Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-02-09

plans going "aft agIey." In point of
fact, Ell Caney fell about day behind
time, and that threw the battle of the
San Juan ridge day ahead of time as
| planned.
AS the cavalry division was the next
in order after Lawton, from right to
left, when the army faced Santiago,
and was the first to score success on
the San Juan heights, its story should
next be told.
In the march down from Ell Peso to
the crossing of the San Juan, the brigade
Of General Sumner, then commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Carroll Of
the Sixth cavalry, had the lead. AT
that time Sumner was in temporary
command of the division. The strength
Of Carrolls brigade that day in tie
fighting line was about 900. The Ninth
cavalry, colored, under Lieutenant Colo.
mel j. M. Hamilton, ON the right Of the
brigade, had but one squadron in the
fight. 1t was commanded by Major A.
d. Dimmick. The Third cavalry vas
led by Major II. w. Vessels, son of
Major General Vessels, distinguished
in the civil war. The First squadron
was commanded by Major Henry Jack
son and the Second by Charles Morton.
The Sixth cavalry, Summers own regi-
ment, was led by Major 7. @. Lebo.
With the exception of Vessels, all
squadron and regimental officers. like
the division and brigade leaders, were
war tried veterans. Hamilton had
served in the Thirty.third New York,
Dimmick in the Fifth New York cav
airy, jackson in the regular cavalry and
Morton in the Twenty fifth Missouri as
a boy, afterward polishing of at West
Point. Lebo served through the war In
the First Pennsylvania cavalry. All
these officers are born soldiers, not car
pet knights.
The brigade lost many men while
lying along the road before the advance
began, Grimes battery having opened
Oh the Spanish works about 1850 in the
morning, drawing fire of shell and
shrapnel, some of which fell short of
the target on Ell Poso hill and dropped
among the troops lining the road to the
front. At the very beginning there was
delay at the crossings of the creeks
and river. The cavalry was ON the right
of the road, and the men say that they
crossed the Aguadores several times, and
that, including the San Juan, they wad-
ed streams six times before they were
lined up in the charge In some places
the San Juan was mp to the waist. and
ut other points the water was SO deep
and the current so strong that some of
the men had to be assisted to save
drowning.
The Third cavalry, which was on the
right of Kent's infantry, lost heavily
in what is sometimes called "The
Bloody Angle" between the Guiana
and the San Juan, north of the junction
Of these streams This place will also
go down in the memory Of Santiago
survivors as "Hell's Crossing" The
first man / met at Camp Montauk in
the Third cavalry, Captain G. A. Dodd
Of Troop F, made famous by the Cos
sack drill, carries long scar down his
forehead, which was given him at the
angle by piece of shrapnel A Spanish
shot fred at Grimes battery knocked
over three men Of Troop Of this regi-
ment. When the brigade came to cross
ing the stream, 1t was halted, and the
regiments took position according to
the lay Of the ground. The men unship-
ped their packs and left them in the
bed Of the river. The bank in front Of
fered cover from the Spanish fire, and
beyond that was dense undergrowth.
The first order heard in this brigade
came from Major Vessels to his own
regiment. 1t was, "The Third Is order
ed to go through this brush ~ Immedi-
ately Major Jackson's squadron deploy-
ed as skirmishers and attempted to adj
vance. Morton's squadron deployed 200
yards in the rear as support. Major
Vessels observed, 81 don't see how we
can do it, but we will If we can"
Plunging into the brush, the men found
that it was only hedge ON the border
of an open field. When the skirmishers
got through. they called ont that there
was cavalry moving across the 'front.'
That made it necessary to draw the line
back.
Through the openings in the trees,
Captain Morton and others saw the left
of the San Juan intrenchments and
Spaniards with guns at hand 600 or 700
yards away, looking at the American
line. At this time the dynamite and the
Hotchkiss guns in rear of the brigade
opened fire on the Spa..iards. The dyna-
mite gun was choked with the first car.
fridge, and the cavalrymen say that the
Hotchkiss gun was silenced by the
Spaniards, who then turned their rifles
and shrapnel upon the cavalrymen. In
this plight IL, cavalry remained an
hour and hs., subjected to constant
volley firing and to shrapnel. The off,
GERS of the brigade estimated that the
cavalry division suffered from 75 to 90
per cent of its casualties around that
crossing Dead and wounded were
brought there through ranks of men,
only few Of whom had been under fire
before. Says Captain Morton, veteran
of 26 battles, "It was enough tn rakfla