The Colored Regulars in the United States Army Part 14

"After completing the deployment," says Sumner, "the command was so much committed to battle that it became necessary either to advance or else retreat under fire." The troops were already in battle, but were not fighting, and could not do so in their present position, simply because they could not see the enemy. "Lieutenant Miley, representing General Shafter, authorized an advance, which was ordered, Carroll's brigade taking the advance, reinforced on the right by Roosevelt's regiment, and supported by the First and Tenth Cavalry." (Sumner.) Colonel Wood says: "After remaining in this position for about an hour (meaning the position held by his brigade previous to the coming of the order to advance) the order to advance was given, and the brigade advanced in good order as possible, but more or less broken up by the ma.s.ses of brush and heavy gra.s.s and cactus; pa.s.sing through the line of the First Brigade, mingling with them and charging the hill in conjunction with these troops, as well as some few infantry who had extended to the right." It must be remembered that the First Brigade consisted wholly of regulars, the Third, Sixth and Ninth Cavalry, while the Second Brigade had that remarkable regiment, the Rough Riders. This fact may account for their breaking through the lines of the First Brigade. Major Wessells, who commanded the Third Cavalry in that fight, and was himself wounded at the close of the first charge, says his regiment became entangled with other regiments, but, nevertheless, was to the crest as soon as any. Of the advance of the whole division, General Sumner says: "The advance was made under heavy infantry fire, through open flat ground, cut up by wire fences, to the creek, distant about 600 yards. The advance was made in good order, the enemy's fire being returned only under favorable opportunities. In crossing the flat one officer and several men were killed and several officers and men wounded. Both sides of the creek were heavily wooded for about 200 yards. The creek was swollen, and the crossing through this s.p.a.ce and the creek was made with great difficulty.

"After pa.s.sing through the thick woods the ground was entirely open and fenced by wire. From this line it was necessary to storm the hill, upon the top of which is a house, loop-holed for defense. The slope of the hill is very difficult, but the a.s.sault was made with great gallantry and with much loss to the enemy. In this a.s.sault Colonel Hamilton, Lieutenants Smith and Shipp were killed; Colonel Carroll, Lieutenants Thayer and Myer were wounded. A number of casualties occurred among the enlisted men." The heights were carried by the whole division.

Lieutenant-Colonel Baldwin's account of the part his regiment took in the a.s.sault upon San Juan is told about as follows: After the search for Lawton had been given up, the First and Tenth Cavalry were formed for attack on East Hill. "I was directed," he says, "to take a position to the right, behind the river bank, for protection. While moving to this position, and while there, the regiment suffered considerable loss. After an interval of twenty or thirty minutes I was directed to form line of battle in a partially open field facing toward the blockhouses and strong intrenchments to the north occupied by the enemy. Much difficulty was found on account of the dense undergrowth, crossed in several directions by wire fences. As a part of the cavalry division under General Sumner, the regiment was formed in two lines, the First Squadron under Major S.T. Norvell, consisting of Troops A, B, E and I, leading; the second line, under Major T.J.

Wint, consisting of Troops C, F and G. Troop D having crossed farther down the river, attached itself to a command of infantry and moved with that command on the second blockhouse. The regiment advanced in this formation in a heavy converging fire from the enemy's position, proceeding but a short distance when the two lines were united into one. The advance was rapidly continued in an irregular line toward the blockhouses and intrenchments to the right front. During this advance the line pa.s.sed some troops of the First Cavalry, which I think had previously been formed on our right. Several losses occurred before reaching the top of the hill, First Lieutenant William H. Smith being killed as he arrived on its crest. The enemy having retreated toward the northwest to the second and third blockhouses, new lines were formed and a rapid advance was made upon these new positions. The regiment a.s.sisted in capturing these works from the enemy, and with the exception of Troops C and I, which in the meantime had joined the First Volunteer Cavalry, then took up a position to the north of the second blockhouse, remaining there all night."

