USA > Ohio > The Fourteenth Ohio national guard- the Fourth Ohio volunteer infantry > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19
At a later hour of the same evening, a man fired a shot at Captain French. The shot was fired through a hedge and the captain was struck on the hand and forehead with the burnt powder from the explosion. Fortunately the ball missed its mark, and aside from the burns Captain French escaped unin- jured. The would-be assassin made good his escape and in spite of a determined effort to locate him, no clue was discovered to lead to his detection and arrest. He was thought to have been the hireling of a dis- appointed candidate for the office of mayor of Carolina.
There was no further trouble in the district, the natives having been given to understand that the sol-
276
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
diers were there for a purpose and that that purpose was not to aid in any lawlessness, even though it were an attempt to disturb Spanish citizens.
The health of the company remained very good while at Carolina and the other stations, and the boys thoroughly enjoyed their duty there. The company remained in the district until Friday, October 28th, when a company of the Forty-seventh New York re- lieved them. They immediately went to San Juan, where they rejoined the regiment and sailed for home on the following day.
DELIGHTFUL TRIP OF COMPANY K.
When the regiment left Cayey on the morning of October 8th, Companies F and K were left behind. K Company had been assigned to Aibonito and cer- tainly that command received the "best end" in this detachment, for it was assigned to the most pictur- esque and beautiful part of the island. The story of the service at Aibonito and surrounding country is told by Corporal Patrick, a member of the company at that time, but now a promising attorney of Dela- ware, as follows:
"On the morning of October 8th we started from Cayey toward the east, while the other companies kept on north toward Caguas. The boys were still stiff and sore from their little constitutional from Guayama on the night of October 6th, but they had heard wonderful stories of the cool and healthy situation of Aibonito. It was even hinted that eggs could be bought there for three centavos a piece, and
277
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
milk for six centavos per quart, but the man who started this rumor was popularly supposed to be juggling with the truth, although he protested vali- antly that 'he had got it straight from a Wisconsin man who had been there.' All these things helped to cheer up the boys and as we swung out of town on that beautiful morning all previous cares and hard- ships were forgotten in the enjoyment of the present.
"The first three or four miles were level, and the time was passed with songs and stories. Then we struck the hills and settled down to hard work. Our first halt was made where a little stream tumbles down the side of the hill, and into the brick gutter, which ran along this magnificent military road.
"From this point there was considerable strag- gling, as the men would give up to weariness or yield to the seductive charms of a chicken, or the prospect of a few eggs or a hat full of oranges.
"We soon began to realize the beauty of the country as we looked down into the valleys beneath with their herds of cattle and ponies, and the green hills in the distance covered with tropical vegetation. There was nothing rough or harsh in the scenery; all was peaceful and quiet in its Arcadian simplicity.
"For miles one could see over the tops of hills and in the hazy distance could catch a faint glimpse of the Atlantic ocean. Some devout native had planted on the opposite hillside some sort of domestic plant in the form of a huge cross.
· "From here it was but a short distance to the top of the ridge, and from there the road was compara-
278
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
tively level. Here we saw many fine specimens of ferns and of coffee and banana trees. At last the head of the column reached the outskirts of the town, where they halted and waited for the stragglers, each new arrival being greeted with howls, jeers and all kinds of chaff reflecting on his walking abilities.
"The barracks at Aibonito was a long stone building, built on a slight elevation north of the the town and on the military road. It was designed to accommodate a full battalion. Just west of it was the hospital, also of stone, and a model of its kind. The first night was spent in getting acquainted with the Third Wisconsin boys stationed there, whom we were to relieve. They were a jolly lot, recruited from Madison and the surrounding towns. They did their best to entertain us with various little social games, and they succeeded splendidly, as several of the boys have reason to remember.
