Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-04
GEN. KEAT'S REPORT
Thrilling Story Of the Battle
at Santiago.
DESPERATE ENGAGEMENT.
Gaitnnt Officers and intrepid Men OF ,h,.
American A.my Push Forward Tn.
DIR Death Dealing Fire
From The Enemy.
DESPERATE ENGAGEMENT

Correspondence of Associated: Press
HEADQUARTERS OF THE FIRST
DIVISION OF THE FIFTH ARMY
CORES. NEAR SANTIAGO Dt. l'IIHA.
July -, s"S.-Major General Shafter
ni'Vthg authorized the publication .:
,le "iilSiaI report of Brigadier General
J Ford Kent. OF the battle of July |
and ). a certified copy of thc,r.por.
IS now furnished the Associated Press
~ MAJOR y. Z. Sharpe, assistant aG-
Julaht general. first division, fifth army
corps. - ~ ''''
The opening portions of th., repor,
,ital VAIN orders given and the frs,
i toward movement towards san Juan
hiii on tht. morning Of July L. li.. de-
t:tiS ms inspection Of the enemys Dos
,ion made at tn. front. and the operlil,.
OF the fire by Grimes battery. III. ihen
continues:
Having completed the observation
WIN my staff. !! rroceedcd to join the
ieau OF my division just coming under
helVy hre We We're already suffering
losses caused by the balloon nearby at
lractinE fire ana disclosing our position.
Ihe, enemy's infantry fire s;cadilv
lii'lH.lSlnS III intensity. now came. from |
~ injections. not only from the front
ana the dense tropical ;hickets on n,,r |
hanks. but from sharpshouters thickIy |
POSED IN trees in our rear and from |
Sifaphci. apparently aimed at tho bll-
n l3o,: l.l"utenant Colonel Dirhy. or
ShitltcrS staff, met me about this ,,ns
ana informed me of a trail or ,arrn,v
wayfthat had been discovered from ,ho
oaim"n Il short distance bacl. leading
:" we 'eI' on the ford lower du~n The
Streani. ! FASTENED to the forks mad,
pS ms road and soon after the sew
ehtS-trst regiment, of Hawkins bri-
gaze, came up. turned them into tho
n ns PAN ~. iidicated by Lieutenant Col
onel pirby leading to the lower ford
sendlnE word 70 General Hawkins uc
inns movement. This would have
T nl.e', delivered them in their proper
under the calling fire of III. enemy
'he leading battalion of this regimen.
was thrown into confusion and rccnil,,1
"a disorder on the troops in the rear. !.
nv ',l's g Gri.lSal moment the officers o:
my san practically formed n Gordon
pefind the panic stricken men ana urr
:, ~ mem 70 again so forward final :
~ ordered them to lie down in ~.
their n,, .',u G.Gar inc way for others 0:
-, .,ei. o"il regiment. who were coming ),
up behind. This many of them 40; !, u
and The second and third ba tt:, a,' !;
came forward in better order and :
moved along the roads toward th. ford .
one or my staff officers ran barl, ,ynv- :,
ht ms nat 10 hurry forward the Third -
c ol.sade. who upon approaching the !,
.o,.s, round the way blocked by the -
New York. There uarr l.
'ther men of this regiment crouchinr -
u inc bushes. many Of whom were on J..
outraged by the advance of the an !.
, .ara column to arise and 80 for j,
- l,.,
on as quickly as / could toward me =;
iHeI IN column or files Of twos paral ~
e 81, IN .he narrow way by the cavalry.
w, ing 20 ne c"nGestcd condition or
iis ROAD. The progress Of the narrow. f.
-nainfnlly SLOW =,
again sent a Staff officer at a gallon "
he head of Wolfes brigade reached
he forks ri l2:20 p NJ and hurried !.
II to The left. stepping over prostr;,te >,
'rms OF men of the Seventy first. This =,
erioc brigade consisting Of the .rhir- -
zenith, Ninth and Twenty-fourth Uni To-
I'd States infantry speedily crossed 81
ne stream and were quickly aeployed ~
the left Of the lower ford, While 60
ersnnallN experimenting this move I"
cent Colonel Wolfe was killed. the a,
Of the brigade then l.volvinc pi
pom Lieutenant Colonel Worth. Thir- s,
zenith Infantry. who Immediately fell Il,
.vercly wounded, and then upon Lieu I'll
enant Colonel Liscum. Twenty-fnlrh
lfantrN. who, five minutes later also {
III under the whitening fire Of the en-
NY. The command Of the brigade 4,
zen devolvcd upon Lieutenant Colonel I.
. p. I-w"rs Ninth Infantry.
rossins the lower fork few minutes
tier, the Tenth and Second assembled re-,
he high ridge beyond. driving back {,
lie enemy in the direction of his h;,
'enches. Colonel Z. p. Pearson. SUI
enth infantry. commanding the see So,
al brigade. and the officers and troops Sis
nder ms command. deserve great wi
edit for the soldierly manner in which Of
lis movement was executed. I earn bv
silly recommend Colonel Pearson for m
Prior to this advance OF la,
he Second brigade, the Third connect ed
'g with Hawkins gallant troops on thu wl
.ht. had moved toward Fort san SO,
IAN. sweeping through n zone of most ma
=structire fire. scaling steep and go
ficult hill. and assisting in capturing
1c enemy's strong position Fort San
n. NJ
bout l2o feet above the general levc, C.;
nd was defended by deep trenches
nd q loop holed fort. surrounded by
arbed Wire entanclcmcnts
Credit is almost equally due the
'xth. Ninth. Thirteenth. Sixteenth w.
nd Twenty fourth regiments of in '' ~,
'ntrE. The Thirteenth regiment cap .'
'red the enemy's colors. waving over l'f
le fort but unfortunately destroyed ca
'enh, distributing the fragments or
n1nng the men. The greatest credit iii
due to the officers Of my command ti'
neither company, battalion regiment | tt
brigade commanders who so admit | pr
IDLY directed the formation of their ri
oops. unavoda bly, inlermxed in the I "a
ense thicket, and made the desperate IN,
lsh for distant and strongly defend
crest. l have already mentioned
le circumstances of my third brigade's
dvance across the ford, where in the
rlef space Of ten minutes it lost its -,
rave commanded killed. and the next yer
Ia
'nunds. Vet, in spite Of these confus- .i'
ig conditions, the formations wer" cf- 20
:cted without hcsitaton although un- -
er q singing fire. Companies acting 10"
ng!y m some circumstances by bar ~
tiion and regiment in others rushing w
trough the Jungle across the stream .
aust deep and over the wide bottom
iickly set With barbed wire entanl,lc- +.
ents. IN this connection I desire TO
lftlcularly mention First Lieutenant e,;
yendeil l.. Simpson. adjutant, Ninth ms
taHtrys acting assistant to general of FOL
iIru brigade: VINO was nnuccably err
.tiTe and efficient in carrying out or
-rs which had given him TO transmit tn
oiS brigade commander. who no lon lsl
.r existed The enemy having retired ~.
second line of rifle pits / directed -,
" line 10 hold their positions and en- 49,
thch. At ten minutes past F. NJ va
'ceiVed almost simultaneously two re- "a
u@Sts, one from Colonel Wood com ="
cayariy brigade and one IA
ON General Sumner asking for az. 'ol