Major Norvell, who commanded the First Squadron of the Tenth Cavalry, which consisted of Troops A, B, E and I, gives the following account of the experiences of July 1st:

"The regiment took position in a wood, and here suffered considerable loss, due to the fact that the whole of the enemy's fire appeared to be directed to this point. In a short time we moved out of the wood by the right flank and then deployed to the left, being then directly in front of the enemy and one mile distant from his works, marked by three houses about half a mile from one another. The enemy was strongly entrenched in front of these houses. The line, consisting of the cavalry division, under direction of Brigadier-General Sumner, moved forward in double time, under a terrific fire of the enemy. We had a very heavy jungle to march through, beside the river (San Juan) to cross, and during our progress many men were killed and wounded.

The troops became separated from one another, though the general line was pretty well preserved. The works of the enemy were carried in succession by the troops; and the Spaniards were steadily driven back toward the town to their last ditches. We now found ourselves about half a mile from the city, but the troops being by this time nearly exhausted, here intrenched themselves for the night under a heavy fire. By dark this line was occupied by all the troops engaged during the day."

The official reports of the troop commanders of the Tenth Cavalry bring out a few more particulars which serve to give us a more vivid conception of this moving line. The entire cavalry division advanced together, and notwithstanding the roughness of the ground, Major Norvell a.s.sures us the line was pretty well preserved. Troops A, B, E and I were in the First Squadron, which was in the lead; Troops C, F and G were in the second line; Troop D made its advance with the infantry off to the left. We have now a fair knowledge of the general movement of the whole regiment. Let us follow the fortunes of some of the Troops, and by that means get nearer to the work done by the individual soldier.

Troop A was on the right of the leading squadron as the regiment took its place in line on the left of the First Cavalry and moved against the Spanish blockhouses in the face of a heavy fire, making a rush forward without intermission. A portion of the right platoon, under Lieutenant Livermore, became separated in one of the thickets, and under instructions received personally from the brigade commander, who seems to have been everywhere where he was needed, continued up the slope toward his right and toward the first blockhouse. The remainder of the troop, commanded by Captain Beck and Lieutenant McCoy, moved in the same direction at first, but observing that on account of the shorter distance to the slope from that end of the line, a large number of troops were arriving there, Captain Beck swung his troop to the left and reached the summit of the hill between the second and third blockhouses, and on arriving received a message by an aid of the brigade commander to hold the ridge. Just then Lieut. Livermore arrived, having come by way of Blockhouse No. 1. The troop now being together, held the crest for an hour. At times the fire of the enemy was so severe and Captain Beck's force so small that there was great danger that he would be compelled to abandon the position, but fortunately at the most critical juncture Lieutenant Lyon of the Twenty-fourth Infantry came up with a few reinforcements, and Lieutenant Hughes of the Tenth Cavalry with a Hotchkiss gun.

Lieutenant Lyon formed his troops to the left of the gun, Troop A of the Tenth Cavalry being on the right. With this force the position was held until other troops arrived. Soon after, the squadron was reformed and the men entrenched themselves under fire. Troop B was next to Troop A and advanced as skirmishers by rushes and double time, but soon found its front blocked by other troops. Troop I advanced in two sections, the left being commanded by Lieutenant Miller, joined in the attack on the right of the enemy's position; the right commanded by Lieutenant Fleming, advanced on trenches between two blockhouses, and in so doing caught up with the rest of the troop. The first half of the troop, after attacking the blockhouse on right of the enemy's position then crossed the valley and attacked the blockhouse on the left of enemy's position, and then moved forward with the First Regular Cavalry and First Volunteer Cavalry, until the troop a.s.sembled as a whole. When it reached the place of intrenchment there were altogether about one hundred men at that point of the ridge, consisting of men from the Tenth Cavalry and of the Rough Riders. It is claimed by Lieutenant Anderson, who commanded Troop C, and who made his way to the front on the right of the line, that after coming up on the second hill and joining his troop to the left of Troop I, Colonel Roosevelt and part of his regiment joined on the right of the Tenth, and that he reported to him, placing C Troop in his command. Before this time Lieutenant Anderson had reported to Captain Jones, of Troop F, while they were on Kettle Hill, and the Two troops, F and C, had been formed in skirmish line and moved against the second blockhouse.

