The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-08-05

45-calibre Springfield bullets inside OF
them. AS we were the only regiment
on the field using that sized ammuni-
ton and that class OF arm, we are
pretty sure OF the rsctitude Of our
claim.
Il may mention another difficulty
with which my regiment had to con-
tend. The clouds OF smoke arising from
the muzzlss OF our guns after every
volley quickly revealed our position to
the foe. and men were hit on the aver
age Of five a minute. We were COM
PEELED by the brigade commander To
cease firing because Of this black pow
der, so that We had to lie there under
heavy fire. unable to return IL, and
our men being winged or killed every
instant. all because Of neglect in fur
nishing us proper equipment. When
the order TO cease firing came, it was
promptly obeyed; and when the charge
was ordered by the major commanding
my battalion. II indeed the charge was
ordered by anybody at all, most OF
the men misunderstood II for COM
mence firing and Immediately re-op-
ened. IL was very desultory shoot
ing. however as no sooner did the men
Of one company see the members OF
another company fling Off everything
but their cartridge belts, than they too
started in that psll-mell. chaotic, spas
modic rush 10 the top OF San Juan
Hill. Lack Of order was the most glar-
ing feature OF this attempt, for the
charge was an involuntary, automatic
effort TO change the existent conditions
and tactics. Richard Harding Davis
in his book on The War in Cuba says:
1t looked 10 me as If 1t was the most
fool-hardy thing that / had ever seen
attempted. The line struggling up the
incline was so pitiably thin and looked
so terribly weak that l caught myself
wondering several times, as did the
Spaniards. whether this were not after
all merely the skirmish line, instead
Of the whole of that little army Of
seven thousand men No regiment as
a regiment ever reached the summit
Of the hill; some Of my men were mix
ed up in the First Volunteer cavalry
and the Third Regulars, and we had
some Of their men with US. As we
climbed those heights, we saw the plans
for hasty evacuation used momentarily
by the enemy, and their fire slackened
hundred yards. When we were only
a hundred feet from their entrench-
ments. they broke and ran like lot Of
sheep. We captured one stan officer,
and " hen he had been taken back from
the firing line he gave vent to his feel
ing in saying, You don't know how
to fight, you try TO catch rs with your
hands. The more we fire, the further
ycu come; that is pot right. that is
no way 10 fight And his expression
you try 20 catch US with your hands
just about expresses the way We went
at it that hot July morning. To pro-
coed. Captain Rafferty, of my regiment
ami company was the first line officer
in the Fifth Army Corps to reach the
blOck-hcuse. and he was accompanied
by all that was left Of my company,
composed of eighty-nine men when We
went into the fight, now decimated
three times over; yet / nave heard II
said that we quailed.
. I'm justice to ourselves and to the
regiments enemies, II may be wise for
a moment to digress. Three Of our
highest officers, that Is regimental Of
ficers, proved themselves ignominious
towards. When the time for action
came each Of these pseudo-hghters had
business elsewhere, and stomach-trou-
bic was prevalent among them. For
this they have been punished, having
been dismissed, the regiment and the
New York national guard, because Of
extreme cowardice under fire. One
escaped this sentence by resigning i'm
medlately upon our reaching New
York City. But il you are going to
castigate the regiment because OF three
Of its officers being taken with what
has been called cold feet you might
as well do the same to every other
regiment engaged in the fight at San
Juan Hill. for without exception the
majority Of the regiments had streak
Of yellow in than somewhere.
"Brigalier- General Randall. now In
command Of the department Of Alaska,
personally told me that. had these Of
ficers in my regiment not behaved 90
badly. no talk detrimental 10 the regi-
ment would ever have occurred. In his
owr words. I do not believe that you
can take a thousand New York city
bred fellows, the majority Of them with
good education, and ind more than
nne per cent Of them towards; and
really think that this figure Is very
generous Major Van Alsdale, Of the
Seventh United States infantry, said
that your regiment had in 1t the stuff
of which heroes and warriors are made.
It needed only competent officers to
bring out these two Qualities
"And the story Of the negro regi-
ment running over us Is a pure in
ventlon on the part Of some newspa-
per man or some one who had grudge
against the regiment which he was de-
sirOus Of serving out. I have met many
If the Ninth cavalry men. and none Of
them. when I asked them how much
truth there was in that assertion. ever
corroborated II in the slightest degree
although 7 spoke 70 them as a civilian
and not as an officer Of the Seventy
First Many Of them Indignantly deny
the rumor. and stick up for the regl-
ment in unalloyed terms. IT Is yellow
| Journal talk. and I believe that suit
is row pending over this matter. and
that o prominent New York paper Is
defendant in a case Of libel on this ac-
count
Tn Now York city the Seventy First
never needed defense for any Of fits
actions. does not now, and never will
Ir this country where we are unknown
ard everything metropolitan is put
down at no good anyhow. these few
remarks may trend to a more hones
and fair-minded Interpretation than the
gossip Of oily and lying tongues. Tt
close. I brand any man who says thai
the negro regiment ran over us az ar
unqualified liar"
Let never a tear their memory stain
Give their ashes never a sigh;
Those who perished not in vain,
A type Of our chivalry."