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T. G. Steward - The Colored Regulars in the United States Army

T >> T. G. Steward >> The Colored Regulars in the United States Army




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 assures 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 assembled
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-class 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 assault 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 grass some troops had been
separated from their officers, and yet it is remarkable that all were
ready to move forward to the next assault.

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 succumbed
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 fortitude 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 shore 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 shore. Several boats sent out to
recover them had returned without the men, their crews fearing to go
on shore after them. Lieutenant Ahearn volunteered to attempt the
rescue of the men, and taking a water-logged boat, approached the
shore 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 noble 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 noble 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 entitle 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. Mitchell, 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 Constitutional 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.

The Third Brigade, commanded by Colonel Wikoff, in which were the
Ninth Infantry, the Thirteenth Infantry and the Twenty-fourth
Infantry; in all 262 officers and 5,095 men. Thus, in the whole
division there were eight regiments of regular infantry and one
volunteer regiment, the Seventy-first New York.

Although our present purpose is to bring into view the special work of
the Twenty-fourth Infantry, it will be necessary to embrace in our
scope the work of the entire division, in order to lay before the
reader the field upon which that particular regiment won such lasting
credit. General Kent, who commanded the division, a most accomplished
soldier, gives a lucid account of the whole assault as seen from his
position, and of the work performed by his division, in his report,
dated July 8, 1898.

When General Kent's division arrived in the neighborhood of the San
Juan ford and found itself under fire and the trail so blocked by
troops of the cavalry division, which had not yet deployed to the
right, that direct progress toward the front was next to impossible,
the welcome information was given by the balloon managers that a trail
branched off to the left from the main trail, only a short distance
back from the ford. This trail led to a ford some distance lower down
the stream and nearly facing the works on the enemy's right. General
Kent on learning of this outlet immediately hastened back to the forks
and meeting the Seventy-first New York Regiment, the rear regiment of
the First Brigade, he directed that regiment into this trail toward
the ford. The regiment was to lead the way through this new trail and
would consequently arrive at the front first on the left; but meeting
the fire of the enemy, the First Battalion of the regiment apparently
became panic stricken and recoiled upon the rest of the regiment; the
regiment then lay down on the sides of the trail and in the bushes,
thoroughly demoralized.

Wikoff's brigade was now coming up and it was directed upon the same
trail. This brigade consisted of the Ninth, Thirteenth and
Twenty-fourth. Colonel Wikoff was directed by General Kent to move his
brigade across the creek by the trail (the left fork) and when
reaching the opposite side, of the creek to put the brigade in line on
the left of the trail and begin the attack at once. In executing this
order the entire brigade stumbled through and over hundreds of men of
the Seventy-first New York Regiment. When a volunteer regiment broke
through the lines of the Ninth Cavalry from the rear, that regiment
was in its place on the field in line of battle, with its morale
perfect. It was under discipline and delivering its fire with
regularity. It had an absolute right to its place. The Seventy-first
was in no such attitude, and General Kent directed the advance through
it in these words: "Tell the brigade to pay no attention to this sort
of thing; it is highly irregular." The Ninth Cavalry's position was
exactly _regular_; the position of the Seventh-first was to the eyes
of General Kent "highly irregular."

The three regiments of this brigade were to take their positions on
the left of the ford after crossing the stream, in the following
order: On the extreme left the Twenty-fourth, next to it in the centre
of the brigade, the Ninth, and on the right of the brigade the
Thirteenth. In approaching the ford the Ninth and Twenty-fourth became
mixed and crossed in the following order: First one battalion of the
Ninth; then a battalion of the Twenty-fourth; then the second
battalion of the Ninth, followed by the second battalion of the
Twenty-fourth. The line was formed under fire, and while
superintending its formation the brigade commander, Colonel Wikoff,
came under observation and was killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Worth, who
succeeded him, was seriously wounded within five minutes after having
taking command, and Lieutenant-Colonel Liscum, who next assumed charge
of the brigade, had hardly learned that he was in command before he,
too, was disabled by a Spanish shot By this time, however, the
formation was about complete and the brigade ready to begin the
advance.

Leaving Wikoff's brigade in line ready to begin the advance we must
now return in our narrative to the main ford, where the major portions
of Hawkins' and Pearson's brigades are massed and follow the various
regiments as they come to their places in the battle line preparing
for the onslaught. After crossing the ford with the Sixth Infantry,
pursuant to the orders given by Lieutenant Miley in the name of
General Shafter, General Hawkins attempted to flank the enemy by a
movement to the left, the Sixth Infantry leading and the Sixteenth
intending to pass beyond it in its rear and join to its left. The
Sixth in passing to its intended position passed to the left of the
Sixth Cavalry, which held the left of the line of the cavalry
division, which had crossed the ford and deployed to the right,
reaching beyond the Spanish lines in that direction, or at least it
was able to reach the extreme right of the enemy. The Sixth Infantry
continued this line southward and it was to be farther extended by the
Sixteenth. Before this disposition could be effected the fire of the
enemy became so severe that an advance movement was started and the
Sixth lined up facing the fort on the hill, with only one company and
a half of the Sixteenth on its left.

While Hawkins' and Wikoff's brigades were preparing for the advance
upon the enemy's works, Pearson's brigade was approaching the ford,
hurrying to the support. The Twenty-first Regiment of this brigade was
detached from the brigade and sent directly forward on the main trail
with orders to re-enforce the firing line. This regiment crossed the
San Juan River to the left of the main ford and rushed forward to
support Hawkins' left. In the meantime the two other regiments of the
brigade, the Second and Tenth, which had preceded the Twenty-first in
their march from El Poso, had been deflected to the left by order of
the division commander and were passing to the front over the trail
previously taken by Wikoff's brigade, crossing the San Juan at the
lower ford. The Tenth crossed in advance and formed in close order on
the opposite side of the stream, its line facing northwest. It was
soon after, however, put in battle formation and moved to the right
until it connected with the Twenty-first. The Second Regiment crossed
the ford in the rear of the Tenth, having been delayed considerably by
the Seventh-first New York Volunteers, who still blocked the way
between the forks and the lower ford. After crossing the ford the
Second put itself in line on the left of the Tenth, the whole brigade
being now in position to support the First and Third Brigades in their
charge.

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