The Cavalry at Santiago 117 



mainder scattered like guinea-hens. Wood's led 

 horse was also shot through the lungs. ' I at once 

 hustled my regiment over the crest of the hill 

 into the thick underbrush, where I had no little 

 difficulty in getting them together again into 

 column. 



Meanwhile the firing continued for fifteen or 

 twenty minutes, until it gradually died away. As 

 the Spaniards used smokeless powder, their artil- 

 lery had an enormous advantage over ours, and, 

 moreover, we did not have the best type of modern 

 guns, our fire being slow. 



As soon as the firing ceased, Wood formed his 

 brigade, with my regiment in front, and gave me 

 orders to follow behind the First Brigade, which 

 was just moving off the ground. In column of 

 fours we marched down the trail toward the ford 

 of the San Juan River. We passed two or three 

 regiments of infantry, and were several times halted 

 before we came to the ford. The First Brigade, 

 which was under Colonel Carroll Lieutenant- 

 Colpnel Hamilton commanding the Ninth Regi- 

 ment, Major Wessels the Third, and Captain Kerr 

 the Sixth had already crossed and was marching 

 to the right, parallel to, but a little distance from, 

 the river. The Spaniards in the trenches and block- 

 houses on the top of the hills in front were already 

 firing at the brigade in desultory fashion. The 