"The first duty to perform was the raising of the flag. The two companies marched down to the plaza the next morning, and lined up in front of the jail. The buglers played 'to the colors,' the companies pre- sented arms and the flag did not go up. It started gracefully enough, but the ring at the top of the flag pole pulled out, and the flag fell to the ground. This frightened the natives, who were enthusiastic over the flag raising, and thought dire punishment would be meted out to them for this hitch in the cere- monies. The alcalde, who weighed 250 pounds, im- mediately started to climb the flag pole, and was only prevented from swinging out from the balcony
279
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
by two other natives hanging onto his legs. In the meantime one little bare-footed fellow had skipped . out on the roof of the jail, but about all he seemed to do was swing his arms and yell. A half dozen others reverently gathered up the flag and it was finally tied to the flag pole at half-mast. In the meantime the buglers had sounded 'to the colors' until they were black in the face, and the men stood at present arms in the boiling sun until the muzzles of their pieces wobbled in an alarming manner. But this ended the ceremony. The officers went to a ban- quet given by the alcalde and other solid citizens of the town, and the men went back to quarters in charge of the first sergeants.
"Life at Aibonito was one of unalloyed bliss as compared with our previous experiences on the island. The town was beautifully situated high up in the hills, and the climate was delightful. Our only duty was guard every four or five days, the rest of the time was spent in wandering over the hills, hunting out the Spanish fortifications and looking for relics of the Coamo skirmish. Just south of the town was the famous Aibonito pass, where the Spanish had made preparations for a desperate stand, which would un- doubtedly have been successful against any force that could have been brought up in front, for their ar- tillery commanded the road for miles down the mountain.
"A few days after our arrival a detail consisting of Lieutenant O. O. Koeppel, Sergeant H. A. Costler, Corporal O. W. Patrick and Privates S. W. Brown-
280
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
ing, C. H. Brunn, H. M. Butt, C. L. Jones, M. C. Mahanay, Robert Reed, W. R. Rider and Edward Rodenfels, were detached and ordered to Barros, a town still higher up in the mountains and off the military road. We left Aibonito accompanied by a wagon in which was stored our provisions and most of our equipment. With this outfit we were ordered to go over a trail which we afterward discovered could hardly be followed by a mountain pony. When we found the trail it was plainly impossible to take our wagon over it. A native storekeeper went so far as to say that the trail was impassable on foot, owing to recent rains. To add to our troubles it began to rain, nor was it a gentle spring shower, but a genuine tropical down-pour. A council of war was held in the little store and it was decided that we must have ponies and burros with which to transport our baggage. Accordingly we started out in the rain to find them. The party became split up and came trailing in several hours later with a total of three little shaggy ponies, hired, begged and stolen, with which to convey 1000 pounds of baggage.
"A plantation owner just across the road from the store had placed at our disposal a large coffee house then empty. This was a large, airy building, with a hard dirt floor swept scrupulously clean. Here we bivouacked for the night. Each man put on dry clothing and the hardships of the day were soon forgotten in the enjoyment of a hearty meal prepared at the plantation kitchen and washed down with several bottles of rare old wine. The air was de-
- -
SPANISH BARRACKS AT AIBONITO.
REPRODUCED FROM A WATER COLOR.
281
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
lightfully cool and refreshing from the recent rain,. and many a jolly song was sung and story told, till the last candle flickered and went out, leaving us sur- rounded by the gloom of the great building.
"The next morning we started on mules and ponies to Barronchitis. We had gone scarcely two miles when we came to a mountain stream which swallowed up the trail completely, and a little native boy showed us that all that was necessary to ford it was to ride up the bed of the stream about half a mile. Here the trail was discovered. A few miles further on we were royally entertained at a way-side plantation by a lady and her two daughters. We were furnished, without the asking, with a cup of delicious coffee and several kinds of tropical fruits. We were the first Americans they had ever seen.
"The trail at best was bad, but was rendered doubly so by recent rains, which rendered the red clay slippery and dangerous even for the sure-footed mountain ponies. At one time we would be looking down from a dizzy height at a narrow ribbon of water in the valley below, then would come an al- most perpendicular plunge down the mountain, over slippery rocks and more slippery mud, but we soon learned to put implicit confidence in our ponies, and it was never once betrayed. Their sure-footedness and sagacity was simply marvelous. At the bottom of the mountain there would be a rocky mountain stream swollen to twice its normal volume by the recent rains. Beyond the trail would perhaps lead through a half mile of boggy valley, then up the side
282
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
of the next mountain. This method of travel, to one accustomed to no more exciting mode of locomo- tion than a trolly or perhaps a cable car, was a novelty to say the least. But the hardships were easily for- gotten in admiration of the beautiful scenery which was almost constantly spread out before us in all its luxuriance of tropical coloring. The trip would have been a feast to the eye of an artist, and even to tired soldiers it was ample compensation for pre- vious toils and hardships.
