During the afternoon the regiment was moved to the foot of the ridge, leaving only the pickets on the crest. About 8.30 P.M. we were ordered to the picket line and began intrenching. The tall grass was wet from a drenching rain a few hours before. The ground, though wet, was hard, and slow progress was made, having only their bayonets for picks and their bare hands for shovels. All night this work went on. The men were tired, and hungry (as rations had not come up that day), but worked faithfully. During this, and I will add, throughout the campaign, I never heard a murmur nor a complaint; even when almost all the men of the regiment were down with fever and bowel trouble they were cheerful and ready to do any duty they were called on for. The morning of July 3d Cervera's fleet sailed down the bay. An officer rode by our part of the line about half-past 9 and informed us of it. A few minutes later we heard the roar of the big guns, though at the time I little thought of what was going on. In the afternoon we heard cheering on our line way to the left, and as the good news came along it was taken up, and soon the whole line was shouting. On the morning of July 5th the non-combatants left Santiago by two roads, one passing through our line. It was a pitiful sight. During the forenoon of the 5th we moved about a mile to the right and began intrenching. This position was very near the Spanish line, and quite elaborate works were constructed. We remained in this position until the morning of the 11th, when the regiment was ordered to the right of the line, about three miles. Here we intrenched. About 1 P.M. a truce was announced. At 9.15 P.M. a staff officer came to the regimental commander's tent and informed him that the regiment was to be on the line at 12 o'clock midnight, and as soon as the moon rose to advance through the jungle until fired on, when the line was to halt and intrench. The night was stormy and any moon there might have been was obscured by the clouds. We were up, however, standing until daylight in a drenching rain, for it was so dark that any movement was impossible. Our rest was broken, without accomplishing anything that I know or heard of. However, the rain and storm were providential, for I will always believe if the movement had been started we should have met with disaster. The ground was broken, deep ravines and underbrush with wire fences running through it. I have never learned who was "the father" of this order, and possibly never will. He must be ashamed of it.