The news & observer., 1898-06-24
The Insurgents
rs WatGh Dogs
Five thousand of These Gallant Fighters in the Mountain
Fastnesses and Dark ThCkets Lay All Night on
Their Arms, Watching With Argus Eyes Every
Road and Mountain Path Leading from
Santiago de Cuba to Guantanamo.

left. The flames were watched with in
terest from the ships. Two sharp ex-
plosions were heard. At first they were
thought TO be report Of guns from Span
ish masked batteries, but they proved
to he the explosion of ammunition in
the burning building.
Three hours waiting made the men
on the transports impatient to get ashore
and in action, and every move or the
warships was closely watched by the
soldiers.
A little before 10 o'clock the lombard
ment Of the batteries of Jaragua was be-
gun by the ships of Rear ADMIRAL Samp
sons fleet. This was evidently feint
to cover the real point of attack, .Jara-
qua being about half way between Bal
quiri and Santiago de Cuba. The bonn
hardment lasted about twenty minutes.
The scene then quickly shifted back
to the great semi-eircle of the trans
port feet before Baiquiri
AT $40 o'clock the New Orleans opened
fire with a gun that sent q shell rumbling
and crashing against the hillside. Tue
Detroit, Wasp. Machias and Suwanee
followed and soon the hillsides and the
valleys seemed to be ablaze, rs shot fol-
lowed shot in swift succession amid the
wild and excited cheering Of the SCI
diers on the transports.
In five minutes the sea was alive with
hotillas of small boats, headed by
1 launches, speeding for Baiquiri's dock.
Some Of the boats were manned by
crews of sailors. while others were
rowed by the soldiers themselves. Each
boat contained sixteen mea, every one
i'm fighting trim and carrying three days
ratiOns, Il shelter tent, Il gun ana two
hundred cartridges ready TO take the
field on touching the shore should they
be required to do so. The firing of the
warships, however, proved to be need
less precaution, as their shots were not
returned and no Spaniards We're visible
Two correspondents of the Associated
Press. in Il small boat, joined the first
notilla that went ashore and witnessed
the inspiring sight of landing.
General Shafter on board the Seguran-
ca. closely watched the landing of the
troops.
Brigadier Lawt0n, who had been de-
tailed to command the landing party
led the way in a launch accompanied
hy his staff. and directed the formation
OF the line Of operation
The Eighth (regular) infantry was the
first regiment to land, followed by Gen
eral Shafter's old regiment, the First III
fantry. Then came the Twenty-iifth III.
fantry, the Second infantry, the Tenth
| infantry, the Fifteenth infantry, the Sew
enteenth infantry and the Twelfth in.
fantry. the Second Massachusetts regi-
ment. and deta achment Of the Ninth
cavalry.
The boats rushed forward simutane-
ously from every quarter, in good na-
tured rivalry to be first, and their oc-
cupants scrambled over one another to
leap ashore.
AS the boats tossed about i'm the surf
breaking against the pier, getting ashore
was no easy matter. The soldiers had
to throw their rifles on the dock before
they could climb up themselves and some
hard tumbles resulted, but nobody was
hurt.
}, At the end of the pier the companies
and regiments quickly lined up and
marched away.
: General Lawton threw a strong de-
tachment to the night about six miles
west. on the road to Santiago and anoth-
Z er detachment was posted to the north
Of the town, among the hills. The rest
of the troops were quartered in the
town, some Of them being housed in The
buih.ngs Of the Iron company Others
of the troops were quartered IN deserted
houses, while others still preferred the
shelter of their tents in the adjoining
fields.
:: The mornings fire, it was seen. de-
stroyed the round house. the repair shops
and several small dwellings.
The town was deserted when tho
J troops landed, but men and children
: came from the surrounding thickets and
: returned to their homes.
The sun-br0nzed soldiers, in their
slouch hats and service uniforms quicIs-
" searched the buildings and beat III
the thickets after landing in search of
lurking foes. and marched into the nm
+. known country beyond at nightfall. with
: long swinging strides and the alert bear
! ing Of the old frontier army men. ready
7 to tight the Spaniards, Sioux fashion, or