"At Barronchitis we were lodged with an ex- Spanish soldier, who helped us pass the evening by relating his experiences in the Spanish army. He also introduced to us the principal of the village school, who tried his best to prove to us, from a map which he had, that Spain was a larger country than the United States. Spain was made on a large scale and the United States on a small one, so Spain ap- peared to be the larger, therefore Spain was the larger. 'Quod erat demonstrandum.' We were ready bright and early the next morning to continue the journey, all having been provided with ponies or burros by the obliging alcalde. Nothing startling oc- curred on the trip to Barros, where we arrived in the evening and were given an enthusiastic welcome by the men of the Third Wisconsin, whom we were to relieve.
"We found Barros to be a pretty little place, nestling in a valley and surrounded on all sides by mountains. A clear, cool stream flowed almost through the town, affording excellent facilities for an.
288
THE FOURTH O. V. I. 6
early morning bath. Our short stay here was our best experience on the island. The inhabitants, from the alcalde down, did their best to entertain the Americans, and many were the warm friendships formed in that short stay, and I fear the eyes of sev- eral fair 'senoritas' were dim when we marched away. We had special reason to remember Don Pedro Arroyo and his charming wife, at whose house we spent many a pleasant evening.
"Truly our lot was cast in pleasant places, but it was decreed that it should be but for a short time. One day, after we had been there about one week, a detachment of the First Kentucky Mounted In- fantry rode into town to relieve us. The Kentuck- ians were whole-souled fellows from Louisville, and we spent several very enjoyable days with them.
"We left Barros by way of the Coamo trail, which, if anything, is worse than the other, but the- day was fine, our ponies good and the scenery fully as fine as any we had seen. At one place we could see both the Carribean sea and the Atlantic ocean on the south and north, and on the east Aibonito fully twenty miles away. At another place, as we wound down the mountain the end man was fully one hun- dred feet above the lieutenant, who was in front, and almost perpendicularly below.
"At Coamo our wagons awaited us and carried us to Aibonito, where we arrived late at night of the same day. At Aibonito the rumor was rife that we were going home, but it was several days before final orders arrived. We were ready when they did.
284
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
arrive and started almost immediately, with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow at leaving that beautiful town. We arrived at Cayey on our return trip, and marched through the town with the precision of dress parade, without a straggler. This was all the result of a little wholesome food. The march from Cayey to Caguas was made with equal facility. There we joined headquarters and were once more a part of the Fourth Ohio.
"Company K lost six men by death while it was in the service of the United States. Read, Randolph and Vertner were buried at sea. Lawson's grave is at Fort McPherson, Ahern is buried in the national cemetery at Chattanooga and Ferris lies in the ceme- tery at Guayama, Porto Rico. We were only present at the burial of Ferris and Vertner, but the image of each one of the six is engraven deep in the heart of every member of Company K, and years hence, as we gather around our social camp fires, their simple virtues and acts of comradeship will be sweet mem- ories."
COMPANY F AT CAYEY.
The service of F Company at Cayey was at- tended with considerable interest on the part of both the citizens of the town and of the members of the company. The stay at this station was from October 7th, when the company relieved a detachment of the Third Wisconsin and raised the American flag as described in another chapter. There were included in the district of Cayey the towns of Barranquitas and Ceidras.
