The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-27
BATTLE OF uESrrEGOS
Lieutenant e. A.. Anderson Was in the
Thick Of h Engagement and He
Gives n Fine story Of American Valor

Thick Of the Engagement and He
Gives n Fine story Of American valor
News from the war Is always inter-
! esttng but when /; IS from a Whining
tousaa and right from the from. 1. Is
Rad with wen more tragic Interest.
By permission ~ the brothe--.u-Law of
our townsman. Lieutenant Edwin A
Anderson, we are permitted 10 publish
a couple % letters written by him from
TIE United states cruiser Marblehead
which IS on blockade duty of Cier,fu-
Cos, on the southern coast of Cuba.
He Is a senior lieutenant in the navy
n was in command Of the Marble
heads boat, sent along with the boa.
from the Nashville. TO cut the cable a.
C!enfugos. on the 1lth inst.
That gallant act by the officers and
men on those boats Will go down in
history as one Of the braves: deeds and
the most wrecki-ss daring recorded in
the history % the navies OF the world.
Before the boats were manned TO go on
this hazardous exploit volunteers
were called FOR and the officers on the
war ships plainly told the men they
need not go Il they did not desire 10
take the risk. They we're told further
more that II was hardly possible that
hey would ever come back alive. but in
the face o. death the officers and men
mannei the boats and after the vessels
shelled the shore. they pulled into
the harbor and cut the cable under a
murderous fire from the enemy ashore.
That brilliant achievement, however. IS
best told by Lieutenant Anderson in
the following letters received yesterday
by his s.ste@ Mrs. T. H. Mckok, Of this
city:
OFF Cienfugos. Cuba May Il. 1895.
My Dear Sister:
| know you Will be pleased 10 get
news Of me, as l would be delighted az
hearing from YOU. Since the war starr
ed We have been having a lively time
on his ship. We first went 10 the
blockade of Havana. but after being
there only a few days We were order
ed - blockade C~ienfuegoS, on The south
coast . The division consists Of the
Marblehead, Nashville and Eagle, We
being the senior ship.
The only excitement on the Havana
side was that one day We sighted a big
armored cruiser standing for Havana.
The New York, Helena and ourselves
| stood for her at full speed. the Marble
head leading. We We're just about 70
open fire Wne EtEe stranger showed
Italian coIocs % our great disappoint-
ment. On our trip around something
went wrong with the compass and we
run aground off the CaleradO reefs.
The Eagle which was on our port
quarter also grounded. 1t was a black
night, and l was on watch at the time.
II a 3:45 in the morning when we
| struck and about 400 in the afternoon
| when We gOt clear. without any dam
age ID the ships am glad TO say.
took a prize, the A~rgonauta, with
| some Spanish officers n soldiers. She
had a cargo of supplies for Cienfuegos,
After staying a few days off CienfuegoS
staying a few days off Cienfugos and
and u coal getting low, We returned 10
Key West for a fresh supply. Before
going We had a little brush with the
eneemy's torpedo gunboat, and two
torpedo boats. They came out to the
entrance to the harbor to attack the
Eagle "a converted yacht) and We Went
to her assistance. Il did not require
many shOtT TO drive them in and to
silence "a fort that was on a hillside on
the left Of the harbOr. Their marks
manship was Wretched, although many
shots came near is and some passed
over, neither ship was touched. We
ave found out since that one OF our
shells disabled the engines Of the tor
pedo gunbOat and that we burst one
and dismounted another gun in the
fort, although We fired very few shots.
Three days ago the captain determin-
ed TO make an attempt to cut the cables
which leave from the cable house
1lCL lIlc IlSiPI HUuSt a. lUe Ell
trance to the harbor. BY cutting these
cables Havan would tbe cus off from
communication with the outside world.
We knew that there was a garrison on
the point and about 10, 900 soldiers about
CienfuegOs, but we hoped. TO clear the
beach with the fire from our guns.
The expedition was under the command
Of Lieutenant Winslow, the navigator
Of the Nashville, and 1 was given the
com 00an6 of the launches from +b / c
ship. The W sailing launches with
Winslow in one and I in the other were
to drag for and cut the cables and the
. and the steam n with a one
FOUNDER in my launch and a Colt au-
tomato in Winslow's boat TO cover us,
The ships shelled the beach in fine
style and We started in about 6 a. m
l found one of the cables right off and
we cut it. AS the cables were armored
With heavy steel wire, making really
a steel 5 inch hawser, you "a imagine
it wa sa job to life it anu cut ii.
When we picked up the second cable
the troops on shore had rather gotten
over their fright and some Of them
started firing on us. We had rifles in
the boat, so while some worked the rest
kept their fire down. It seems how
ever that the captain was sparing the
light house so they caught on to tina
fact and they must have brought down
at least a regiment of men as a gully
made close to the beach back Of it.
They suddenly opened fire on US with
rifles, machine guns and 1 think a
Maxim semi-automatic / FOUNDER, at a
distance certainly not more than $50
yards off. Their shooting was wretch
ed or not a man would have been left
alive. I certainly did not expect to get
back. The bullets were striking the
water and boat like a hail storm. Ny
boat suffered most as their fire seemed
to be concentrated on II. I regret /
a three poor fellows mortaily wound
ed-one shot through the forehead, one
through the liver n one through the
neck and his jaw shattered. Four
others were wounded. One will lose a
leg, the other three were shot, one in
back n two in leg. The boat was
shot through in several places and was
leaking very badly. hard work to keep
her afloat. How / escaped I do not
understand as my coxswain was n in
h back early in the game and / took
II $ha b2fr1 Y En-- +Ao r-o~ - rha bA--