In this movement Troop C got separated from Captain Jones, and Anderson, with 18 men of his own troop and several from other organizations, moved forward until he connected with Troop I, as previously narrated. These troops, C and I, were reported by their Colonel as having joined the First Volunteer Cavalry. All of the troop commanders who were immediately with the men bear hearty testimony to their good conduct. Captain Jones, commanding Troop F, says: "I could only do justice to the troop by mentioning by name all who were engaged, not only for their bravery, but for their splendid discipline under the most demoralizing fire." Lieutenant Fleming, commanding Troop I, says: "The entire troop behaved with great gallantry. Private Elsie Jones particularly distinguished himself." Captain Beck, commanding Troop A, says: "The behaviour of the enlisted men was magnificent, paying studious attention to orders while on the firing line, and generally exhibiting an intrepidity which marks the first-cla.s.s soldier." Lieutenant Hughes, who commanded the Hotchkiss gun detachment, mentions four men for conspicuous bravery and commends his entire detachment for "spirit, enterprise and good behavior."

The official story is that the entire cavalry division advanced under orders from General Sumner and that the heft of its first blow fell upon Kettle Hill, which was soon captured, and on the crest of this hill the troops which had ascended it made a temporary halt, reformed their lines somewhat and immediately advanced upon the second hill to the help of that part of the cavalry division which had swung to the left in the advance, and also to the help of the infantry who were coming against Fort San Juan at the same time. Meanwhile there was left upon Kettle Hill a sufficient garrison or force to prevent its being recaptured by the enemy. In the a.s.sault on Kettle Hill the brigade commander, Colonel Carroll, had been wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton of the Ninth Cavalry killed. Many troop officers also had been either killed or wounded and also in the rush forward through the jungle and high gra.s.s some troops had been separated from their officers, and yet it is remarkable that all were ready to move forward to the next a.s.sault.

The words of praise to the whole cavalry division contained in the following order, published at Camp Wikoff immediately after the arrival there of the troops, are claimed by both black and white cavalrymen alike:

Headquarters, Cavalry Division, Camp Wikoff, L.I., September 7th, 1898.

To the Officers and Soldiers of the Cavalry Division, Army of Santiago.

The duties for which the troops comprising the Cavalry Division were brought together have been accomplished.

On June 14th we sailed from Tampa, Fla., to encounter in the sickly season the diseases of the tropical island of Cuba, and to face and attack the historic legions of Spain in positions chosen by them and which for years they had been strengthening by every contrivance and art known to the skillful military engineers of Europe.

On the 23d, one squadron each of the 1st and 10th Regular Cavalry and two squadrons of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry, in all 964 officers and men, landed on Cuban soil. These troops marched on foot fourteen miles, and, early on the morning of the 24th, attacked and defeated double their number of regular Spanish soldiers under the command of Lieutenant-General Linares. Eagerly and cheerfully you pushed onward, and on July 1st forded San Juan River and gallantly swept over San Juan Hill, driving the enemy from its crest. Without a moment's halt you formed, aligning the division upon the 1st Infantry Division under General Kent, and, together with these troops, you bravely charged and carried the formidable intrenchments of Fort San Juan. The entire force which fought and won this great victory was less than seven thousand men.

The astonished enemy, though still protected by the strong works to which he had made his retreat, was so stunned by your determined valor that his only thought was to devise the quickest means of saving himself from further battle.

The great Spanish fleet hastily sought escape from the harbor and was destroyed by our matchless navy.

After seizing the fortifications of San Juan Ridge, you, in the darkness of night, strongly intrenched the position your valor had won. Reinforced by Bates' Brigade on your left and Lawton's Division on your right, you continued the combat until the Spanish army of Santiago Province succ.u.mbed to the superb prowess and courage of American arms. Peace promptly followed, and you return to receive the plaudits of seventy millions of people.

The valor displayed by you was not without sacrifice.

Eighteen per cent., or nearly one in five, of the Cavalry Division fell on the field either killed or wounded. We mourn the loss of these heroic dead, and a grateful country will always revere their memory.

