Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-06-30
FOE OUTNUMBERED
/ AMERICANS 8 TO |
Survivor of CarrizaI Battle Tells
of Fight Against Great
Odds.
HAD NO CHANCE FOR LIVES
Handful of Men From Tenth Cavalry
Were Trapped Within Two Minutes
and Moved Down by Machine
Guns, Trooper Says.


Columbus! N. M.-The handful of
American troopers-84 in all-pitted
against at least 700 Mexicans in the
battle at Carrizal, never had chance,
according to the story told by Sam 81.
Harris, private of G troop, Tenth cav
airy, who was brought to the border
suffering from wounds in the arm and
shoulder The troopers eyes filled
with tears as he told how his wounded
charger had carried him through the
Mexican lines to safety.
Here is Harris account of the I'M
equal battle:
Our troop, with Captain Boyd COM
handing had pulled up before Car
RIAL The captain ordered everyone
to dismount and we all got down. |
was horse holder, and I took charge
of some animals while their riders
stood at attention.
''Next thing knew, the shooting
had started / looked around. Cap
tain Boyd was down and couldn't see
him, kept on looking. There were
easily seven hundred of those 'greas-
ers' around us. They had come up
right out of the ground, forming a
half circle. Our men kept on falling.
The first shots came from machine
gun 1t was trained right on us and,
believe me, it talked fast.
Trapped in Two Minutes.
1T wasn't more than two minutes
before the Mexican had surrounded us.
We were right there in the middle,
fighting like the dickens. All around
the horses were rearing and plunging.
Every little bit a horse or man
would get bullet and go down.
81 couldn't fight, for / had to keep
after those mounts. Pretty soon my
oy%A horse, a great big fellow, stag
him in the neck.
II put my hand on the spot where
the blood was spouting out. Just
then they hit me-in the shoulder.
We Hadn't a Show.
1--WE didn't have a show in the
world, and / saw it. l cut the horses
loose and climbing on my animal, hit
1t for the thinnest part of the circle.
II went right through the Mexicans.
My horse brushed two of them out of
the way as we charged.
II owe my life to that horse, sure as
you live. Don't you know, that animal
was so brave and big hearted that he
carried me along for ten miles before
he settled down to a walk Five miles
farther on his legs just gave out and
he went down.
MAN, hope you don't ever have to
say good-by to horse like that at a
time and place like that. 1t seemed
to me I couldn't leave him.
Cheers His Dying Horse.
81 knelt down and poured little
water from my canteen on his tongue.
He was slipping fast, and / just told
him how sorry I was. / thanked him
for the mighty big favor he done me.
Yes, sir, l thanked him, like he was
human. And / guess he understood,
for he got that look in his eyes ami
mails have when they are grateful.
81 walked and walked. A few miles
on / ran onto one of our animals. /
jumped him and rode on toward
Coionia Dublan. Before got there /
ran into some other survivors, and we
went on together"
Morey, Hero of CarrizaI.
San Antonio, Textile story of
how Capt. Lewis S. Morey, commander
of Troop X, Tenth cavalry, severely
wounded In the CarriZal battle be-
tween American troopers and Car
rama soldiers, escaped with four of
his troopers and later forced his men
to abandon him on the desert in order
that they might save themselves and
carry his report of the fight to Gen
eraI Pershing is told in official dis
patches received at army headquarters
here. The cold official reports add
another story of heroism to the many
that have come from the scene of the
unequal battle in the Mexican desert
Later dispatches showed that Cap
tain Morey also managed later to re-
turn to the American lines and is safe,
After the tide of battle had turned
against the little American force
which was overwhelmingly outnum
bered by the Mexican soldiers. Cap
tain Morey with the three unwounded
and one wounded men were together
The five men realized further fighting
would be in vain and took refuge in a
hole 1000 yards from the scene of the
battle. There, while the Mexicans
hunted for the American survivors
Handicapped.
IF ] had my life to live over again