"
The order to move the guns was disregarded, but Traub pointed out the
enemy, which was menacing Col. Roosevelt's position, and insisted.
About 600 yards to the right, oblique from the position of the guns
and perhaps 200 yards, or less, in front of the salient occupied by
Col. Roosevelt and the 3d Cavalry (afterward called Fort Roosevelt),
there was a group of about 400 of the enemy, apparently endeavoring to
charge the position. There was no time to notify the second piece.
Serg. Green's gun was instantly turned upon this group, at point-blank
elevation. The group melted away. Capt. Marcotte states that, after
the surrender, some Spanish officers, whom he met, and who were
members of this group, described this to him, stating that the enemy
seen at this point was a body of about 600 escaping from El Caney;
that they were struck at this point by machine gun fire so effectively
that only forty of them ever got back to Santiago; the rest were
killed.
Serg. Green's gun, already heated to a red heat by the continuous
firing of the day, had been worked to its extreme limit of rapidity
while firing at this body of the enemy, and on ceasing to fire,
several cartridges exploded in the gun before they could be withdrawn.
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