The evening times., 1900-01-06
ANECDOTES OF LAWTON.
A New Version of the Charge at FL
Caney.

New Version of the Charge at FL
Caney.
JFrom the New York SUM
Some National Guard officers who served
in the Spanish-American war were dis
cussing General Lawton's death and mis-
services in Cuba. One Of them told The
following stories concerning his conduct az
Fl Cauey. where he wore the white helmet
which VAS the cause Of his death
''Ou the morning Of July / General Law
ton was sent with a force o. about 5000
men to take Fl Csuey, while the balance OF
the troops were TO be engaged al san Juan.
AS dusk fell after the first days lighting
we viewed with alarm the thin blue line
which surrounded san Juan Many OF Us.
tired out with the long. hot days work.
having broken camp that morning al
O'Clock. fell asleep on the damp hillside OF
San Juan trying 10 gain a few moments
rest before The struggle which We knew was
inevitable the next day. Grave doubts
were expressed Il We could hold our posi-
rion against the Spaniards. and II will be
remembered that there was a consultation
Of officers at which iy was suggested that
our troops should be withdrawn a plan
which was violently opposed By General
Wheeler and others About midnight We
were awakened with the pleasing inrelli-
gence that General Lawton had captured
e Caney with a very small loss, I think
FIVE, and that he was rapidly moving 70
Join cur right, which would be done by
daybreak- This he accomplished, and fl is
doubtful II save for this our troops could
have held their position Our Joy was
somewhat tempered by the fact that Gen
eral LawtOn's loss at E Caney Was much
heavier than al first reported
A day or two after the battle one OF the
officers Of General Lawto1's stan told me
OF the generals famous white helmet,
which seems 10 have been the cause Of his
death near Manila He said that during
the battle Of E. CaGey the tall form Of Gen
eral LawtOn with his white helmet was a
most conspicuous object while directing the
movements Of the troops Then, as vas
afterward the case in the Philippines, he
was thus a target for the enemy'S bullets,
but uudisturbed and unprotected he stood
while the bullets parJeTed like hail about
MIN. One or two Of his stan officers begged
him 10 lie down. as he was drawing the
fire Of the enemy. but IL never seemed TO
occur TO him that he would be hit, and he
Enthusiastically remarked 10 these officers
that If any Of them cared about lying down
they could do so, and many OF them did 50
while Lawtor remained erect And there
the staff had 20 remain exposed TO a CALLING
fire as the euemy's sharpShOOters continued
20 select General LawJon-s white helmet as
a mark
death of General LawtOn Of the order sent
20 him by General Shafter TO withdraw his
troops from EI Caney, a proceeding which
would have been disastrous 10 our forces,
but I have never seen the statement given
10 me by the same staff officer He told
me that as General LawtOn stood directing
the troops an aide from the stan Of General
Shafter rode up and said:
General LawJOu. General Shatter directs
80, p, v--grr1-au- y0r1r frOUDs %
AT first General LawtOu was nonplusedi
then turning 10 the aide he said. This is
TOO serious an order TO be received verbally
and shall require II in writing from Cen
eral Shafter' He well knew that General
Shafter was eight miles in the rear. and
that a written order from him could not
be received before the charge was ordered.
This much Is a matter OF history, but 1 do
not believe the whole story has been told.
General Lawton. knowing that the aide
would soon reduce the order TO writing,
Immediately sent orders TO his officers 10
charge The aide returned in about twenty
minutes with the written order, having re-
tired only short distance to write. and he
delivered il 70 General Lawton just as the
whole American force stOrmed across the
field in that last desperate, successful at
tempt to take FL Caney. When he handed
the written order 20 the general LaWron
AS you see, the troops have already COM
menced TO charge. Tell General ShafteT
that God Almighty himself could not stop
them now
Thus the capture OF FL Caney was due
to General LawJOn's perseverance under
difficulties
The following story Of General Lawton
was told by a sergeant in the Regular
Army. who served Under LawtOn in Cuba
and afterward went to Manila, being now
the Oldest enlisted man in the Eighth
Army Corps. After the surrender OF san
tiaso the general was standing in the main
street Of the city looking into the win
dows Of a shop. his tall, massive form
making him even more conspicuous thar
usual He wore a blue shirt ana campaign
hat and was without any indications OF
his rank A young second lieutenant, just
from West Point, and so belonging to the
class known in the Army as Johnny
come-lately," was walking down the
street. and having high sense Of his own
importance, tapped the general on the
shoulder. taking him for a nOn-commis-
stoned officer As the general turned
around he was addressed thus by the young
officer:
Sergeant. are you a sOldier2"
Yes. sir" replied the general.
"Then why don't you salute an officer
when you see him?"
The general saluted. but with so abrupt
and 1lppant an air that the anger of the
lieutenant was aroused, and he further
asked.
Sergeant. what's your name?"
Well. replied the general assuming
slight drawl that was sometimes chaTac-
teristic, my name is Major General Henry
". Lawtcn.- What's your name?' leaving
the lieutenant crestfallen and stsmmering
out some lame apology.
Best remedy for coughs Is the simplc.t md