New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-14
THE FIGHT AT Ell CANEY.
A SPANISH OFFICER DESCRIBES THE EN-
GAGEMENT.

GAGEMENT
THE BRILIIANCE AND DARING OF THE AMERl-
CAN ATTACK AND GOODNESS AND STUB
BoRNNEss OF THE SPANISH
DEFENCE
Santiago de Cuba. Aug. 2-One OF the few sur
viving Spanish officers at the battle OF I'll
Caney. fought on July l. aid on General
Vara del Reys STAFF and present at the death
Of that officer. has related his impressions of
the engagem mt. The narrative which is told
in the officers own words. gives the Spanish
view Of one Of the hardest fought battles Of the
war lie said:
"Brigadier General Joaquin Vara del Rey. In
command Of the Brigade of San Luis. composed
Of three companies Of the Goth Regulars. num-
herring 1914 men and ~ guerillas, was ordered
by General Linares to proceed from San Luis 70
Santiago there to reinforce the garrison in the
city
I'VE left San Luis on June %. marched to FL
Pozo ard thence to Santiago where we stayed
forty-elght hours. when were ordered out 10
Caney to strengthen the left flank Of the Span
ish lines We arrived there on the 18th in the
evening after an uneventful march.
The ia men Of General Vara del Rey's COM
nland were the only troops at Caney. and were
never reinforced The 467 regulars were armed
with Mausers and the ~ guerlas with Rem
ington rifles.
PREPARING FOR THE ATTACK.
ION the afternoon OF the Both noticed a
balloon ascending IN the air about quarter oi
an hour After it's descent we saw the enemy
pick w their tents and move then camp. Dut az
the night was falling were unable to locate
their new position, although We guessed at II
pretty correctly.
we hurriedly dug trenches about three teet
deep In which the men fired kneeling. we
worked in thu trenches and breastworks all
through the night assigned the men 10 their
posts and placed thirty regulars in the tort
or bockhouse known as FL Paraiso, rearing
surprise from the enemy
"Our fears proved only too well grounded. for
n, daybreak the next morning July !. the first
shell from the enemy's guns fell in the town.
The Americans simultaneously opened with
four rapid fire guns and kept up a volcanic
fire until 3 D. m We had no artillery with
which TO reuly. and soon realized that we had
the fight OF our lives on our hands All the
ammunition We had were twelve mule loads o,
eight cases each a total Of ninety-sIx thousand
rounds.
SPLENDID COURAGE OF THE AMERICANS.
sw.red with equal -apidlty. have never seen
ANYTHING to equal the courage and dash or those
Americans who. stripped TO the waist Offering
their naked breasts 10 our murd,rous fire. 1T
orally threw themselves on our trenches, on the
very muzzles Of our guns.
"Our execution must have been terrible. We
! had the advantage OF our position. and moved
/ thern down by the hundreds. but they never re-
treated fell back an inch AS one man ie'i
"a
ulace with grim determination and unfinching
devotion TO duty in every line or his race Ihe'r
galantry was heroic. We wondered AT 'nese
men. who fought like Ions and feIl IKE ihei,
courtlng a Wholesale massacre. when couid
well have been avoided. had they only kept UP
their firing with )ut stOrming our trenches
"Our stock 81 ammunition VAS dwindlng fast'
We we're losing men rapidly and were hghtlng
the battle 81 despair. the inevitable staring US
I'm the face General Nara del Rey was s'ahnlns
In the square opposite the church when Word
was brought 10 him that the last round had
been served 10 the men. This was about =
/ o'clock in the afternoon. He at once gave me
order 10 retreat, crying TO his men. SaiVese
| quicn pueda"
DEATH OF GENERAL vARA DEL REY.
Hardly had no given the order before he fell.
shot through both legs one OF his aids. Leu
tenant Joaquin Dominguez. turned to the Cen
erai "a he fell exclaiming General. what
/ slaughter" bullet took the top clean of his
skull. killing him on the spot.
In the mean time ! had secured stretcher
and ordered four men TO place the General on II
and carry him 10 n place OF safety. Bullets were
whizzng past us and falling like hall all
around II seemed that fate was against us.
Is they placed him on the stretCher General
Vara del Rey was shot through the head ana
killed All four lltter-bearers were shot. and
Lieutenant Antonio Nara del Rey, brother ana
aid 10 the General. was wounded and taken
prisoner Earlier in the day Majors Aguero
and Aragon both on the Generals staf. had
GERS were shot and We had 80 men killed and
wounded
AT General Vara del Rey's death all took
flight running down the hill and toward the
GODS and underbrush, in mad effort TO get
away with their lives. Toward evening small
bands Of struggling. wornout soldiers began to
arrive I'm Santiago and at $50 O'Clock that
/ night Lieutenant Colonel Punet came In with
10, men. whom he had been able to rally and
bring into the city in some sort OF order.
None Of the blockhOuses in the surrounding
country were engaged that day. but in the early
morning shell from the American lines fell
In the san Miguel blockhouse setting II on fire
ana killing seven men.
We estimated the enemy forces engaged at
I III Caney on July | at three thousand men, and
their artillery al four rapid-fre guns. IL was
the hardest fighting | have ever seen or ever
care 10 see The brilllancy and daring or the
/ American attack were only equalled by the cool
ness and stubhOrnness OF the Spanish defence
THE report that the body OF General Nara
del Roy had never been recovered Is untrue. IL
was buried by the American troops. and his
grave was marked with a wooden cross A
decoration found on his breast was unpinned
and later handed 10 General Toral by General
Shafter."
TREAT PRAISES THE WAR REVENUE LAW.