Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1904-11-08

THE OFFICIAL REPORT.
Colonel Roosevelt's official report
found at pages II and IA of Major
General Miles Supplementary Report
1898, contains the following:
Accordingly we charged the block
house and entertainments on the hill
to our right against heavy fire. i
was taken in good style, the men OF
my regiment thus being the first t.
capture any fortified position and t.
break through the Spanish lines
every word of that statement is abso
lutely false.) After captur
ing this hill, we first of all directed g
heavy fire upon the San Juan hill t.
, our left, which was at the time being
assailed by the regular infantry and
cavalry, supported by Captain Park
er's Calling guns. By the time Sar
Juan was taken a large force had as
eembled on the hill we had PREVI
OUSLY captured"
A glance at the map shows that the
hill occupied by the cavalry was fai
in the rear of the San Juan hills, and
the reports of the engineer officers and
the official maps are unanimous that
1t contains no entertainments what
ever, and there is no record of its ever
having been occupied by the Spaniards
A glance at the map will show how
preposterous is Colonel Roosevelt
claim.
Colonel Rooseveltnftated in an aG-
dress to the Natiodl Guard Associa-
ton of the State of New York. OH Feb
ruary IS, 1900 Opp. Sc, 81, Official Re-
port, N. G., N. ":
''As 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
teriet on the hills until we got the or
der TO charge. More by consensus of
opinion than anything else we went
mp and took the hill"
This is thdzicial report OF this
speech to the .Iational Guard, but in
the actual speech he admitted that he
did not see Spaniard; that they did
not know that there had been a battle
until it was over.
Cavalry, half mile to the right of
the road to Santiago and behind Ket-
tie Hill, is indicated by the reports of
Leonard Wood, colonel, First u. S.
Volunteer Cavalry, and L. A. Baldwin,
ieutenant-colonel, Tenth Cavalry (see
pages 326 and 341, Of General Miles
official report. The 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 Ell Pozo)
the leading regiment Trough Riders
was directed to CHANGE THE d.
RECTION TO THE RIGHT, and by
moving up to the creek to effect juno
ton with General Lawton's division,
which was then engaged at Caney,
about a mile and half toward the
right, but was supposed to be working
toward our right flank. After proceed
ing in this direction ABOUT HALF A
MILE, this effort to connect with Gen.
Lawton was given up, and the First
and Tenth cavalry were formed for
attack on the EAST HILL. with the
lFOAuAtCSA OoN0hs aS SuppOAt-
Colonel Wood says in his report of
July 6 Up. 342): "Our first objective
was the hill with a small red-roofed
house on it." Kettle 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 bristling
fertilization out Of an old kettle that
had been left behind by the infantry
hours before.
Colonel Egbert, Sixth Infantry, says
In his official report, pages 364-5: 1.-THE
San Juan Hill Notifications being in
plain view, about 400 yards distant,
while to our right and IN PROLON-