The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1898-06-17
Four Americans
are Killed.
.GJERRILLAS MEET Marines
Engagement Lasted Thirteen
HOurs---Spanlsh Loss Not
Ascertained, as They
Hastily Reiterated.

Associated Press dispatches via |
Mole st. Nicholas, Hayti, state that !
Lieutenant Colonel r. W. Hunting
tons battalion of marines, which |
landed from the transport Panther on
Friday and encamped on the hill
guarding the abandoned cable station
at the entrance to the harbor of Guam
tanamo, was engaged in beating off a
bush attack Of Spanish guerrillas and
Spanish regulars from 3 o'clock Satur-
day afternoon to 6 o'clock Sunday
morning.
The fighting was almost continuous
for fifteen hours until Sunday, when
reinforcements we're landed from the
Marbehead.
-Four Of our men we're killed and one
wounded The advance pickets under
Lieutenants Neville and Shaw are I'M
accounted for.
List of Americans Killed.
Assistant Surgeon John Blair Gibbs
was among the killed. Surgeon Gibbs
is a son of Major Gibbs of the regular
army, who fell at the Custer massacre.
His home was at Richmond, Va, but
he has been practicing in New York,
and he entered the service since the
war began. He was a very popular
officer: The others killed are:
Sergeant Charles H. Smith, of
Smallwood.
Private William Dunphy, Of Glou-
cester, Mass.
Private James McColgan, of Stone
ham, Mass.
Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but
it was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight at
the position the Spandiards occupied
indicate fatalities, but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets a thousand
yards inland from the camp. Cap
tain Spicers company was doing guard
duty, and was driven in, finally rally
ing and repulsing the enemy at 5
o'clock
The bodies of Priyates McColgan
an Dunphy were found, both shot lin
the head.
The large cavities caused by the bull
let's, which inside a range of 500 yards
have a rotary motion, indicate the vic
Tins were killed at close range
The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
mutilated with machetes. When they
were brought in the whole battalion
formed three sides of a hollow square
about the camp on the hilltop. Below
in the bay were warships at aS Choir.
Inland from the hill camp is deep
ravine, and beyond this is high hills.
The country adjacent is heavy with a
J thicket growth
The sky was blanketed with clouds,
and when the sun set gale was blow
ing seward. Night fell thick and i'm
penetrable.
3 The Spanish squads concealed in the
chaparral cover had the advantage, the
Americans on the ridge furnishing fine
8 targets against the sky and white tents.
The Spaniards fought from cover till
, midnight, discoverable only by flames,
l at which the marines fired volleys The
: repeaters sounded like crackers in 6
o barrel.
The Marblehead launched Coll
machine gun in her bow, pushed W
, the bay, enflading the Spaniards, anC
+ it is thought that some were killed.
y Estimates vary as to the attacking
: force, some say 200 and the figures run
as high as 1000. Colonel Campina
I the Cuban guide, said the Spaniard
/, we're mostly irregulars, but the re
+ ports of the discharge of Mauser rife
4 would indicate that they were regulars
as most Of the guerrillas carry Reming
tons. The Cuban guerrillas, as a rule
Q have more dash and courage than tn
> regulars.
i Lieutenant Colonel Huntington an,
d Major Cockrell gave high praise to tn
nerve and steadiness of officers an,
. men, especially the young ones, as tn
y engagement was a baptism of fire TO
y a large majority. The men were il
J. darkness and in a strange land, bu