The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-26
THE SPAN|ARDS FOUGHT
FROM DENSE TH|CKETS
Rough Riders and Regulars Mar
row Trails-It Was Hot Work While It but the
Spaniards Were Completely Routed

thickets. A barbed wire fence also ran
along the left side. The dead body of a
Cuban was found on the side Of the road
and at the same time Captain Capron's
troops discovered the outposts the heads
of several Spaniards being seen in the
bushes for a moment. IL was not until
then that the men were permitted to load
carbines. When the order to load was
given they acted with a will on IL and
displayed the greatest eagerness to make
an attack. At this moment the sound OF
nrtng was heard mile or two to the
right. apparently coming from the hills
beyond the thicket. IL was the regulars
replying to the Spaniard who had OPEN
ed fire on them from the thicket. In addi-
ton to a rapid rifle fire the boom of
Hotchkiss guns could be heard. Hardly
two minutes elapsed before Mauser rifles
commenced to crack in the thicket and q
hundred bullets whistled over the heads
of the rough riders. cutting leaves from
the trees and sending chips flying from
the fence posts beside the men. The Span
iards had opened and they poured In a
heavy fire. which soon had a most disas-
trous effect. The tooops stood their
ground with the bullets singing all around
them.
Private Colby caught sight of the Span
iards and fired the opening shot at them.
Sergeant Hamilton Fish. jr.. was the
first man TO fall He was shot through
the heart and died instantly. The Span
iards were not more than 200 yards of.
but only occasional glimpses of them
could be seen.
The men continued to pour volley af-
ter volley into the bush in the direc-
tion of the sound of spanish shots. but
the latter became more frequent, and
seemed to be getting nearer. Colonel
Wood walked along his liz es. displaying
the utmost GOODNESS. H ordered the
troops TO deploy into the thicket. and
sent another detachment iLto the open
space on the left of the trai'. Lieuten-
ant Colonel Roosevelt led ne former
detachment, and tore tn ough the
brush. urging his men on. The shots
came thicker and thicker eN cry mo-
ment. and the air seemed filled With the
singing and shrieking sound Of the
Mauser bullets. while the sharp hot Of
the Spanish ~ifes could be distingi ushed
| easily from the heavy reports o. the
American weapons. Sometimes the fire
would come in volleys. and again sh sts
would follow eaeh other I'm rapid su X
cession for several minutes. Captain.
/ Capr0n stood behind his men. revolver
in hand, using IL whenever a Spaniard
| exposed himself His aim was sure.
and two OF the enemy were seen to fall
under his FIRE Just as he was prepar-
ing to take another shot and shouting
orders at the same time. his revolver
| dropped from his grasp. and he fell To
the ground with a ball through his
certed for a moment. but with all the
| strength he could muster he cried:
Don't mind me. boys, go on and fight"
He was carried from the field as soon
as possible. and lived only few hours
Lieutenant Thomas of the same troop
received wound through the leg soon
sfterward. and became delirious from
pain.
The troops that were in the thicker
were not long in getting into the midst
OF the fight. The Spaniards located
them and pressed them in hard. but
they sent a deadly fire in return. even
though most OF the time they could not
see the enemy. After 10 or i5 minutes
of hot work the firing fell of some.
and Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt or
dered his men back from the thicksr
into the trail. narrowly escaping a bull
let himself. which struck tree along
side his head Ii was evident that the
Spaniards were falling back and
changing their position, but the fire
continued at intervals. Then the
troops tore to the front and into more
open country than wnere the enemy's
fire was coming from. About this time
small squads commenced to carry the
wounded from abe thicket and lay them
in a more protected spot in the trail
until they could be removed to the field
hospital.
Colonel Wood also ordered his
HotChkiss gun into action, but the
trooper who rode the mule upon which
a part of the gun was packed had been
stampeded His animal broke into the
woods in the opposite direction from
the Spanish fire. and the gun conse-
quently could not be used. IL was just
before the change in position was made
that Edward Marshall. the correspond
ent of the New York Journal and Ad-
vertiser. was dangerously wounded He
= ~
struck him in the small of the back.
The surgeons were unable to tell this
afternoon whether or not he would re-
cover
During the tight in the thicket several
of the troops did some wild shooting
into troops ahead OF them and a part
of the American loss Is due 10 this fact.
As soon as the position had been
changed the Americans poured a more
terrific fire than ever into the SpanardS.
a. they got them into more open coun-
try and could see them better. IL was
not long before the enemy gave way and
ran down the steep hill and up another
hill 10 the blockhouse. with the evident
intention OF making a final stand there.
Colonel Wood was at the front direct
ing the movement. and IL was here that
Major Brodie was shot. Colonel Wood
and Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt both
led the troops in pursuit Of the fleeing
Spaniards and hail OF bullets was
poured into the blockhouse. BY the
time the American advance got within
600 yards of the blockhouse the Span
iards abandoned IL and scattered among
the brush up another hill in the direction
Of Santiago and the battle was at an
end.
During all this time just as hot Are
had been progressing at General Youngs
station. the battle being in much the
same manner as the other one. and
when the machine guns opened IRE the
Spanlards sent volleys al the gunners
from the brush on the opposite htilsldes.
Two troops Of cavalry charged up the
hill and other troops sent A storm q
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