The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-03
BY CAPTAIN GEORGE LANGDoN Kill
MER


When war is on it is cruel to make a
stay-at-home of a likely lad who first saw
the light of day in garrison quarters out
on the plains. with the stirring rat-a-pIan
of the martial drum for a lullaby. So
thought Theodore n. Baldwin, jr., when
Baldwin, ST., marshalled his black
troopers of the Tenth cavalry at Tam
pa and sent the usual message to his
wife and son. saying he'd write home full
particulars of the Fighting in Cuba for the
DEDICATION of the boy, and as a reward
! for having passed an examination for
West Point. Mothers may imagine the
scene wien the lad declared that he
couldn't say at home for papa might be
wounded and need his care, or If killed,
he, young as he was, must carry the fam
lily name in the army until victory should
be won That mother yielded as would
the true wife of any army officer. So
Colonel Baldwin welcomed the boy at
/ Tampa and took him along to Cuba Just
TO lock on and see the Spaniards run.
The Tenth reached San Juan river in a
strung out line about II o'clock on july
/. with the colonels pride, in mis- Dor
TOWed and cut down khaka suit. trudging
along at the head of column. At the first
| wire fence the negroes halted and at
/ tackled the savage barricade with mus
ket stocks and bare hands. The colonel 5
/ boy had no musket then, but he pushed
and pulled at the posts and cOiled the
! parted wires out Of the path.
/ Mausers were flying even then, along
the San Juan, and suddenly a black troop
/ er working beside the boy, fell lead. At
| last the fence was cleared, the blacks
! gave a yell, then dashed into the jungle to
/ hunt for SpaniaTds. The boy turned for
a last glance at his dead ccmrade. His
1 Krag carbine lay alongside with no hand
] to pick, it up and aVenge the owner 5
death-no hand but schoolboy' s-for the
: POfnnhIG knew fnEffngf1KplV
4 there would be fighting before the SCAN
/ ish races came off He seized the ri3e
! and rushed on with the line at which the
blacks grinned and cheered, giving way
I to let the boy soldier reach the 'front.' be
side his father. When the blacks halted
and fired at the Spanish trenches on ket-
/ tie Hill, the coioneIs boy handled his
carbine with the Dest of them; when they
! charged and cheered he was up with the
/ foremost and stood on the crest where
4 the Tenth's flag was planted to stay. be
4 likewise heard Colonel Leonard WOOD
/ praise his fathers regiment for its gal
! liant work ia that charge Could sol
diers boy. with his blood up, stop at that
while San Juan ridge lay in front, swarm
/ ling his piping shouts with the growls Of
( the excited negroes. he rushed the nil,
way to the second crest
1t all seemed as simple as a football
game to the schoOlbOy IN uniform, put the
men and officers of Woods brigade de-
; clared that it was serious business, and
1 that the coloneFs boy was a war hero.
] Some one sent a dispatch of that purpOrJ
10 President Mckinley and ne appointed
Theodore n. Baldwin, jr., lieutenant In
! the Twenty-fourth infantry, one OF the
! regiments of Skaters Brunette brigade.
/ And this transformed school boy IS now
4 serving in the Philippines, the youngest
commissioned officer Of the regular army
Another San Juan Hill Boy.
On the rolls of the seventy-frst New
York stands the name of Austin Pardee-
He is the son of a former officer OF the
Thirteenth regulars, who lost his Ilte on
the plains. Young Pardee lived with MS
mother in New York City when the war
/ enlist in the Old Thirteenth, so as to FOL
1 low the flag Of his soldier father But
his mother opposed II. as ne IS an only
I son, and Austin comproTnised by gong
! with the SeVenty-fiTsI. NOW in the mix
up of troops at the crossing OF San Juan
I river-all histories tell the story-the
I SeVenty-first stood still after coming IN
der fire. and the Thirteenth passed 10 the
/ front through its ranks. When Austin
| recognized the flag he had seen in BABY
hood on the plains. and saw the veteran
! comrades of his father around II, ne rush
/ ed TO the head of the company his rather
I once commanded. and asked the captain
| to let him fight there in the ranks. Ger
tainIv. nv boy said the captain. Y gu re
( the kind were looking for. Fan In
! War histories tell, 700. now the
Thirteenth charged the blockhOuse and
captured the Spanish fiag. After the pat
/ tfe the captain sought out his volunteer
recruit and asked him if he would like
to stay with his fathers old company
and be transferred to the regular rolls
| YES captain. I'd like it. said the BOY
ssBut / promised mother that wonlC
stick by the Seventy-6rst and maref
home with it. and shall keep my word.
Austin kept his word, and It was at 'Ia M
1 Wikoff that I learned has story as ne laA
in the hospital The officers of the Thir
teenth went to the hospital and pralse(
the lad as a chip of the old block, ane
a worthy son of Captain Pardee.
Young Barnum-
From Adjutant Barnum of the Tent
cavalry. / learned the story of youns
BALDWIN Lieutenant Barnum told s.
many Interesting things about the regl