squadron,
THAT is your right" Tutherly asked,
"When shall / fire?" to which Viele
answered, Don't fire on our men; fire
when you see the Spaniards. The
First was in the third line of the brigade.
Colonel Viele's caution about firing
was timely, for there were many OBJ
stacles to be passed which would break
the line, and besides Kent's infantry on
the left of the cavalry was already
working toward the blockhouse. The
two columns were to converge slightly
before reaching their separate goals and
might in the excitement Of battle mis-
take each other for the enemy. Tho
gallant Hawkins, leader of Kent's adj
vance brigade, impatient to dash at San
Juan blockhouse, which he declared
that he could take in the flank, passed
up the road to the front, while the cav
airy was halted in the bed Of the creek.
Said cavalry officer, Hawkins was
the finest soldier there, and the cavalry
knew him we'll" All the older regular
officers are known to all the other Off
GERS and to the long service privates as
well, because promotion takes them
from one regiment to another. Hence,
although Skaters was q new army, it
was by no means an army OF strangers.
1t was about noon when the line of
the cavalry division was actually formed
for attack on the ridge in its front, the
ground having been reconnoitered and
points for attack shown TO leaders of
regiments and squadrons. As usual in
such cases, the exact time was not noted
down, and perhaps the term noon may
be used to cover the time between IL
and o'clock. An officer of the First
cavalry said 1t took three hours to pass
down the road from FL Poso to "Hell's
Crossing" and that the march began at
$3.50. About / 4 hours seem to have
been passed in the bed Of the creek by
some of the cavalry, perhaps by all.
1t should BIO remembered that {. is
was midday, and tropical midday ut
that. The soldiers, when inactive, could
barely keep their feet They were in a
valley without breath of air. They
were wet, some to the knees and some
to tho waist, from wading in the
streams. For more than an hour they
had seen the dead and wounded brought
into the angle, victims Of the Spanish
marksmen in front Of them on the crest
of the ridge. 1t was this time, If at all,
that the general impulse to charge the
hill swept down the line. Regiments,
battalions and companies had been
formed to attack. Full directions had
been given with the exception Of tho
word go" 1t is said that just then a
volunteer field officer, who all the morn
ing had been rather heard than seen
outside of his own regiment, called out
with a theatrical wave of the hand:
"This hill must he taken! If there arc
three men here who will go with me.
we will take It'll" Already parts of the
line were in motion, and shortly the
entire column surged forward, carrying
the excited volunteer along with it, or
perhaps swallowing him up, for he was
not seen by the regulars again until
they had planted thoir standards on the
first hill.
DISTINCTIONS wero encountered every
few rods. At the outset there were two