Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-21
HOW LOS TUNAS FELL
Graphic Account of a Famous Victory
for the Cubans.
KANSAS LAD WHO WAS THERE
Receives Lieutenant CoIoneIs Star
for His Part in the Action.
LOSSES HEAVY ON BOTH SIDES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Fred Funston, the Kansas lad, has been
heard from again. He is still in Cuba fight
ing for the independence of that island. He
writes that he is broken down by the hard
ships he has undergone, and that he is COM
Ing home about Christmas. IT hate to
leave now" he says, but l feel as if l
had done about my share for Cuban indie
pendence man who has fought through
four sfeges and twenty-five battles ought
to rest bit. So in few weeks 1 expect
to ask for my leave and start for home.
Il have received the gold star of the lieu
tenant colonel, presumably for my services
during the siege and capture of Los Tunas,
the fall of which created such consterna-
ton among the Spanish and so much Ella
ton among the Cubans.''
Concerning the capture of Los Tunas the
letter, which is dated Los Tunas. August
81, 1897, says: I'VE have just won the
biggest victory of this or the other revolu-
tion, by capturing the city of Los Tunas,
entire garrison, with a great quantity of
rl1les, ammunition, etc. The fight lasted
three days and two nights, and was a fear
fully bloody affair.
Details of the Siege.
"On the night of August % We constructed
Notifications in the way Of strong intrench-
ments on the north side of the town, the
nearest fort being distant about 400 yards,
and placed therein four breech-loading
field guns and Sims-Dudley pneumatic
dynamite gun. At the dawn of day August
20, we opened flre on the six forts within
range, and they replied most vigorously
peppering us with all sorts of hardware
from krupp guns to Mauser bullets and
tore our Entertainments to pieces SO that it
was with the greatest difficulty that we
held our men to their work. 1t was some
thlng awful. Shells were exploding near
us constantly and our losses were heavy
The pneumatic dynamite guns did won
ders, Wrecklng the cavalry HEADQUARTERS
and IN two shots blowing the top off of
fort conception. AT 10 am, Lieut. Col
Cal1xto Enamorado, with few men, car
r1ed the latter fort by assault losing about
tnlrd or his men by the fire from the adj
joining forts.
Assault on Cavalry Headuuarterx
But at IL o'clock occurred the great
feature of the siege. The strong fort. call
ed the cavalry headquarters, because it
had once been used as such, had suffered
much from our fire, when Chief of Staff
Menocal ordered the bugler to sound the
charge. Hardly had the notes died away
when the same lieutenant colonel with 200
men, LETT the shelter of the hill crest and
started Tor the fort. Many men fell, but
on they pushed until checked by a tangle
of barb-wire fences, where in the open
they held their position. firing at the Span-
lSh in the trenches Of the fort until Lieut.
Col. Garcia, son of the general led up 15O
men to his support. Then there was a wild
rush for the fort. The men cut the barb
wire with their machetes and Lieut.. Col.
Garcia. with the Cuban flag in one hand
and sword in the other leaned the moat
and his men followed him like a flock of
sheep. 1t was like the battles of the story
books, and it was worth years of hum
drum life to see it. All was over in a min
ute, and when the hated red and yellow
n haY han
the 1ntrenchments only hundred yards
away cheered ourselves hoarse.
All the rest of the fearfully hot day
we pitched shells at the Spanish forts and
lodged those sent at us. The cannonading
closed at nightfall, but a terrific racket was
kept up by the infantry, VINO assaulted and
took two more forts.
The next day we put the guns in one
of the captured works and at a distance
of $50 yards shelled the great fort known
as infantry Cuartel,' but with but little
erect, as the walls were very strong. Even
the dynamite gun had little effect on it,
With darkness the uproar ceased and the
wearied men got what snatches of sleep
they could.
Victory on Third Day.
''The morning of August 30 yesterday
saw the end at hand. After an hours bonn
bardment the flag of truce was sent from
the Infantry Quartet, and the plucky COM
mander having been killed, his men sur
rendered. We then cut our way through
several blocks of stone houses and threw
up barricades in the streets in order to at
tack the only remaining fort-the Quartet
General more than dozen forts having
surrendered, with the Quartet Infanteria'
After few shots and some flags of truce
business they gave in and the fight was
over, but at fearful cost. One-third of
the Cubans had fallen. But the Spanish
had fought like heroes, losing 10 per cent
of their garrison in the defense. We cap
tured twenty-one forts, 1, $50 rifles, with
100000 rounds of ammunition, two Krupp
cannons and train load of prisoners, be-
sides large quantities of general stores.
The Cubans are wild with joy, and say it
ends the war, but don't know about that
I'VE artillerymen are the heroes of the
day. and nothing is too good for us. The
Spanish officers say that they were fairly
thunder struck by the way our cannon
used them. OF our nine officers, two were
killed and three wounded. while half our
men were killed or disabled"