The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-07-06
i F.IERr t BATTLE.
Between Americans and Span.
iards Near Santiago,
DETAILS OF THE ENCOUNTER
The Americans Were Largely Out
numbered, but Defeated the Span
iards. Who Retreated in the Direc-
-, sc cen+;oUn
ton Of Santiago.


10 occur 1T any time. This week We
give tie details OF the battle. which no
doubt will be read with interest BY all.
The battle was fought on Friday. June
-. That it did not end in the COM
plete slaughter OF Americans was not
due to any miScalculation in the plan
Of the Spaniards. for as perfect ambuS-
cade rs was ever formed in the brain of
iii apache Indian was prepared and
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt and his
men walked sQuarely into II. For an
hour and half they held their ground
under perfect storm Of bullets from
the front and sides. and then Colonel.
Wood to the right and Lieutenant-Co-
lionel Roosevelt to the left led 1 charge
which turned the tide Of battle and sent
the enemy flying over the hills toward
Santiago.
sINTEEN AMERICANS KlLLEp.
Ii is now definitely known that Sin
teen men on the american side We're
killed. while sixty We're wounded. or
are reported to be missing. 1t is mn
possible to calculate the Spanish losses.
but it is known that they were far
heavier than those of the Americans,
at least us regards actual loss Of life.
Thirty-seven dead Spanish soldiers
have been found and buried. while
many Others are undoubtedly lying in
the thick underbrush on the side of
the gully and on the slope Of the hill
where the main body Of the enemy was
located. The wounded were all re-
moved.
That the Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route TO be taken by
the Americans in their movement to-
ward Sevilla was evident. as shown by
the careful preparations they had
made
The main body Of the Spaniards was
posted on i hill, on the heavily wooded
slopes of which had been erected two
bleckhouses fanked by irregular IN
trenchments of stone and fallen trees.
At the bottom of these slopes run two
roads. along which Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt's men and eight troops Of the
First and Tenth Cavalry, with bat
terry of four howitzers. advanced.
ALMOST IMPASSIBLE GULLIEs.
These roads are but lite more than
gullies, rough and narrow, and at places
almost impossible. In these trails the
fight occurred. Nearly half a mile
separated Roosevelt's men from the
regulars. and betweeD them and on
both sides of the road in the thick un-
derbrush was concealed 4 force Of Span
iards that must have been large. judg-
ing from the terrific and constant hre
they poured in on the Americans.
The fight was opened by the First
and Tenth Cavalry. under General
Young. 4 force of Spaniards was
known to be in the vicinity Of La
Quasina. and early in !. morning
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelts men
started off up the precipitous bauff
back of Siboney to attack the Spaniards
on their right flank, General Young at
the same time taking the road at the
foot of the hill.
CUBANS GIVE THE ALARM.
About two and half miles out from
Siboney, some Cubans, breathless and
excited. rushed into camp with the an
nouncement that the Spaniards were
but little way in front and were
strongly intrenched.
Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out in
front were brought to the reac, while a
strong scouting line was thrown out.
Then, cautiously and in silence, the
troops moved forward until a bend in
the road disclosed a hill, where the
Spaniards were located.
The guns were again brought to the
front and placed in position. while the
men crouched down in the road, wait
ing impatiently, to give Roosevelts $
men, who were toiling over the little
trail along the crefts the ridge. time
to get up.
Gen. Young, at 1:3O a. H., gave the
command to the men at the Hotchkiss
guns to open fire. That command was
the signal for fight that for stubborn
ness has seldom been equalled. The
instant the Hotchkiss guns were fired,
from the hillside commanding the road
came volley after volley from the Maui
sers Of the Spaniards.
Don't shoot until you see something
to shoot at. yelled Gen. Young, and
the men, with set jaws and straining
eyes, obeyed the order. Crawling along
the edge Of the road and protecting
themselves as much as possible from
the fearful fire of the Spaniards. the
troopers, some of them stripped to the
waist. watched the base Of the hill. and
when any part Of a Spaniard became
visible they fred. Never for an instant
did they falter.
One dusky warrior of the Tenth Cav
airy, with ragged wound in his thigh.
,oolly knelt behind a rock loading and
firing. and when told by one Of his
comrades that he was wounded, laughed
and said: 'Oh, that's all right. That 5
been there for some time.
In the meantime away off to the left
could be heard the crack of Colonel
Wood men. and the regular. dccpton-
ed vo!ley firing Of the SpaniardS.
ROOSEVELT 5 OWN STORY.
Over there the American losses were
the greatest. Col Woods men. with
an advance guard well out in front and
two Cuban guides before them, but ap-
parently with no fankers, went square
" into the trap set for them By the
Spaniards. and only the unfaltering
courage of the men in the face of a fire
that would make even veteran quail
prevented what might easily have been
disaster
AS it was. Troop L, the advance
guard. under the unfortunate Captain
Capron. was almost surrounded. and
but for the reinforcement hurledly
sent forward. every man would probably