Whatever may be my fate, wherever my steps may lead, my heart will always burn with increasing admiration for your courage in action, your fort.i.tude under privation and your constant devotion to duty in its highest sense, whether in battle, in bivouac or upon the march.

JOSEPH WHEELER, Major-General U.S.V., Commanding.

Aside from that part of the Tenth Cavalry who fought under General Wheeler and who are consequently included among those congratulated by the General Order just quoted, Troop M of that regiment, under command of Lieutenant C.P. Johnson, performed an important part in the war.

The troop consisted of 50 men and left Port Tampa June 21 on board the steamship Florida, the steamship Fanita also making a part of the expedition. The troop was mounted and was accompanied by a pack train of 65 animals. Both ships were heavily loaded with clothing, ammunition and provision, and had on board besides Lieutenant Johnson's command, General Nunez and staff and 375 armed Cubans. The expedition sailed around the west end of the island and attempted a landing at a point chosen by General Nunez on June 29, but failed owing to the fact that the place chosen was well guarded by Spaniards, who fired upon the landing party. The expedition had with it a small gunboat, the Peoria, commanded by Captain Ryan, and on the afternoon of June 30th an attack was made upon a blockhouse on the sh.o.r.e by the gunboat, and a small force of Cuban and American volunteers landed, but were repulsed with the loss of one killed, General Nunez's brother, and seven wounded. Two days later Lieutenant Johnson was able to land and immediately made connection with General Gomez, unloading his stores for the Cuban Army.

Lieutenant G.P. Ahearn, of the Twenty-fifth Infantry, who went on this expedition as a volunteer, rendered important service on the night after the attack on the blockhouse at Tayabacoa. As the attacking party met with repulse and escaped to the ship in the darkness, several of their wounded were left on sh.o.r.e. Several boats sent out to recover them had returned without the men, their crews fearing to go on sh.o.r.e after them. Lieutenant Ahearn volunteered to attempt the rescue of the men, and taking a water-logged boat, approached the sh.o.r.e noiselessly and succeeded in his undertaking. The crew accompanying Lieutenant Ahearn was made up of men from Troop M, Tenth Cavalry, and behaved so well that the four were given Medals of Honor for their marked gallantry. The action of Lieutenant Ahearn in this case was in keeping with his whole military career. He has ever manifested a fondness for exceptional service, and has never failed when opportunity occurred to display a n.o.ble gallantry on the side of humanity. Nothing appeals to him so commandingly as an individual needing rescue, and in such a cause he immediately rises to the hero's plane. The n.o.ble colored soldiers who won medals on that occasion were all privates and became heroes for humanity's sake. Their names deserve a place in this history outside the mere official table. They were Dennis Bell, George H. Wanton, Fitz Lee and William H. Tompkins, and were the only colored soldiers who, at the time of this writing, have won Medals of Honor in the Spanish War. Others, however, may yet be given, as doubtless others are deserved. The heroic service performed by whole regiments, as in the case of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, should ent.i.tle every man in it to a medal of some form as a souvenir for his posterity.

Losses of the Ninth Cavalry in the battles of San Juan:

OFFICERS--Killed, Lieutenant-Colonel John M. Hamilton.

MEN--Killed, Trumpeter Lewis Fort, Private James Johnson.

OFFICERS--Wounded, Adjutant Winthrop S. Wood, Captain Charles W. Taylor.

MEN--Wounded. First Sergeant Charles W. Jefferson, Sergeant Adam Moore, Sergeant Henry F. Wall, Sergeant Thomas B. Craig, Corporal James W. Ervine, Corporal Horace T. Henry, Corporal John Mason, Burwell Bullock, Elijah Crippen, Edward Davis, Hoyle Ervin, James Gandy, Edward D. Nelson, Noah Prince, Thomas Sinclair, James R. Spear, Jr., Jacob Tull, William H. Turner, George Warren, Alfred Wilson.

Losses of the Tenth Cavalry during the battle of San Juan:

OFFICERS--Killed, First Lieutenant W.E. Shipp, First Lieutenant W.H. Smith.

MEN--Killed, John H. Smoot, Corporal W.F. Johnson, John H.

