Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-03
THEIR STRONGHOLD RUINED

'Si Faso nave fallen, and the fort M Aqua.
oores, just east OF MORO Castle. on the
coast has been blown to ruins by the
guns OF the feet. with the exception OF
ABOUT thousand troops who are guard
ing baiquiri and Juragua, the entire army
is engaged. together with 1000 of General
Sarcias Cuban troops. The men fought
sioriously. and If the same measure of
success which attended to-day's engage
ment follows the fighting of the next
'"ehty-four hours. the American flag viii
ny from Santago's wall on Sunday. Off
GERS and men are fully convinced that
the city will be theirs by tomorrow
night. The battle began Just at daylight
at point about eight miles from
Juragua and four miles northeast Of
the outer Notifications of Santiago. The
general order for an advance was issued
By General Shafter at dark last night.
and by midnight every man In the army
knew that a desperate struggle would
come with the dawn. The news put the
troops in fever OF excitement. and the
night was spent in cheering and singing,
the popular strain being, "There'll be hot
time in Santiago tomorrow"
HOW THE LINE FORMED.
At 4 O'Clock this morning hundreds OF
bugles rang out the reveille, and before
the sun had risen the great line was COM
plete. To the extreme left was General
Dufheld. with the Thirty-third Michigan.
his command having reached the Aqua
dores bridge by train. Next to the north
east. was General Kent's Division. a mile
and half from the sea, and held as
reserve force. The centre of the line was
held by cavalry division, which. until
General Wheeler arrived at noon. was
commanded by General Sumner. owing
TO General Young's illness, Colonel
Woods, of the Rough Riders, commanded
his brigade, which consisted Of the First
regulars, the First volunteers, and the
Tenth regular and one battalion of the
Ninth regular cavalry, all dismounted,
with the exception of two troops on the
extreme right, usder Generals Lawton
and Chafree, fully five miles from the
sea. 1t had been arranged that General
Dufiield should make a feint of attacking
Aguadores. in order to draw attention
from the main movement, and at
o'clock General Lawton's troops moved
forward, led by battery of the First Ar
tillery, under command OF Captain Allyn
-apron. Every man in the army carried
hree-days rations and ammunition to
match; and every one knew that he was
not expected to return to camp until
Santiago had fallen.
THE FIRST SHOT.
The first shot was fred from the bat |
cry at GAO by Captain Capron, whose |
on, Captain Allyn X. Capron, of the |
Rough Riders, was killed at Sevilla. The
hot was directed at Caney, where the
paniards were in force. and it fell in the
cart of the town. The firing continued |
or twenty minutes without response. In
he mean time the cavalry division had
moved forward on the main Santiago
rail. headed by a light battery Of the
econd Artillery, under Captain Grimes.
he movement Of this battery was a
task, owing to the mud in
ne valley and a steep hill. Under the
fire of the cavalrymen, the
paniards in the little town of Ell Paso
etreated, and Captain Grimes's battery
,ok up a position there and began a
lpid firing into Caney. The guns of the
NO batteries made the place so hot that
le enemy finally retired, having no ar
llery.
The town was surrounded by rough
irtbworks and lines of barbed wire.
A RAKING FIRE.
After the enemy had been driven from
Paso twenty-one shots were fired by
aptain Grimes and Captain Capron
ON that position into the outer fortif
atoms of Santiago before a response
me. When 1t did come, however, it
me with unexpected accuracy. the
lots being from g. and 5-inch rapid-fire
hes. evidently taken from Admiral Ger
,ra's warships and mounted behind the
The Spanish gunners
ked the hill on which were the head
Iarters of General Sumner and the Gu
n Generals Garcia, Castillo, Capote.
d Rabi. One shell struck a large
gar storehouse, on the red corrugated
of of which stood ten Cubans viewing
Q fight The roof fell and all of the
bans were wounded, and three of them t
:! die.
CUBANS AND COWBOYS.
4 detachment of 200 Cubans went for
lrd from Ell Paso and then Colonel o
God with tho Rough Riders, the First S
d Tenth Cavalry started down the hill t.
les straight for the enemy's fortlfica- "
ms. h