The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-07
CAPRON BATTERED FORT.
Final Great Charge When the
Stronghold Was Taken.
cREELMAN DICTATED STORY.

july from Siboney, Cuba, sent the
following dispatch to his paper describ
ing the capture of FL Caney by oul
troops:
Tonight, as write this, the am.
bulance trains are bringing wounded
soldiers from the battle around the littis
inland village Of FL Caney. Siboney,
the base Is hospital-nothing more.
There is no saying where it will cease.
The tepta are crowded with the wound,
ed. Surgeons are busy with their nlef
chanical work. There is an odor of an
aesthetics and clatter of ambulanoes in
the one narrow street.
Under the fierce fire of artillery.
which it was scarcely supposed the
Spaniards had in store, the American
infantry and dismounted cavalry have
done their work. have been at the ar
tillery positions all day to see what our
guns could or could not do There is no
question to be raised of the skill or
courage Of the American gunners.
Their work was as near perfect as gun
merry gets to be. But there was no artil-
lery to speak Of. set out before day
break this morning on horseback with
Honore Laine, who Is q colonel in the
Cuban army and has served for months
rs newspaper correspondent in Cuba
We rode over the eight miles Of difficult
country which intervenes between the
army base ON the coast and the line
which is being driven forward toward
Santiago
We arrived at the front, ON the ridge
Of Ell Pozo, where our batteries were
assailing the advance line of the Santi-
ago defenses. El Pozo was i'll chosen as
the position Of our batteries, for the
Spaniards had formerly occupied it as
fort. They knew precisely the distance
to 1t from their guns and began their
fight with the advantage of perfect
knowledge Of the range. Upon white
house back Of the ridge their first shell
exploded in very unpleasant way,
leaving it's marks from foundation to
roof of the house, whose doors we were
approaching.
We turned here to the right toward
our battery on the ridge When we
were half way between the white house
and 3 battery the second shell which
the Spaniards fired burst above the
American battery, ten feet over the heads
of the men. Six of our fellows were
killed and 16 wounded. The men in the
battery wavered for minute and then
returned to their guns, and the firing
went on. We passed from there to the |
right again, where General Skaters |
war balloon was ascending. Six shells |
fell in this vicinity. Then our battery |
ceased firing. Smoke clouds from our |
guns were forming altogether too plain |
q target for the Spaniards. There was
no trace to be made out of the enemy's
fire, by reason Of their use of smokeless
powder.
OF far to the right Of the line of for
nation Captain Capron's artillery,
which had come through from Baiquiri
without rest, could be heard banging
away at Ell Caney. We had started with
a view to getting where we could OBJ
serve the artillery operations, SO we di-
rected our course thither We found
Captain Capron blazing away with four
guns where he should have had dozen.
He had begun shelling FL Caney at 4
O'Clock in the morning. It was now
noon, and he was still firing. He was
aiming to reduce the large stone fort
which stood ON the hill above the town
and commanded it. Since that time
dozens of shells had struck the fort, but
It was not yet reduced. It had been
much weakened, however. Through
glasses our infantry could be seen ad-
toward it, as the cannon at our
side would bang, and q shell would
swish through the air with its queru-
lous, vicious, whining note. The in
fantry firing was ceaseless. Our men
were popping away continuously, as a
string of frecrackers pops, and the
Spaniards were firing in volleys when
ever our men came in sight in the open
spaces Many times we heard this vol
ey fire and saw numbers of our brave
fellows pitch forward and lie still ON
the turf, while the others hurried on to
he next protecting clump of bushes
For hours the Spaniards poured their
Ire from Sits In the stone fort, from
heir deep trenches and from the win
lows Of the town. For hours our men
back from trees and brush and
,ulleys. For hours cannon at our doors
,anged and sheAs screamed through tho
'ir and fell upon the fort and town, and
always our infantry advanced, drawing
iearer and closing up ON the village,
i'll at last they formed under a group of
rees at the foot of the very hill ON
which the stone fort stood and with a
ush swept mp the slope. and the stone
ort was ours
Then you should have heard the yell
hat went mp from the knoll ON which
ur battery stood. Gunners, drivers,
,ubsns and correspondents swung their
ats and gave n mighty cheer. Immedi-
tely our batteries stopped firing for
ear we would hurt our own men, and,
ashing down into the valley, the bat Z
cries hurried across to take up a posi- I
lon near our own infantry, who were Z
ow firing on FL Caney from the block