The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-14

cidents went all around the line through
both divisions. l shall try to tell you
of few that occurred in ours.
1t was 2:30 Sunday morning when the
insurgents opened fire on my line, and
long before dawn it spread clear across
the front of General Overshine's brig
ade, which, facing south. lay to our
right. Not until o'clock, however,
could our division commander get the
consent of the governor general to let
us attack. Meantime we had to stand
and take tor, literally, the lines lay
down and fired back across the Tripa as
best they could. 1t was CALLING work.
Many a brave fellow wears the mark
of that nights battling, and q dozen
were killed outright before, at last, We
got the word TO go in and sweep the
field. AT that company company a of
the First Washington infantry lay close
to the stream, facing the flashing lines
across the Tripa. Erwin, its first lieu
tenant, had been borne to the rear, shot
through the neck and arm Two men
lay dead in their tracks. Twenty were
wounded. l had galloped forward to
give the order, and l shall never forget
how, though covered with mud and stiff
with the long constraint, those splendid
fellows sprang to their feet and then,
crouching like Indians. dove down the
bank and Splashed. waist deep, through
the Estero. 1t was there / came upon
their captain-tall, conspicuous and
calm and silent as ever-but covered
with blood-his head bound up in
handkerchief. He staggered slightly as
he toiled up the opposite bank and.
knowing what was ahead of us and that
he must have been painfully wounded.
took the first chance to reach him and
order him back TO the surgeons. He
could barely speak, with his jaw bound
tightly, but what he said was practi-
cally this: It's only a scratch sir. 1
can't let my men go in without me-"
And yet bullet had scored his face.
scraped his cheek bone and ripped
through his right ear. 1t was his
maiden fight, too, but a veteran of 80
could have been no more composed.
That was Captain Albert H. Otis COM
pany A, First Washington.
Ten minutes after the dash of two
battalions of the Washingtons had
cleared the rice fields to the south of
the Santa Ana road, and the Califor-
mans, lining the low embankment on
which it ran. We're getting in lively
cross fire on the entertainments to the
north of ii. The Krupp guns were FIR
ing rapidly at Us from a redoubt close
to the stream and near the east end
of Santa Ana. The stone bridge
across the Tripa seemed to be the
main target, for shivered glass from
the lamp posts and splintered stone
from the parapets flew with the
whistling bullets diagonally across the
roadway None the less two little
mountain Hotchkiss guns had been run
forward by hand almost to the arch
and there, coolly, placidly directing
their f1re-bursting his shells squarely
in the Filipino works, and never even
crouching to avoid the incessant fight
of Mauser and Remington missiles,
stood an officer who had already won
name for daring and skill in the face
of a savage enemy. a Sioux bullet at
the bloody fight at Wounded Knee
eight years ago drove fragments of his
watch through his body, but in no wise
impaired his efficiency or daunted his
nerve when the next campaign came
on. Between the cool, scientific
handling of these guns by Lieutenant
Hawthorne of the Sixth artillery and