Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-10

Jhaffee \ brigaur, tn0 ccvUEth regiment
ook the lead. marching over the ridge
p n Iath in single file. Finally it
truck Il sunkcn road on the crest of the
itEO $40 yards from the Spanish block
.Iuso, northeas: Of FL Caney. The crest
the ridge offered some protection
rom Spanish fire. Looking across the
follow between them and the village,
nc men could see the enemy in their
rcnches. Firing sometimes by volleys
ard sometimes at will, the Seventh was
unable to silence the Spanish fire. All
day, for eight hours the high key Of
tho Mauser rifle could be heard above
he pop of the Krag- Jorgcnson.
The slope in front of the Seventh was
dense chaparral, and charge down
chat across the ravine under the muzz,e>
OF the Nausers would have annihilated
the regiment. Besides, in advancing II
the fort the Seventh would have got.
ten under the fire of Caprons guns.
They kept their colors flying all day US
markers for Capron. The losses were
distributed over every hour Of the day
and over all the companies i'll the rcgi-
ment The officers We're surprised in
the end to learn how many had been
lost, total of l40 ont of $50 in line.
AS it was impossible for man to show
the smallest part of his body without
getting it punctured, all the firing was
done while lying down. and all the
killed We're shot in the head. Its COM
mander, G.. 5. Carpenter, veteran If the
evil war, was on the firing line all day.
When the Twelfth regiment advanced
against the stone fort early in the morn
ing, it drew the Spanish fire from the
trenches, the loopholed fort and the
church. Spaniards in the church belfry
first sighted the Twelfth as il moved
from the mountain down through the
hollow to reach high ground 700 or 500
yards from the fort.
Captain Waltz's company crept up
within $50 to 400 yards, working right
and left and trying to get position
unswept by the Spanish fire. After the
fort had been preached by Capron 5
guns complete regimental line was
formed and swept forward to the fort.
panies a, d and f under Captain Wood.
Lieutenant Wilde and Captain Clarke.
1t was then O'Clock. Some Of the men
Of Company F orept through the holes
which Capron's shells had made i'll the
stone walls and got the Spanish fla.
Private Abel Of Company y raised the
,olurs of the Twelfth over the fort
Of ae,t, l,st
N the fort after it had been taken. The
spanish Tag was handed first 10 Cap.
ain II. l.. Haskell, commanding the
battalion to which Company + be.
longed. Captain Haskell gave il n
Creelman, the correspondent, who was
afterward wounded. The Twelfth men
finally got possession of the flag again,
tore it into bits and distributed the
pieces through the regiment.
The Twelfth was 500 strong at FL
Caney, and lost 10 killed and wounded.
Colonel Richard Comba, war veteran.
was wounded. and was succeeded IL
command by Major II. A. Humphrey
another war veteran.
After the fort fell the SYaniards in
the village made II weak attempt 70 u
tako it. They advanced with scatter
ing line under cover Of the fire from the
houses in the village, hut Were drive;
back. Capron's battery moved up anu
opened on the blockhouses around tine
village, Chatfee' 5 regiments also chang,
forward through the hollow. For an
hour it was Struggling fight between
the demoralizod Spaniards trying To Set
away, Americans heading them or, and
the few misguided Spaniards, who