General Wheeler remained throughout steadfast against any retreat from before Santiago.  But the merit of keeping the army before Santiago, without withdrawal, until the city fell, belongs to the authorities at Washington, who at this all-important stage of the operations showed to marked advantage in overruling the proposals made by the highest generals in the field looking toward partial retreat or toward the abandonment of the effort to take the city.

The following note, written by Sergeant E. G. Norton, of B Troop, refers to the death of his brother, Oliver B. Norton, one of the most gallant and soldierly men in the regiment: 

On July 1st I, together with Sergeant Campbell and Troopers Bardshar and Dudley Dean and my brother who was killed and some others, was at the front of the column right behind you.  We moved forward, following you as you rode, to where we came upon the troopers of the Ninth Cavalry and a part of the First lying down.  I heard the conversation between you and one or two of the officers of the Ninth Cavalry.  You ordered a charge, and the regular officers answered that they had no orders to move ahead; whereupon you said:  “Then let us through,” and marched forward through the lines, our regiment following.  The men of the Ninth and First Cavalry then jumped up and came forward with us.  Then you waved your hat and gave the command to charge and we went up the hill.  On the top of Kettle Hill my brother, Oliver B. Norton, was shot through the head and in the right wrist.  It was just as you started to lead the charge on the San Juan hills ahead of us; we saw that the regiment did not know you had gone and were not following, and my brother said, “For God’s sake follow the Colonel,” and as he rose the bullet went through his head.

In reference to Mr. Bonsal’s account of the Guasimas fight, Mr. Richard Harding Davis writes me as follows: 

We had already halted several times to give the men a chance to rest, and when we halted for the last time I thought it was for this same purpose, and began taking photographs of the men of L Troop, who were so near that they asked me to be sure and save them a photograph.  Wood had twice disappeared down the trail beyond them and returned.  As he came back for the second time I remember that you walked up to him (we were all dismounted then), and saluted and said:  “Colonel, Doctor La Motte reports that the pace is too fast for the men, and that over fifty have fallen out from exhaustion.”  Wood replied sharply:  “I have no time to bother with sick men now.”  You replied, more in answer, I suppose, to his tone than to his words:  “I merely repeated what the Surgeon reported to me.”  Wood then turned and said in explanation:  “I have no time for them now; I mean that we are in sight of the enemy.”

This was the only information we received that the men of L Troop had been ambushed by the Spaniards, and, if they were, they were very