The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-23
BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL,

0nl DAN JUAN HILL.
For the past four years Roosevelt
and his Rough Riders have received
the credit of defeating the Spaniards
at the battle of San Juan Hill in CUBA.
The present occupant of the White
House goes by the name of ''the hero
of San Juan" Does he deserve the
military fame bestowed on him for
alleged bravery on July 1, 1898?
According to the Boston Transcript
Teddy and his cowboys never stormed
San Juan Hill at all. The real scene
of their achievements was smaller
eminence known as Kettle Hill, which
was taken by them before the battle
OF San Juan was opened by Grimes
battery about 2 O'clock IN the after
noon. They were not even the first
to reach the top of Kettle Hill, that
having been done by two troops of the
Ninth cavalry Neither did the Rough
Riders commanded by Roosevelt go
up San Juan HILL though they Joined
in the attack on San Juan ridge after
the summit of it was taken by others.
John r. Church, in writing of the
battle of San Juan Hill, makes no
mention of Roosevelt and his troop
ers. He witnessed the battle, and
this is what he says:
'The cavalry, dismounted, sup
ported by Hawkins brigade, ad-
vanced up the valley from the hill of
Ell Pozo, forded several streams.
where they lost heavily, and deployed
at the foot of the series of hills known
as San Juan under a sharp fire from
all sides, which was exceedingly an
noying because the enemy could not
be discerned, owing to the long range
and smokeless powder. They We're
under fire for two hours before the
charge could be made and position
reached under the brow of the hill 1t
was not until nearly O'Clock that the
neighbcring hills We're occupied by our
to crown the ridge could be made.
The obstacles interposed by the Span
iards made these charges anything
but the 'rushes' which war histories
mention SO often. They were slow
and painful advances through difficult
obstacles and whitening fire. The
last charge continued an hour, but at
4:45 the firing ceased, with San Juan
in our possession"
Not Il word about Roosevelt and his
Rough Riders in the foregoing ac-
count Of the battle by an eyewitness.
But they have appropriated all the
credit of the victory, as if they alone
fought the battle. The strenuous sue
cessor of Mckinley is wearing I'M
earned laurels and appears to be proud
Of the honors which belong to an
other. 1t was the United States reg
ular cavalry, dsmounted, and not the
Rough Riders of the plains, that adj
vancel on the hills where the Spanish
blOcllllOuses stood, and carried San
Juan after General Linares, the Span
ish commander. was wounded and
had transferred the command to Gen
eral Toral
1t is strange that after the brief
lapse Of four years any man would
have the daring harlihood, in the
light of actual facts, to claim vic
tory that he never won. While Roose-
welt and his men are the heroes in
popular estimation. the actual fight
ers who encountered the obstacles re-
ferred to by the war correspondent
and did the fighting on San Juan Hill
were two troops Of the Ninth cav
airy who got there first. The lying
Republican historians will hand down
the name of Roosevelt as the greatest
military genius of the nineteenth cen
fury and rank him higher than De
Wet, Delaray, or Cronje.