Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-04-27

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needed, for he cut first one gap, then
another, and when the companies had
all passed through took his place at the
head of the line, supposing there was
to be a charge at once upon Fort San
Juan.
But Colonel Egbert had his orders,
and the result showed that precipitate
attack upon the position at that hour
would have ended in terrible disas-
ter The cavalry on the right of the in
fantry had not carried the spur of the
ridge, known as "Kettle" hill, and
there We're no Judgements for reserves
or for machine Suns on the Spanish
side Of San Juan river The fire of
Grimes battery. back upon Ell Poso
hill, had been intermittent up to that
ZINE, owing to the smoke obscuring the
range and tie ualloon floating between
the guns and their target. The Sixth
advanced through the grass and lay
down on the slight crests, which gave
good range on the fort. At the first
volley the Spaniards opened fercely,
with cannon and musketry," says
Colonel Egbert. The whole fire of the
hill seemed to be concentrated upon this
single regiment of eight companies, at
short range, or about 500 yards.
The value of martial discipline, ire
spective of battlefield experience, was
demons trated in the crisis then before
the Sixth, standing alone on San Juan
hill The colonel says that in ten min
utes one-Quarter of his men went down.
The two center companies lost their
captains and lieutenant each. "Yet
no one fiinched," says Colonel Egbert,
land all kept steadily firing without
any thought of stopping until the or
der should come" Seeing as he says,
that the force of Spaniards intrenched
upon the hill was entirely too strong
for the Sixth, and that a prolonged con-
test against the heavy odds would re-
suit in the destruction of the regiment,
he went along the line and quietly told
the company commanders to move by
the flank back to the road This was
carried out in excellent order, the men
taking the dead and wounded with
them. Soon after the Sixth resumed its
place along the road the Sixteenth
formed on its left, and then there were
two regiments confronting the fort.
From this position fire was kept up nm
til the time came to charge which was
after IL O'Clock.
Every one familiar with battlefield
movements will recognize the system
displayed by the directors of this at
tack. General Hawkins was at the front
all the time, and also General Kent,
the division commander. All orders to
the regiment and brigades came from
the front, not the rear, until the line
was formed at the river Hawkins led
his own troops in the final charge.
Wikoff' S brigade was without leadership
at first because three of its commanders
went down within ten minutes. But
the orders of Kent had been given to the
leader and to the colonels, and in going
forward the line simply obeyed orders.
Wikoff's three regiments went up the
hill to the left Of Hawkins, and the
Second and Tenth regulars, under Colo
mel Pearson, moved across the river and
up the slope still to the left of Wikoff,
protecting that flank of storming col
umn The Twenty first infantry was
brought up by General Kent to support
Hawkins in place of the Seventy first,