The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-03
Young Hferiea1 berOeS
How Brave Sons Of Heroic SreS Won Their Spurs at San
agO-FOught as Their Fathers Fought.

HlSut lndl ln6 TACT OF MS bearing a no.
BILE army name didn't occur to me, until.
in the course of his narrative IL became
necessary to indulge in a personal men
ton. The incidents of the trench fight
ing after the morning of July ,, said he,
you must get from other sources ]
was wounded early that day and carried
to the hospital"
I inquired as to the particulars of his
wound, for it was his first, since he is
but a boy, the nature of 1t and the
sensations accompanying it. He was
wounded in the hip. Said he. My first
sensation was that l mad been suddenly
knocked fiat and the next was the sud-
den recollection that thirty-siX years pre-
viousiy to a day, or on July ,, 1852 my
father lay on the battlefield at Malvern
Hill. Va, hopelessly wounded, as then
supposed.
Then you are the son of General Henry
A. Barnum?"
Yes. said ne, blushing. but how did
you guess that?'
Because" said I, 81 happened TO know
the particulars of the Malvern Hill Incl
dent, and that Henry A. Barnum, then a
captain of volunteers, lay on the field
there on the morning of July ,. 1862, with
a wound which tortured him to the end
of his life, and that occurred only d few
years ago. May I ask your full name,
lieutenant, for / will make story of
this? BdrnUm, father and son, in the
TWO hill fights"
MY name is Malvern Hill Barnum.'
Small wonder that a boy so named
climbed to the very crest of San Juan
hill before the Mauser got him.
. 4 Boy Led the CHARGE.
The story of the rush of a handful of
Thirteenth men upon the San Juan
blOckhOuSe and the capture of the
Spanish flag, all under the leadership of
a boy lieutenant, is an unwritten gem of
spanish war history. When Secretary
Alger visited Camp WikoH last year to
inspect the condition of the Santiago
troops, his very first act was TO review
the electives of the Thirteenth regulars,
Jos men-lGS out of an original muster of
425-who were able to stand in the ranks,
-Jorgensen in hand, as they had
stood in the fighting line at Santiago.
That was done as he passed down the
row OF officers tents and sat upon an up
turned box by the side of the camp cot
where lay the young hero OF that mem
Orable rush and flag capture. He talked
with the boy few minutes. but that in
terview, although OF a pathetic interest,
has no direct bearing upon the story
given me later from the hero lips After
the secretary had been escorted to his
carriage the colonel of the Thirteenth re-
turned to the tent and introduced me to
Lieutenant Anderson, saying i hope
you'll have better luck in making this
boy talk of the battle than did his last
interviewer.
well, there isn't really much to tell F"
responded the fever-strieken soldier,
shaking off his languOr with much effort.
The Thirteenth Jared hard in climbing
that hill We were the only troops to
cross The broad open field in front OF the
fort, and were checked by the awful
MauSer fire, which struck us just snort
of the crest. / was in the front line and
when I got face to face with the block
house and the Spaniards in il l called out,
Advance rapidly and rushed Tor the
door. About a dozen men within the
sound of my voice rushed with me, all
firing as we advanced.
II frpf IN he
but one Spaniard on his legs and he was
running to get away All the rest lay
dead or wounded in and around the
trenches We got the flag down from the
roof and while the boys wzre looking at
it two of those having hold of It We're hit
by Mausers fired from the trees Of the
Spanish second line. The men then sand
that the flag was a Jonah and tore It into
please give the men all the credit FOR
what was done. They were very brave.
The losses among their comrades while
crossing that open field spurfed them on
As l told YOU. all ] did was TO call out.
Advance rapidly and rush for II. The
men did the rest.
III print the exact words you nave
given TO me-, said 1. And now, to make
the story complete, may 1 ask your name
Thomas NJ. Anderson, jr;, sir"
why, there's a general by that name
now fighting Spaniards in the Philip
pines
"He is my father, sir said the bog
with more fire than he had shown before
/ the secretary or in telling about the
/ charge up San Juan hill.
General Anderson's record IS a matter
! of history. How about your OWN?
ut is nothing. I enlisted in 1884 as
/ private in the Fourth cavalry and served
/ three years in the ranks as private, cor
poral and sergeant. 1 passed two exam
! nations for a commission and was ap-
pointed just year ago second lieutenant
| in this regiment. That is all there IS OF Il
up to the charge at San Juan hill,
/ As though that were not enough. The
/ son of a colonel in the regular army
/ serving three years in the ranks and
working up for two examinations IA ordel
roll of honor. After all, is it remarkable
that there were so many blooded youns
heroes at SantiagO2