The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-26

finished. Then they asked permission
to chase the fleeing Spaniards. but as
the victory was already won, General
Young refused to allow them to take
part in the fight.
PLAN OF ATTACK.
General Young's plans contemplated
the movement of half of his command
along the trail at the base of the
Yrangc of hills leading back from the
coast. so that he could attack the
Spaniards on the flank, while the rough
riders went off to follow the trail lead
ing over the hill to attack them in
front. This plan was carried out COM
pletely. The troops left Juragua at
daybreak. The route of General Young
and the regulars was comparatively
level and easy of travel. Three
HotchkisS guns were taken with this
command.
ROUGH ROAD FOR COWBOYS.
The first part of the journey of the
rough riders was over steep hills. sew
eral hundred feet high. The men car
ried 200 rounds of ammunition and
/ heavy camp equipment. Although this
was done easily in the early morning,
the weather became intensely hot and
/ the sun beat down upon the cowboys
the grade with their heavy packs, and
frequent rests were necessary. The
J trail was so narrow for the greater
/ part of the way that the men had to
proceed single file. Prickly cactus
/ brush lines both sides of the trail, and
! the underbrush was so thick that 1t
was impossible to see ten feet on either
side. All the conditions were favorable
| for a murderous ambuscade, but the
troops kept a close watch and made as
! little noise as possible.
! The rough riders entered into the
( spirit Of the occasion with the greatest
enthusiasm. 1t was their opportunity
! for a fight and every man was eager
I for it. The weather grew swelteringly
/ hot, and, one by one, the men threw
away blankets and tent rolls and emp
/ tied their canteens.
SIGNS OF THE ENEMY.
The first intimation had by Colonel
| Woods command that there We're Span
! iards in the vicinity was when they
reached a point three or four miles back
from the coast, where the low cuckoo
calls of the Spanish soldiers We're heard
ir the bush. 1t was difficult to locate
the exact point from which these
! sounds came. The men were ordered
TO speak in whispers, and frequent hats
were made. Finally place was reach
ed about o'clock, where the trail open
i ed into a space covered with high grass
on the right hand side of the trail and
the thickets. a barb wire fence. also
ran along the left side. The dead body
! of q Cuban was found on the side of the
road, and at the same time Captain
Capron's troops covered the outpost
the heads of several Spaniards being
seen in the bushes for moment.
1t was not until then that the men
were permitted to load their carbines
When the order to load was given they
acted on it with a will, and displayed
the greatest eagerness to make an at
tack.
At this time the sound of firing was
heard a mile or two to the right, ap-
parently coming from the hills beyond
the thicket. II was the regulars reply
ing to the SpaniardS, who had opened
on them from the thicket. In addition
to a rapid rife fire. the boom of Hotch-
kiss guns could be heard
HAIL OF BULLETS.
Hardly two minutes elapsed before
Mauser rifles commenced to crack in
the thicket, and a hundred bullets
Whistled over the heads of the rough
riders. cutting leaves from the trees
and sending chips flying from the fence
posts by the side of the men. The
Spaniards had opened, and they poured
in heavy fire, which soon had most
disastrous effect. The troops stood
their ground, with the bullets singing
all around them.
Private Colby caught sight of the
Spaniards, and fired the opening shot
at them.
FISH SHOT DEAD.
Sergeant Hamilton Fish, jr., was the