285
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
On October 8th, 1898, Sergeant R. E. Hull and nine men went over the mountain to Ceidras, the road being so bad and the rivers so swollen by rain, that while the town was only four miles distant from Cayey, they had to go twelve miles and ride native ponies, having a guide to show them the way. While in Ceidras Sergeant Hull found the city ad- ministration in a very bad way, and acting under instructions elected a new city council of twelve men, two new judges and a vice mayor, and readjusted the revenues so that they would be more properly dis- tributed. Formerly they were being devoted en- tirely to the salaries of those in power. This detach- ment remained at Ceidras until October 19th, when a detachment of the First Kentucky, mounted, re- lieved them, and they returned to Cayey.
On October 9th Lieutenant Harry Graham and ten men were sent to occupy Barranquitas. They also had to resort to pack ponies, as the roads were impassable for wagons. Everything was quiet at this point. The detachment remained until October 19th, when they were relieved by the First Kentucky Mounted Infantry, commanded by Lieutenant Freid- enhimer. They then returned to Cayey.
The mayor of Cayey and Captain Potter ex- changed visits and worked in unison, the mayor doing willingly everything that was required. The town itself was prosperous enough, being the center of the best tobacco district on the island, but the main plaza, streets and jail were in bad shape.
280
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
Captain Potter told the mayor that this must all be changed at once, and before the company left everything was in good condition.
On October 18th Captain Lindsay and his com- pany (F, First Kentucky Infantry), relieved the de- tachment.
One event which for a time cast a gloom over what would otherwise have been a most delightful tour of duty, was the attempt upon the life of Second Lieutenant Nathan A. McCoy. While the assail- ants failed of their evident purpose of killing the lieutenant, they succeeded in inflicting several pain- ful wounds and in creating far more excitement than they had anticipated. The story of this affair as related by Captain Potter is as follows:
"On October 23, at 9 p. m., Lieutenant N. A. McCoy, who was acting as post quartermaster and commissary, was returning from the bakery, where he had been arranging for fresh bread for the follow- ing day. He stopped to look in a store on the corner of the main plaza, when three men quietly stopped behind him. One suddenly struck him a hard blow on the head with a heavy club. As the lieutenant fell, another struck him on the shoulder and arm. He fell, half dazed, to the ground. It happened that two of the company were in the store, and ran to his assistance as he fell. The men who assaulted him at once made good their escape.
"Lieutenant McCoy was brought to the barracks, covered with blood, but Steward Ritter at once at-
287
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
tended his injuries and in a few moments he told us all he knew about the assault.
"I took twenty-four men, put twelve under Cor- poral Lindsay and took twelve myself, and started for the town. We arrested every suspicious looking person we saw and by 4 a. m., by the aid of an in- terpreter, had secured one of the men who committed the assault. Early the next morning we arrested the other two and placed them all in jail. For the next two days there was considerable excitement in the town and we had to double the guards and have a heavy guard at the jail, but the excitement subsided when they saw that we meant business, and we had no further trouble of any kind.
"We had just secured evidence enough to con- vict the suspected parties when we were ordered away, so the men were sent to Guayama and turned over to the provost guard there for trial. I preferred charges of assault with intent to kill, but have never heard how the trial came out.
"It was intimated to Lieutenant McCoy and myself that the men were hired by Spanish sympa- thizers to kill any American officer whom they could find alone or unprotected."
On October 27th final orders were received to turn over the town and all the military stores at that place belonging to the government, and the detached squad and battalion having returned to Cayey, the company proceeded to Caguas to join what was left of the regiment. Caguas was reached about dark on the afternoon of the same day, and the next
288
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
morning the company started to Rio Piedras, cover- ing the distance in good time, but in one of the hard- est rains that were experienced in the island.
COMPANY B DETACHED.
Company B was composed of the kind of men who insisted on doing a part of any work in sight. It was one of the first companies ordered to the firing line before Guayama on August 5 and the first com- pany to be ordered to provost duty. It was B Com- pany that defended the captured town from the north- east to hold the bridge across Guayama creek, a short distance out the military road from Guayama.
Although the company was not detached in the strict sense of the word at Guayama, its tour of pro- vost duty was performed under the immediate super- vision of General Haines and Captain White. Their next detachment was an execution of an order to raise the American flag over the town of Gurabo, about six miles from Caguas. This was a hard march, over a difficult mountain road, mud to wade, hills to climb and streams to cross, but the trip was a suc- cessful one and the Spanish emblem which once marked the allegiance of the town was brought back to Columbus by Captain White.
