About this time Bates’ brigade entered the field and one battalion of the Twentieth Infantry is reported to have joined the left of the firing line of the Twenty-fifth.  General Ludlow says there was a lull from 12 to 1 p.m., “when the action again became violent, and at 3 p.m. the Third Brigade captured the stone fort with a rush and hoisted the American flag.”  From Ludlow’s brigade, Captain Van Horne, commanding the Twenty-second Infantry, after the wounding of Lieutenant-Colonel Patterson, says that the First Battalion of his regiment took a position about 800 yards from the town and kept up firing until the place surrendered.  He does not say positively that the firing was upon the town, but he had said just before that the Second Battalion slowly moved forward, firing into the town from the left, so that we may readily conclude from the context as well as from the position that the First Battalion fired into the town also.  Hence it seems fair to exclude from the fort all of Ludlow’s brigade, and it is observable that Ludlow himself claims no part in the capture of that stronghold.

General Bates says his brigade took position to the right of Colonel Miles’ brigade and pushed rapidly to the front.  He then says that after remaining sometime in the crossroad to the right of Miles’ brigade, under a heavy fire from the enemy, the brigade moved farther “to the right to the assault of a small hill, occupied upon the top by a stone fort and well protected by rifle pits.  General Chaffee’s brigade charged them from the right, and the two brigades joining upon the crest, opened fire from this point of vantage, lately occupied by the Spanish, upon the village of El Caney.”  General Chaffee says it was in consequence of the fire of General Bates’ troops upon the fort that the assault by the Twelfth Infantry was postponed.

In General Chaffee’s report this statement occurs:  “The action lasted nearly throughout the day, terminating at about 4.30 p.m., at which time the stone blockhouse was assaulted by Captain Haskell’s battalion of the Twelfth Infantry, under the personal direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Comba, commanding the regiment.  The resistance at this point had been greatly affected by the fire of Capron’s battery.  A few moments after the seizure of this point—­the key to the situation—­my left was joined by General Bates with a portion of his command.”  It is to be noted in connection with all of the above statements that Major McCaskey, who commanded the Twentieth Infantry (Bates brigade), says:  “The First Battalion was moved to the right and put into action on the left of the Twenty-fifth Infantry’s firing line, and one company, A, took part in the latter part of the charge by which the stone house was taken.”  The two points to be noted here are (1) that this battalion was on the left of the Twenty-fifth’s firing line, and (2) that one company took part in the charge upon the stone house.  When Chaffee’s brigade charged the stone house from the right some of Bates’ troops, at least this Company A, from the battalion near the firing line of the Twenty-fifth Infantry, took part in the latter part of the charge.  The two brigades, Bates’ and Chaffee’s, joined immediately after the capture of the stone fort and opened fire upon the town.