n.

Throughout the night, work on the intrenchments was pushed, details
buried the dead, improvised litters, and conveyed the wounded to
hospitals, all of which was prosecuted with that vim for which the
regular soldier is characterized, notwithstanding their water-logged
condition.

The regiment acted with extraordinary coolness and bravery. It held
its position at the ford and moved forward unflinchingly after
deployment, through the dense underbrush, crossed and recrossed by
barbed wire, under heavy and almost plunging fire from the Spanish
works, while attacking with small arms an enemy strongly posted in
intrenchments and blockhouses, supported by artillery, and who
stubbornly contested every inch of ground gained by the American
troops.

Officers were exceedingly active and tireless in their efforts to
inspire and encourage the men. You could hear them call out, "Move
right along; the Spaniards can't shoot; they are using blanks." One
officer deliberately stopped and lit his pipe amid a shower of
bullets, and then moved on as unconcerned as if on target practice.

The rifle pits occupied by the enemy were intrenchments in reality,
dug almost shoulder deep, and faced with stone, being constructed
without approaches, leaving the only avenue for escape over the
parapet, which was equivalent to committing suicide, in face of the
unerring marksmanship of the United States troops.

We were afterward told by a Spanish soldier how they were held in
these trenches by an officer stationed at each end with a club; also
how they depended on their officers for everything. This may account
for the large percentage of our officers picked off by the Dons. I
observed during the battle that when spotted by the enemy, delivering
orders or busying about such duties as usually indicated some one in
authority, the Spanish would fire whole volleys at an individual, this
evidently with a view to demoralizing the rank and file by knocking
off the officers.

The Spanish also tried an old Indian trick to draw our fire, or induce
the men to expose themselves, by raising their hats on sticks or
rifles, or placing them upon parapets, so when we went to fire they
would aim to catch us as we rose with a terrific volley. The Dons
were, however, soon convinced of their folly in this respect, as we
always had a volley for the hats and a much stouter one for the enemy
as he raised to reply to the volley at the hats. The Tenth Cavalry had
fo