Dodson, George Stroal, William H. Slaughter.

OFFICERS--Wounded, Major T.J. Wint Captain John Bigelow, Jr., Adjutant and First Lieutenant M.H. Barnum, First Lieutenant R.L.

Livermore, First Lieutenant E.D. Anderson, Second Lieutenant F.R.

McCoy, Second Lieutenant H.C. Whitehead, Second Lieutenant T.A.

Roberts, Second Lieutenant H.O. Willard.

MEN--Wounded, First Sergeant A. Houston, First Sergeant Robert Milbrown, Q.M. Sergeant William Payne, Sergeant Smith Johnson, Sergeant Ed. Lane, Sergeant Walker Johnson, Sergeant George Dyers, Sergeant Willis Hatcher, Sergeant John L. Taylor, Sergeant Amos Elliston, Sergeant Frank Rankin, Sergeant E.S. Washington, Sergeant U.G. Gunter, Corporal J.G. Mitch.e.l.l, Corporal Allen Jones, Corporal Marcellus Wright, Privates Lewis L. Anderson, John Arnold, Charles Arthur, John Brown, Frank D. Bennett, Wade Bledsoe, Hillary Brown, Thornton Burkley, John Brooks, W.H. Brown, Wm. A. Cooper, John Chinn, J.H. Campbell, Henry Fearn, Benjamin Franklin, Gilmore Givens, B.F.

Gaskins, William Gregory, Luther D. Gould, Wiley, Hipsher, Thomas Hardy, Charles Hopkins, Richard James, Wesley Jones, Robert E. Lee, Sprague Lewis, Henry McCormack, Samuel T. Minor, Lewis Marshall, William Matthews, Houston Riddill, Charles Robinson, Frank Ridgeley, Fred. Shackley, Harry D. Sturgis, Peter Saunderson, John T. Taylor, William Tyler, Isom Taylor, John Watson, Benjamin West, Joseph Williams, Allen E. White, Nathan Wyatt.

Note.--"While we talked, and the soldiers filled their canteens and drank deep and long, like camels who, after days of travel through the land of 'thirst and emptiness,'

have reached the green oasis and the desert spring, a black corporal of the 24th Infantry walked wearily up to the 'water hole.' He was muddy and bedraggled. He carried no cup or canteen, and stretched himself out over the stepping-stones in the stream, sipping up the water and the mud together out of the shallow pool. A white cavalryman ran toward him shouting, 'Hold on, bunkie; here's my cup!' The negro looked dazed a moment, and not a few of the spectators showed amazement, for such a thing had rarely if ever happened in the army before. 'Thank you,' said the black corporal. 'Well, we are all fighting under the same flag now.' And so he drank out of the white man's cup. I was glad to see that I was not the only man who had come to recognize the justice of certain Const.i.tutional amendments, in the light of the gallant behaviour of the colored troops throughout the battle, and, indeed, the campaign. The fortune of war had, of course, something to do with it in presenting to the colored troops the opportunities for distinguished service, of which they invariably availed themselves to the fullest extent; but the confidence of the general officers in their superb gallantry, which the event proved to be not misplaced, added still more, and it is a fact that the services of no four white regiments can be compared with those rendered by the four colored regiments--the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry. They were to the front at La Guasima, at Caney, and at San Juan, and what was the severest test of all, that came later, in the yellow-fever hospitals."--Bonsal.

FOOTNOTES:

[19] Official Report of General Sumner.

CHAPTER VIII.

SAN JUAN (Continued).

Kent's Division: The Twenty-fourth Infantry; Forming Under Fire--A Gallant Charge.

Turning now to the centre and left of the American line we follow the advance of that division of infantry commanded by General Kent, and which met the brunt of Spanish resistance at San Juan. This division, known as the First Division, Fifth Army Corps, consisted of three brigades, composed as follows:

First Brigade, Brigadier-General Hawkins commanding, made up of the Sixth Infantry, the Sixteenth Infantry, and the Seventy-first New York Volunteers.

The Second Brigade, Colonel Pearson commanding, made up of the Second Infantry, the Tenth Infantry and the Twenty-first Infantry.