In the Trenches 165 



had been raised, organized, armed, equipped, drilled, 

 mounted, dismounted, kept for a fortnight on trans- 

 ports, and put through two victorious aggressive 

 fights in very difficult country, the loss in killed and 

 wounded amounting to a quarter of those engaged. 

 This is a record which it is not easy to match in the 

 history of volunteer organizations. The loss was 

 but small compared to that which befell hundreds 

 of regiments in some of the great battles of the later 

 years of the Civil War; but it may be doubted 

 whether there was any regiment which made such 

 a record during the first months of any of our wars. 

 After the battle of San Juan my men had really 

 become veterans; they and I understood each other 

 perfectly, and trusted each other implicitly; they 

 knew I would share every hardship and danger with 

 them, would do everything in my power to see that 

 they were fed, and so far as might be, sheltered and 

 spared; and in return I knew that they would en- 

 dure every kind of hardship and fatigue without a 

 murmur and face every danger with entire fearless- 

 ness. I felt utter confidence in them, and would 

 have been more than willing to put them to any 

 task which any crack regiment of the world, at home 

 or abroad, could perform. They were natural fight- 

 ers, men of great intelligence, great courage, great 

 hardihood, and physical prowess ; and I could draw 

 on these qualities and upon their spirit of ready, sol- 



