The Division Hospital was so harassed that it was necessary to order
four Troops of the 9th U.S. Cavalry there for guard. While en route to
the hospital on the morning of July 2 with wounded, I saw a squad of
the 2nd U.S. Cavalry after one of these annoying angels, not 20 feet
from the road. On arrival at the hospital I was told by a comrade that
several had been knocked from their stage of action. On July 1, our
Color-Sergeant was shot from a tree after our line had passed beneath
the tree where he was located. July 3, three more fell in response to
a volley through tree tops, and on July 14, while waiting the hand to
reach the hour for the bombardment of the city, one of the scoundrels
deliberately ascended a tree in plain view of, and within two hundred
yards of, our line. It was a good thing that the white flag for
surrender appeared before the hour to commence firing, otherwise Spain
would have had at least one less to haggle with on account of back
pay.
To locate a sharpshooter using smokeless powder among the dense
tropical growth may be compared with "looking for a needle in a
haystack."
The killed and wounded in battle present a scene well calculated to
move the most callous. Men shot and lacerated in every conceivable
manner; some are expressionless; some just as they appeared in life;
while others are pinched and drawn and otherwise distorted, portraying
agony in her most distressful state.
Pages:
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378