The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03

supported by Captain Capron's battery.
Captain Kents division in the center and
General wheeler's division on the left. sup
ported by Captain Grimess battery, plant
ed on a hill. formed a line which stretched
across the whole width of the basin in
which Santiago lies distance of fully five
miles. Immediately in front of General
houses and intrenchments and against this
point We're the operations directed. Beyond
the San Juan river, two thousand yards be-
fore the center and left lay line of in
trenchments. a mile west of the city. These
two divisions were covered by heavy tan
gled underground between the San Juan and
the Rio Guiana. on the extreme left. on
the heights beyond Captain Grimess bat
terry, behind which, in the shelter of an old
sugar house, where the rear cavalry divi-
sion was massed, were General Dufields
Michigan volunteers. who moved out at
daylight over the line of railroad from
Giboney.
The Americans had the advantage of the
sun in the morning which shone directly in
the enemy's faces. The engagement opened
when the fleet lying outside the entrance
to the harbor began dropping shells into the
lower end Of the Spanish earthworks. This
firing. which was entirely by bearings was
not effective.
At 7:20 the land engagement opened with
firing from Captain Caprons battery on the
extreme right upon the blockhouses and en-
trenchments before Caney. This was fol-
lowed quickly by simultaneous attacks by
General Chaffee and Colonel Ludlow, who
occupied thanking position to the north
The Spanish replied with great spirit and
nerve when shells burst directly over
their trenches. A few minutes before
o'clock Captain Grimes opened with his bat
terry on the heights to the right Of the main
redoubt, situated in the center of the Span
ish line of Entertainments, directly before
the city
The Spanish reply was immediate and
wonderfully accurate. The second or third
Of their shells broke over one of Captain
Grimes's guns, killing two men and wound
ing four. Both the Spanish and American
batteries used shrapnel. The next Spanish
shell burst just beyond the battery and
riddled a sugar house behind which COL
Woods's Rough Riders were waiting a
forward movement. 1t was from this ele-
walton that the English, German and Jap
anese artillery attaches viewed the engage
ment. Captain Grimess shells, set for a
range of $500 yards, slightly overshot the
mark 1t was difficult to locate the Spanish
guns, as they used smokeless powder, and
in this. the first artillery duel we had the
worst of it.
Up to this time there had been no infantry
fire except on the extreme right, where the
Spanish were being hard pressed by Gems.
Chaffee and Lawton. About $50 q balloon
was sent up in front of the cavalry divi-
sion. This drew the first volley from the
Spanish entertainments. Though volley fol-
lowed volley, the daring officers made re-
connoisance and got down safely, after
having obtained complete details of the dis
position of the enemy. The advance Of the
cavalry and General Kent's division imme-
diateIy began along the line of the main
road to Santiago.
1t was about two hours later before our
advance began by crawling through the
cover in front of the Spanish trenches. 1t
was met by murderous hail from Mauser
rifles which temporarily stayed the for
ward movement. The Spanish had the
range and their practice was good. Our
men lay on their breasts and poured volley
after volley into them at a range so close
that the opposing lines could see the whites
of each others eyes.
,aptain Grimes then reopened with his
battery. and in the second duel with the
Spanish artinerists did much better execu-
ton, planting shell after shell in the first
main redoubt and silencing two guns The
Spanish gunners then turned their atten-
ton to our infantry and began dropping
shells in the advance guard.
few minutes afterward Clark's brigade
and the right of Kent's division made a
gallant charge up the knoll to the north of
the extreme left of the Spanish line and
took possession of the hacienda in the shell
ter of an orange grove. This marked the be-
ginning of a magnificent charge through
the first line of entertainments. The cavalry
division and General Hawkins's brigade
charged up the slope against a storm of
death
1t was in this awful charge that our men
were so badly cut up that they started on
a double-quick, but no troops could face
such terrible fire without humiliation. Our
men staggered. threw themselves on the
ground. Again they started, again they pros
trated themselves, but on, on, up. up, they
went until with a cheer they sprang over
the trenches dividing the sides of the hill
checkered with their fallen comrades. There
was hand-to-hand fighting here, in which
officer of the Twenty-fourth was macheted.
but the Spaniards could not resist the on
set of our troops and they scrambled out
of the trenches and broke over the line of