continued dauntless in its steady, dogged,
persistent advance until like a mighty resistless
challenge it dashed triumphant over the crest of
the hill and firing a parting volley at the
vanishing foe planted the silken standard on the
enemy's breastworks and the Stars and Stripes over
the block house on San Juan Hill to stay.

This was a time for rejoicing. It was glorious.

* * * * *

But among the scenes of rejoicing there was others
of sadness. Both American and Spanish troops lay
dead and wounded around us; all were cared for
alike. I saw a colored trooper stop at a trench
filled with Spanish dead and wounded and gently
raise the head of a wounded Spanish lieutenant and
give him the last drop of water from his own
canteen. Their dead, of whom there were many, had
fought bravely and we buried them in the trenches
where they gallantly fell.

The losses of the day were heavy--the Tenth
Cavalry losing one-half of its officers and twenty
per cent of its men. We officers of the Tenth
Cavalry have taken our black heroes in our arms.
They had again fought their way into our
affections, as they here had fought their way into
the hearts of the American people. Though we had
won, it had cost us dearly.

An attempt was made that evening to recapture the
hill, but our defense was so strong that the
attempt was futile; the Spaniards retreating to
their first interior line of intrenchments 300 to
500 yards away.

The firing on both sides was kept up until dark
and ceased only at intervals during the night.
Over El Caney the battle had raged all day, but
steadily as the Spaniards had held their positions
the fierce charges of the gallant Seventh, Twelfth
and Twenty-fifth regiments of infantry were
resistless. Soon after San Juan was ours, El Caney
fell.

By morning the position was strengthened so that
our line was fairly well protected, reveille was
sounded by Spanish small arms and artillery in
chorus, but the signal had been anticipated and
all men were in thei