70 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



of the hills. Now these trenches, I will say to those who have never seen 

 one, are simply a ditch about two feet deep, dug by our own men, with the 

 soil thrown out in front. Our men stood in the ditch and were practically 

 protected nearly all the time. Of course there were places where the works 

 were low and open places where there were none. 



About 8 o'clock we arrived opposite Gen. Lawton's headquarters, com- 

 manding the first division. I left the regiment at rest on the road at' the 

 frrnt of the hill and climbed up and found Gen. Lawton just under the 

 crest of the hill. I reported to him for duty, and he said he would send 

 a staff officer with me to show me my place in the line. "You are to 

 relieve^ the Seventh, Seventeenth and Twelfth regulars." 



As I turned away I heard a little clicking under a palm tree and this 

 is what I heard: "Hello! Is this Gen. Shatter? The First Illinois just 

 reported here on line eight." So there was the telephone doing duty within 

 300 feet of the firing line. War was being made on modern scientific bases. 

 Gen. Lawton sent Major Valentine Webb to show us our position on the 

 firing line. We moved to the EI Caney read. I was to join the Rough 

 Riders on the right. An officer came up and asked if I was Col. Turner. 

 I told him I was and he informed me he was of the Seventh regulars, so he 

 led me up the hill to the line of trenches. I was anxious to find out where 

 the Spanish breastworks were. At the first opening on a little elevation, 

 with my glasses I scanned the front and Spanish works, and here I had my 

 first experience with smokeless powder, the most uncanny thing in Christen- 

 dom. The first thing I knew I saw the dirt flying all around me and I 

 heard the whiz which I knew were bullets, but could see nothing. My 

 friend said to me: "Come down from there, the sharpshooters are very 

 persistent. If you don't get down in a minute you won't come down at 

 all." I replied: "What the regular army can stand I guess I can stand 

 too." And got down very quickly. 



We finally got the regiment ineo the firing line. And I want to say to 

 you that while they talk a great deal about the charge on San Juan hill; 

 about Col. Roosevelt; about the splendid heroes of his regiment. I ask 

 you to remember that my regiment was sent up there with an old-fash- 

 ioned rifle — old Sprinfield rifles — which were inferior to the SpanisJx 



