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.
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