The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-11-05

THE OFFICIAL REPORT.
Colonel Roosevelt's official report,
found at pages y and ii of Major
General Miles Supplementary Report,
1885, contains the following:
Accordingly we charged the block
house and entertainments OIL the hill
to our right against a heavy fire. 1t
was taken in good style, the men OF
my regiment thus being the first to
capture any fortified position and to
break through the Spanish lines"
Every word of that statement is abso-
lutely false.J After captur-
ing this hill, we first of all directed
heavy fire upon the San Juan hill to
our left, which was at the time being
asSailed by the regular infantry and
cavalry, supported 10y Captain Park
er's Calling guns. BY the time San
Juan was taken Il large force had as
sembled on the hill we had PREVI-
OUSLY captured"
A glance at the map shows that the
hill occupied by the cavalry was far
in the rear of the San Juan hills, and
the reports of the engineer officers and
the official maps are unanimous that
it contains no entertainments what
ever, and there is no record of its ever
\ glance at the map will show how
preposterous is Colonel Roosevelt's
claim.
Colonel Roosevelt stated in an aG-
dress to the National Guard Associa-
ton of the State OF New York, on Feb
ruary IS, 1900 opp. Sc, 81, Official Re
port. n. G.. n. v:
LAS for the San Juan fight, it would
be an exaggeration to say it was a
colonel's fight. 1t was a squad lead
er's fight. No human being in the col
umn knew what he was to do when the
column started. We moved forward
again, crossed the river and had TO
halt within range of the Spanish bat
teries on the hills until we got the or
der to charge. More by a consensus of
opinion than anything else we went
up and took the HILL
This is the official report of this
speech to the National Guard, but in
the actual speech he admitted that he
did not see Spaniard; that they did
not know that there had been battle
until it was over.
The position of the First Volunteer
Cavalry, half mile to the right OF
the road to Santiago and behind het-
tie Hill, is indicated by the reports or
Volunteer Cavalry, and T. A. Baldwin,
lieutenant-colonel, Tenth Cavalry (see
pages 326 and 341, of General Miles
official report. These reports are YER
batim the same. One plagarizes from
the other. AS General Wood was some
where in the rear, be was probably the
offender:
After proceeding about half way
to the San Juan Hill (from El PoZo)
the leading regiment (Bough Riders)
was directed to CHANGE THE d.
RECTION TO THE RIGHT, and by
moving up to the creek to effect june
ton with General Lawton's DIVISION,
which was then engaged at Caney,
about a mile and a half toward the
right. but was supposed to be working
toward our right flank. After proceed
ing in this direction ABOUT HALF A
NILE, this effort to connect with Gen.
Lawton was given up, and the First
and Tenth cavalry were formed Ior
attack on the EAST HILL, with the
Volunteer Cavalry as support.
Colonel Wood says in his report OF
July 20. 342): "Our first objective
was the hill with a small red-roofed
house on it, Rettle Hill)
After the occupation of the San Juan
hills by the infantry, it became nee
essary to create entertainments to be
captured and Spaniards to be killed
by the political colonel and the only
way to do this was to make a brlstling
fertilization out of an old Kettle tnat
had been left behind by the infantry
hours before.
Colonel Egbert. Sixth Infantry, says
in his official report pages 364-5: Inc
San Juan Hill Notifications being ID
plain view, about 400 yards dlstant'
while to cnr right and In PhoLoN-