The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-13
Advance PiGkGtS Of Americans Un-
accounted for.
SPANISH LOSS MORE SEVERE
Our Dead a Surgeon Sergeant and
Two PriVdteS.

Copyright, 1885, by the Associated Press.
On Board the Associated Press Dispatch
Boat Dauntless, off Guantanamo. Sunday,
June p, via Mole st. Nicholas, Hayti,
June 12-Lieut. Col. r. w. Huntington's
battalion of marines, which landed from
the transport Panther on Friday and en-
camped on the hill guarding the aband-
oned cable station at the entrance to the
outer harbor of Guantanamo. has been en-
gagged in beating off a bush attack by
Spanish guerillas and regulars since
o'clock Saturday afternoon.
The fighting was almost continuous for
thirteen hours until O'Clock this morn
ing, when reinforcements were landed
from the Marblehead.
Four of our men were killed and one
wounded
The advance pickets under Lieuts. Ne
Vile and Shaw are unaccounted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Surgeon
John Blair Gibbs, son of Maj. Gibbs of
the regular army, who fell in the Custer
massacre His home was at Richmond,
VA but he had 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
Gloucester, Mass.
PRIVATE JAMES McCoLGAN of
Stoneham, Mass.
CORPORAL GLASS was accidently
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it was
probably considerable.
The splashes of blood found at daylight
at the positions the spaniards occupied
indicated fatalities. but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desultory
firing at the pickets, thousand yards in
land from the camp. Capt. spicers com
pany was doing guard duty and was
driven In. finally rallying on the camp ana
repulsing the enemy at o'clock.
The bodies of Privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot in the
head
The large cavities caused by the bullets,
which, inside range Of 500 yards have a
rotary motion, indicate that the victims
were killed at close range.
The bodies were stripped Of cartridge
belts and horribly mutilated with ma
chetes.
When they were brought in the whole
battalion formed three sides of a hollow
square about the camp on the hilltop Be-
low in the bay were the warships at an
Choir
Inland from the hilltop is deep ravine,
and beyond this are high hills. The ad-
lappDf country is very heavy with a
thicket growth.
The sky was blanketed with clouds, and
when the sun set a gale was blowing sea-
ward. Night fell, thick and impenetrabie
The Spanish squads concealed in the
chapparal cover had the advantage, the
Americans on the ridge furnishing fine
targets against the sky and the white
tents.
The spanlards fought from cover til
midnight, discoverable only by flashes, at
Which the marines fred volleys. Tne rex
peaters sounded like crackers in a barrel
The Marblehead launch, a Colt machine
gun in her bow, pushed up the bay en-
n!ading the Spaniards, and IL is thought
that some were killed.
The marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost it.
sharks are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships throw their search lights
ashore, the powerful electric eyes sweeping
the deep tropic foliage and disclosing oc-
casionally skullling parties of spaniards.
IT all resembled a transformation scene
the harbor.
Each discovery of the enemy was greeted
by the cracks of carbine fire along the edge
of the camp ridge or by the long roll of the
idunch's machine sun, searching The thick
cts with a leaden stream.
Shortly after midnight came the main
attack. The Spaniards made a gallant
charge up the southwest slope. but were
met by repeated volleys from the main
body and broke before they were one
third OF the way up the hill; but they
came so close that at points there was
almost a hand-to-hand struggle. The Of
ficers used their revolvers.
Three Spaniards got through the omen
formation to the edge of the camp col
Jose Campina, the Cuban guide. discharg-
ed his revolver, and they, turning ana find
ing themselves without support ran beIter
skelter down the reverse side of the hin
II was during this assault that Agsig-
tant Surgeon Gibbs was killed
He was shot in the head in front Of his
own tent, the farthest point Of attack.
He fell into the arms of Private sulli.
van and both dropped A second bullet
threw dust IN their faces
Surgeon Gibbs lived ten minutes. but did
not regain consciousness.
The surgeons Of the hospital corps then
removed thejs quarters beyond the