The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-06-16


from small squads in various direc-
tious
Toward morning the fire slackened. |
Dawn is the favorite time for attack,
and, as the east paled, the marines |
.ying on their guns we're aroused.
Some we're actually asleep, as they had |
no rest for 4S hours and tired nature |
could no longer stand the strain. But
no attack came.
Three new 12-pound field guns,
which could not be used during the
night for fear of hitting our own men,
shelled several squads of Spaniards
after daylight. They dove into the
bushes like prairie dogs into burrows
as the shells broke over them in the
gray dawn. As the correspond.
ent talked with Maj Cockrell, who
was in charge of the out
posts, word came of the finding of the
body of Sergt Smith. He was re-
ported as having been killed at Ave
o'clock on the previous day, but it APP
pears that he had been seen alive at
ten o. clock in the evening. When and
how he was killed no one knows at
this writing. Neither had the men
been mustered nor had the outposts of
Lieut.. Neville and Shaw been relieved.
Lieut.-C Huntington and Maj
Cockrell gave high praise to the nerve
and steadiness of officers and men, es-
pecially the young ones, as the en-
gapement was baptism Of fire for
large majority. The men were in
darkness and in strange land. but
they stood to their posts with courage
and fortitude and there was no symp-
ton of panic
The marines, though very much ex-
hausted, were eager for more fighting,
promising to inflict heavy punishment.
They complimented the daring of the
Spaniards with characteristic camp
| profanity.
Sunday the amplest precautions were
taken and as the Dauntless left rein
| forcements were landing from the
| Marblehead. A stormy time was ex-
pected.
| Estimates vary as to the attacking
force, some say 200 and the figures run
as high as 1000. Col Campina, the
| Cuban guide, said the Spaniards were
mostly irregulars, but the reports of
the discharge of Mauser rifles would
indicate that they we're regulars, as
most of the guerillas carry Reming-
tons. The Cuban guerillas, as a rule,
have more dash and courage than the
regulars.
The new campaign uniforms prove
satisfactory and are almost invisible
at distance OF 200 yards The Lee
guns caused several accidents in draw
ing cartridges. Corporal Glass shat
tered his hand.
Despite the loss of the men, which is
keenly regretted, the marines rejoice
that they have been engaged in their
first fight on Cuban soil. They sailed
from New York the day war was de.
clared and expected to land within q
week at Havana. Since then. until
landed on the shore of Guantanamo
bay, they had been cooped up on the
Panther and they had begun to fear
that the troops would beat them after
all.
In controlling the outer harbor Of
Guam tanamo, where Lieut. Col Hunt
ington's battalion of marines landed
on Friday, RI. Adm. Sampson secures
possession of the Cuban terminus Of
the French cable to Rayti. The ap
paratus in the office at the harbol
mouth was wrecked by a shell but
the cable steamer Adria has instru
ments and operators aboard and di
rect communication with Washing
ton will soon be established. The dis
tance overland to Santiago around the
bay is about sixty miles and the roads
have been rendered impossible by ths
Cubans under Pedro Perez The frs
division of the Cuban army claims t.
have 1000 men, but these figures
are probably over estimated. Th'
Cubans believe that there arr
about $500 soldiers in the vicin
ity of Caimanera, which lie
at the entrance to the inner harbor
Guantanamo City is inland about Il
miles. The two harbors are connectet
by narrow channel. 1t is the QUITE
harbor which Adm. Sampson nov
holds with the Marblehead, the Yose
mite and the Vixen, and with battal
ion of marines on the crest of blum
topped eminence commanding tn
entrance on the western side. In tn
inner harbor are two small Spanisl
gunboats and at Caimanera there is
battery.
An expedition of three stear
launches, officered by Lieut. Norman
Ensign Eustis, son of Mr.. James I
Eustis, former United States ambassa
dor to France. and Cadet g. Van o.