page_title: John Bigelow Jr.
section_title: Late career and Spanish–American War
hierarchical_section_title: John Bigelow Jr. / Indian Wars and frontier service / Late career and Spanish–American War
caption_attribution_description: On the battleground of Las Guasimas — Americans going to the front. From p. 378 of Harper's Pictorial History of the War with Spain, Vol. II, published by Harper and Brothers in 1899.
context_page_description: John Bigelow Jr. was a United States Army lieutenant colonel. He was the subject of many articles on military frontier life in Outing Magazine published by his brother Poultney Bigelow and with sketches drawn in the field by the then young and obscure Frederic Remington. The book Frontier Cavalryman is based on his journals and service with the Buffalo Soldiers. He received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his actions in Cuba. He was assigned as a superintendent of Yosemite National Park in early 1904 and retired from the Army the following September. He became a teacher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later an author of several books. He was recalled to active duty in World War I and served in Washington, District of Columbia until 1919. He retired again and died in 1936 at age 81.
context_section_description: In late June 1898, Captain Bigelow in command of D Troop, 10th Cavalry landed in Cuba. The harsh jungle conditions were hard on him and his men. His unit was part of the Cavalry Division's Second Brigade which included the 1st Volunteer Cavalry later led by Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and was in the thick of the fighting. Three principal battles were fought by this brigade on the approach to the principal city of Santiago de Cuba.
  
  The first of these were the Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24, 1898, where Bigelow and the 10th Cavalry saved a portion of the Rough Riders from annihilation when their lead companies were ambushed and pinned down. This was where Harper's Weekly war correspondent Frederic Remington experienced the true horror of combat and heard the whistle of bullets near his head. Remington later painted the "Scream of the Shrapnel" in 1899 that represented this event. 
   The second was the Battle of El Caney in the early morning hours of July 1 where stubborn Spanish forces held the Americans at bay for almost twelve hours. Then came infamous or famous Battle of San Juan Hill in the late afternoon.
  Bigelow was in a quandary. His troops and others were receiving fire from the San Juan Heights that was fortified by the Spanish defenders. Other units went into position on the left and the right. But still no orders to advance came. Bigelow's second in command, First Lieutenant Jules Garesche Ord, son of General Otho Cresap Ord, was sent to Brigadier General Hamilton S. Hawkins asking permission to attack. Hawkins refused to give permission but did not deny it either. En route back to the company, Ord passed by the different units including Roosevelt's Rough Riders and asked them to support the regulars when they went up the hill.
  Captain Bigelow led his soldiers up the steep slopes to the heights of San Juan Hill. Advancing through blistering fire, Bigelow was hit but continued to urge his men forward. Just past the midway point he was hit in quick succession by three Spanish bullets which caused him to fall. Several soldiers present reported that he encouraged them with, "Men, don't stop for me, just keep up the charge until you get to the top of the hill."  His men did so and were able to provide covering fire for those attacking adjacent to them.
  Bigelow's second in command, Jules Ord, reached the top and began directing supporting fire when he was hit in the throat and mortally wounded.  On that one day and one place, one half of the 10th's officers and one-fifth of its soldiers became casualties. First Lieutenant John J. Pershing, quartermaster of the 10th, took over command of D Troop. Pershing had helped lead the charge up Kettle Hill with the right flank of the 10th.
  Bigelow was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on San Juan Hill. In August 1899, he turned down a lieutenant colonelcy with a volunteer regiment to stay with the 10th. This act was perceived as a snub. It took many months for him to recover from his wounds and he found himself back in Cuba in 1899.  He spent the next three years investigating Spanish war claims there.
caption: "On the battleground of Las Guasimas" - American Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry going to the front" in Harper's Pictorial History of the War with Spain, Vol. II, 1899.
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