Officers and Soldiers of the Cavalry Division, Army
of Santiago.

The duties for which the troops comprising the Cavalry
Division were brought together have been accomplished.

On June 14th we sailed from Tampa, Fla., to encounter in the
sickly season the diseases of the tropical island of Cuba,
and to face and attack the historic legions of Spain in
positions chosen by them and which for years they had been
strengthening by every contrivance and art known to the
skillful military engineers of Europe.

On the 23d, one squadron each of the 1st and 10th Regular
Cavalry and two squadrons of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry, in
all 964 officers and men, landed on Cuban soil. These troops
marched on foot fourteen miles, and, early on the morning of
the 24th, attacked and defeated double their number of
regular Spanish soldiers under the command of
Lieutenant-General Linares. Eagerly and cheerfully you
pushed onward, and on July 1st forded San Juan River and
gallantly swept over San Juan Hill, driving the enemy from
its crest. Without a moment's halt you formed, aligning the
division upon the 1st Infantry Division under General Kent,
and, together with these troops, you bravely charged and
carried the formidable intrenchments of Fort San Juan. The
entire force which fought and won this great victory was
less than seven thousand men.

The astonished enemy, though still protected by the strong
works to which he had made his retreat, was so stunned by
your determined valor that his only thought was to devise
the quickest means of saving himself from further battle.
The great Spanish fleet hastily sought escape from the
harbor and was destroyed by our matchless navy.

After seizing the fortifications of San Juan Ridge, you, in
the darkness of night, strongly intrenched the position
your valor had won. Reinforced by Bates' Brigade on your
left and Lawton's Division on your right, you continued the
combat until the Spanish army of Santiago Province succumbed
to the superb prowess and courage of American arms. Peace
promptly followed, and you return to receive the plaudits of
seventy millions of people.

The valor displayed by you was not without sacrifice.
Eighteen per cent., or nearly one in five, of the Cavalry
Division fell