r places at the firing line.

Daylight was breaking in the east when both sides
began where they had left off the night before and
the firing all day was incessant. A few moments
after the firing opened, some cannoneers permitted
a limber from one of the guns of the light battery
near us to get away and it went rolling down the
hillside to the rear for a quarter of a mile. Our
artillery was silenced by the enemy's small arms
and compelled to take up a new position; strong
shrapnel went screeching over head and bursting
beyond. The adjutant of my regiment was stricken
by a hidden sharpshooter. The heat soon became
intense and there was no shelter and cannon balls
plunged through the lines at the top of the hill
and went rolling to the bottom of the valley;
bullets spattered against the isolated trees or
grazed the newly made earthworks covering with
dirt the men in the trenches and fairly mowing the
grass for many yards in our front. Thus the day
went on and the night and the succeeding day
began. Then came the welcome truth; everybody drew
a long breath and thanked God; it was possible
once more to walk erect; however, the echoes of
the last three days were slow to die away and at
the breaking of a bough or the rusting of a leaf
there was a temptation to duck.

At noon on July 4th the regiments were formed into
line and I had the pleasure of reading to my
regiment a telegram from the President extending
the thanks and congratulations of the American
people to the army in front of Santiago for its
gallantry and success.

The brave Linares, however, had already realized
the hopelessness of his cause, but he would not
surrender without permission from his home
government. Therefore the city must be bombarded.
Pacificos and the non-combatants were ordered out
of the city and were permitted to come within our
lines. All day long on the dusty road leading from
Santiago to El Cancy passed the long white line;
faint, hungry women carried a bundle of clothing
and parcel of food or an infant while helpless