The Cavalry at Santiago 129 



troops mingling with mine, all being delighted at 

 the chance. When I got to where the head of the 

 left wing of the Ninth was lying, through the court- 

 esy of Lieutenant Hartwick, two of whose colored 

 troopers threw down the fence, I was enabled to get 

 back into the lane, at the same time waving my hat, 

 and giving the order to charge the hill on our right 

 front. Out of my sight, over on the right, Cap- 

 tains McBlain and Taylor, of the Ninth, made up 

 their minds independently to charge at just about 

 this time; and at almost the same moment Colonels 

 Carroll and Hamilton, who were off, I believe, to 

 my left, where we could see neither them nor their 

 men, gave the order to advance. But of all this I 

 knew nothing at the time. The whole line, tired of 

 waiting, and eager to close with the enemy, was 

 straining to go forward ; and it seems that different 

 parts slipped the leash at almost the same moment. 

 The First Cavalry came up the hill just behind, and 

 partly mixed with my regiment and the Ninth. As 

 already said, portions of the Third, Sixth, and Tenth 

 followed, while the rest of the members of these 

 three regiments kept more in touch with the infantry 

 on our left. 



By this time we were all in the spirit of the thing 

 and greatly excited by the charge, the men cheer- 

 ing and running forward between shots, while the 

 delighted faces of the foremost officers, like Captain 