The American flag was hoisted above Gurabo October 13, and on October 15, at 7:40 a. m., the company started for Rio Piedras to take charge of the town. The headquarters of the United States forces in Porto Rico had been here and Captain White had the distinguished experience of relieving a major
FLAG RAISING AT CURABO.
200
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
general when General Brooke turned over the town.
Rio Piedras, considering its size, was the wealth- iest town in the island. It was six miles from the capital, with which it was connected by the military road and by the Rio Piedras and San Juan railway. Many wealthy people resided there and there were several beautiful residences, the finest of which, per- haps, was the governor general's palace. There were · several comfortable cafes where ices and beverages were served and where beef steak or potatoes were prepared without either the use of olive oil or garlic.
The town was eminently Spanish in all its sym- pathies and practically under Spanish control, nearly all the municipal officials having received their ap- pointments in return for favors shown the Castilian crown or its supporters. These were promptly re- moved and the vacancies filled with the better class of Portoriquenos, much to the satisfaction of the islanders.
The boys of Company B and the natives of Rio Piedras were at all times on very good terms, and there was no occasion during the stay of the com- pany for a clash between soldiers and citizens.
The company remained there until the regiment had been ordered to the United States and a company of the Forty-seventh New York had taken charge of the town. Instead of boarding the train with the first provisional battalion for San Juan, the company marched over the military road and reported for re- assignment next day. This made B company the only one which really marched across the island, from 11: Caribean «a to the Atlantic ocean.
:290
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
CHAPTER XVIII.
HOME AGAIN.
Orders to Leave-Preparation-Arrival of Forty-seventh New York-U. S. S. S. Chester at Arroyo -- At San Juan-Leaving the Island-Advantages and D sad- vantages of the Chester-The Homeward Voyage- Death of Private Vertner-Arrival at New York- Jersey City-Received by the President-lo C 1 m- bus - Reception - Furlough-Assembly-Accident at Auditorium-Muster Out-Concluding Remarks.
While the boys at their respective stations were watching and waiting for orders to go home, Colonel Coit, at Caguas, received official information that his regiment would be relieved by the Forty-seventh New York. He was instructed as to the turning over of government property and other details were given in such an exacting manner that the boys of the regi- ment were satisfied that the time for them to return to their homes was not far distant. Their hopes were confirmed when one fine morning in the latter part of October the U. S. S. S. Chester appeared in the har- bor at Arroyo with the greater part of the Forty- seventh New York on board.
The news spread as rapidly as telegraph and horses could spread it, and long before noon every man in the regiment knew that his stay in Porto Rico would be short from that time on. Everybody was happy accordingly. In fact the joy of the members . of the regiment knew no bounds. Eve thing was
291
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
from that day a hasty preparation and the regiment was ready as to packing up and bidding good-by to the natives long before the Chester was ready to leave Arroyo. It was announced that the boat which had transported the New York regiment to the island would also be used to take the Fourth Ohio home.
A and E companies boarded the vessel as soon as everything was in readiness, but they found the ship to be in a horrible condition with dirt and filth. This condition of affairs was at once reported to Colonel Coit, who at once objected to the use of the ship for the transportation of the regiment on the long voyage to the states. His objection did no further use except to secure the promise that the ship would be thoroughly cleansed before starting for New York, the place designated for landing. The ship was thoroughly cleaned, but the work was per- formed by details from the companies of the Fourth Ohio.
As soon as the companies at Guayama were re- lieved by the New Yorkers the Ohio boys boarded the vessel and she steamed on down the coast to Hamacoa, where D Company was relieved and taken on. Then M Company was picked up at Isabel Segunda and the Chester proceeded to Fajardo, where I Company was relieved and taken on board, after which the Chester continued the trip around the island to San Juan, where she arrived on October 27th.
In the meantime F Company at Cayey, K at Aibonito and the detachment of H Company at Aguas Bpenos had assembled at Caguas and
292
THE FOURTH O. V. I.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.