The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-10-15

The editor of the REGISTER has just
received letter from Fred Funston,
the first word that has come from him
to any one in this country since the
10th of last May. The letter is dated
"Los Tunas, Oriente, Cuba, August
81, 1897" and, while much of it is
purely personal, the following ex-
tracts, describing in the most graphic
way the last great battle, are of too
great interest to all his friends to JUS
tify their being kept private, and we
therefore give them publication.
We have just won the biggest vic
tory of this or the other revolution by
capturing the city of Los Tunas with
It's tWenty-One forts and taking its en-
tire garrison with great quantity of
rifles, ammunition, etc. The fight
lasted three days and two nights and
was fearfully bloody affair.
On the night of the 9th inst, we
constructed Notifications in the way
of strong intrenchments on the north
side of the town, the nearest fort be-
ing distant 400 yards, and placed
therein four steel, breech- loading field
guns and a Sims-Dudley pneumatic
dynamite gun. At the dawn of day
on the 18th we opened on six of the
forts within range and they replied
most vigorously, peppering US with
all sorts of hardware, from krupp
guns to Mauser bullets, tore our
intrenchments to pieces. so that it
was with the greatest difficulty we
held the men TO their work. 1t was
something awful, shells exploding
near us constantly and our losses
were heavy. The pneumatic dyna-
mite gun did wonders, wrecking the
cavalry headquarters. and in two
shots blowing the top off from Fort
ConsepciOn. At 10 a. m. Lieutenant
Colonel CalixtO EnamOradO, With a
few men, carried the latter work by
assault, losing One-third of his men
by the fire of adjoining forts. But at
twelve occurred the grand feature of
the siege. The strong fort, called the
Cavalry Headquarters, because 1T had
once been used as such, had suffered
much from our fire, when Chief of
Staff Menocal, ordered the buglar to
sound the charge. Hardly had the
notes died away before the same
Lieutenant Colonel, with 200 men left
the shelter of the hill crest and start.
ed for the fort. Many men fell, but
on they pushed until checked by
tangle of barb wire fences, where in
the open they held their position. fir
ing at the Spsniards in the trenches
of the fort until Lieut.. Col. Carlos
Garcia, son OF the General, led up $50
men. Then there was a wild rush for
the fort. The men cut the barb wire
fences with their machetes, and Lit.
Col. Garcia, with the Cuban flag in
one hand and sword in the other,
leaDed the mOat and the men followed
him like flock of sheep. 1t was like
the battle of the story books, and it
was worth years of hum-drum life to
see it. All was over in moment,
and when the hated red and yellow
flag gave place to the Cuban banner,
we in the intrenchments only 400
yards away, cheered ourselves hOarse.
All the rest of the fearfully hot day
We pitched shells at the Spanish forts
and lodged those they sent at US.
The cannOnading closed at night fall,
Uub q W dc hcDt Wy
the infantry who assaulted and took
two more forts.
The next day we put the guns in
one of the captured works and at
distance of $50 yards shelled the great
fort known as the Infantry Cuartel",
but with little effect as the walls
were very strong. Even the dyna-
mite gun had very little effect here.
With darkness the uprear ceased and
the wearied men on both sides got
what snatches of sleep they could.
The morning of the Both, yesterday,
saw the end at hand After an hours
bombardment the flag of truce was
sent to the Infantry Quartet and the
plucky commander having been killed
his men surrendered. We then cut
our way through several blocks of
stone houses and threw up barricades
in the streets to attack the only re-
manning fort, the "Cuartel General"
more than a dozen forts having sur
rendered with the "Cuartel Infanter-
ia" After a few shots and some flag
of truce business, they gave in and