Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-05-10
for at that time of the year the MONDAY

for at that time Of the year the MONDAY
heat was almost insupportable.
Having come to this resolution, called
my officers together, told them what pro
posed to do, and gave such orders as
deemed necessary. They were full OF fight
and confident of success-rather too conf
dent, in fact. I advised them, whatever
they did, not to hold the enemy too cheap,
but to be as vigilant and wary as If we had
to do with disciplined force commanded
by q competent general. knew the Carl
heroes to be brave, and as they outnum-
bered Us by probably three or four to one,
they were likely to prove formidable foes;
our arms moreover were not so superior
to theirs that we could afford to throw
away chance; we had only fifty rifles,
and if their bows and arrows were inferior
to ours, they had great many more OF
them.
The men were as eager as the officers,
and marched so well doing twenty miles
in four hours that at sunrise the runners
reported that Wynter's Hill was in sight.
On this I ordered a halt, and while the
men were breakfasting 1 went forward
with Oliver Fame and Bolsover to recon-
hotter.
The Cariberoes were encamped about
two miles off, at the edge Of a wood. Be
tween our bivouac and the wood the ground
was undulating and open, and, as thought,
not badly adapted for battle on small
scale. But as the enemy occupied the
higher ground they had the advantage of
position, and had they possessed firearms
might have rendered it almost impregna-
bic. Even as it was, if they chung to the
wood and declined to come on" we should
not be able to get at them without heavy
loss and risk of disaster, for as yet their
numbers were an unknown quantity. To
overcome this difficulty had recourse to
stratagem which, though it may seem
cruel, was, I think, justifable in the cir
culnstances, my object being not merely to
save the island, but to give the Cariberoes
such lesson as would keep them away
from 1t for at least generation. Az yet
they had not seen us-could not see us nm
til we stirred; for we were behind clump
of trees in dip of the ground. My plan
was to send the native camp-followers on
first, in the hope that the Cariberoes, per-
ceiving how few they were, and that they
belonged to the race they least feared,
might come down the hill to meet them, a
proceeding which would afford US the OPP
portunity we desired.
pIeJe MY SIOuuu
and render clear what followed, l must
add that we were near the sea, which was
whereabouts bordered by tall limestone
cliffs, rising sheer from the water, and
broken only by single gap halfway up
Wynter's Hill Broadly speaking, the hill
was to our front the sea to our right, and
stretch of open country to our left.
My stratagem, albeit far from being a
failnra HfH tho hri1ltant
which expected Some of the men, con-
trary to my orders, lighted fires, SO that
before our Carlb allies marched out the
Cariberoes were already on the gut Utue,
and, though they came down the hill in
force, they advanced cautiously and rather
to my surprise, silently and in good order
They numbered at least five thousand, and
it was obvious that they were commanded
by a chief who knew something of the art
of war.
The Caribs did not take much harm, af-
ter all-then. After exchanging a few
shots with the enemy they bOlted-accord-
ing to order. As they ran down the hill
we advanced into the open, marching in
line, Bolsover and his rifles in the center,
and little in the rear, as until they were
committed to an engagement [ did not
W tllG JIG Cttl iDtIbGS " lIiitl UlIU Olloib VIC
possessed firearms. I held three hundred
of the archer-guard and fifty men from
each of the other regiments in reserve.
The enemy, though, as it seemed, rather
surprised by this display of force, stood
their ground. When we were about two
hundred yards from them, l gave the or
der to BEGIN shooting, and was pleased to
observe that nearly every arrow found
mark The CaribcrOes replied briskly,
shooting two arrows for orr one; but their
weapons were soinferior that their missiles
did comparatively little execution.
This went on for ten or fifteen Minutes
when the Car,bcroes drawing nearer,
showed "A disposition to come to close quar-
ters, which was what particularly desired
to avoid; fearci that they might bear us
down by the sheer weight of their superior
numbers.
(To be continued.1