The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-23
IT PROVES FALSE
The Reported Victory Over
Philippine Insurgents.
Three Days Fighting Results In
Spanish Losses.
~ Weuuded CastiIians Taken From the
Battlefield to the Hospital.

San Francisco, Dec. 23.-Advices from
Manila contain information of an at
tack by the Spanish on the Noveleta
peninsula and the repulse by the insur-
gents at Cavito and WHO. The reports
sent out by the Spanish that the rebels
were routed with heavy losses prove TO
be untrue. The Spaniards were ignomi-
niously defeated and retired from the
field.
The Spanish forces under General
Rios were divided into two brigades OF
1000 men each, supported by the Spanish
gunboats on the bay.
The insurgents numbered about 1000
but they were strongly entrenched in
Cavito and Noveleta. At the head Of
the Noveleta peninsula the ground was
honeycombed with rifle pits and the
town defended from assault by earth
works planted with rapid-fire cannon
and several pieces Of heavy artillery.
Rios attacked the first line of re-
doubts at Noveleta and the rebels fell
back to the main line OF Dononze a mile
in the rear OF the picket line. The
Spanish had their plans well arranged.
They placed the cruiser Castillo close
in shore and their guns covered the at
tacks OF the royal troops. The cruisers
shells reached the outside defenses Of
the city
The fight started at 8 o'clock Sunday,
Nov. 8, and by 1 o'clock in the after
noon the insurgents outer works had
been evacuated.
Then a general attack followed, Rios
following the main body OF his first bri-
gade against the rebel entrenchments.
The gunboats opened fire ON the enemy.
but owing to bad gunnery failed to
cause any damage to the defenses. The
Cardelia, the closest to Cavito was fully
six miles from the town, where her shells
fell short, owing to the extreme eleva-
ton given to the ships cannon. When
Rios men reached the insurgent works
terrific fire was opened on them. They
marched forward resolutely until the
rife pits commenced to belch forth fire,
moving down the front ranks. The
columns faltered then refreated slowly
under heavy fire. The Spanish troops
were I'm the open and subjected to the
full effect of the fire. Had the rebels
gunnery been good Rios forces could
have been slaughtered. The morning
of the 9Th the Spanish were back in
their camp again. and had repaired the
remnants of the first brigade. The
second brigade had suffered very little.
The steamers Isabelle / and a small
transport were used to take the wounded
to the port of the peninsula. At least
500 were brought from the battlefield.
Wednesday, Nov. II, Rios prepared
and headed a second attack on Move
leta. He threw his entire army against
the redoubts and was routed with heavy
loss in the first attack. The gunboats
failed to aid the troops to any extent,
their shots falling short. The Spanish
did not attempt to renew the action,
but waited until the morning Of the 14th,
when a weak effort was made to flank
the rebels the failure of which ended the
fighting for the time being.
A Madrid dispatch says: In order to
insure the success of the next loan, the
government Is straining every nerve to
conceal the true situation in the Philip
pines. The whole colony Is in revolt,
, and scattered bodies Of Spanish troops
, have been hemmed in by the rebels. 1t
Is rumored that a certain proportion Of
German reserve 'of3cers are in the fn-
surgent ranks