Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-07-07
Copyrighted by Associated Press.

On Board the Associated Press Boat
Dandy, OF Juragua, Friday. via King
ston, July 3.-The battle of Santiago
has ragged all day and at o'clock this
afternoon $4,000 American troops are
laundering at the outer Notifications
OF the doomed city. Since daybreak
Gen. Skaters force has fought its
gay across two and half miles of
Utterly contested and strongly forti
fed country; and the entire line from
the left to the right is within gunshot
I Santiago town. The American loss
thus far is estimated at the hospital
crps headquarters at 20 killed and
so wounded, but it will be hours be-
fore the death roll can be actually
given. Lieutenant Colonel Patterson
of the 22d infantry, is the only officer
known to have been wounded and he
was not fatally hurt. The Spanish
killed and wounded are undoubtedly
numbered by the hundreds.
The Spanish strongholds of Caney
and Ell Paso have fallen and the fort
OF Aguadores, just east of MORO
castle, on the coast, has been blown to
ruins by the guns of the feet. With
the exception Of about 1000 troops who
are guarding Baiquiri and Juragua. the
entire army is engaged, together with
1000 of Gen. Garcia's Cuban troops
The men fought gloriously, and the
officers and men are fully convinced
that the city will be theirs by tomor-
row night. The battle began just at
daylight, at a point about eight miles
from Juragua, four miles northeast
OF the other Notifications of Santiago.
The general order for an advance was
issued by Gen. Shafter at dark last
night, and by midnight every nan in
the army knew that a desperate strug-
gle would come with the dawn. At 4
this morning hundreds of bugles rang
out the reveille before the
sun had risen and the great
line was complete. To the extreme
left was Gen. Duffield, with the thirty
third Michigan, his command having
re~ched Aguadores bridge by train.
Next to him northeast was Gen. Kent's
division, a mile and a half from the
sea and held as a reserve force. The
center of the line was held by the
cavalry division. which, until Gen.
Wheeler arrived at noon, was COM
manded by Gen. Sumner. Owing to
Gen. Young's illness Col. Woods, of
the rough riders, commanded his b :.
gade, which consisted of the first reg
ulars, first volunteers, tenth regulars
and one battalion of the ninth regular
cavalry, all mounted with the excep-
ton of two troops, at the extreme
right. Gen. LawtOn and Chaffee were
fully five miles from the sea. Gen.
Duffield was to make feint of attack
ing AguadOres in order to draw atten-
tion from the main movement, and at
Gen. Lawton's troops moved forward,
led by the battery of the first artillery
under command of Captain Allyn Cap
ron. Every man in the army carried
three days rations and ammunition
to match.
Gen. LaWtOns division opened the
ball with a thirteen-pound shot, quick
~ followed by others. The infantry
opened fire Immediately afterwards.
At $40 a. m. Gen. Garcia advanced
rapidly through the brush in the val
ley, meeting with no opposition and
Gen. Lawton advanced along to the
north slope, the infantry and artillery
uylIy. Captain Grimes guns
had just gallOped to the plateau in
grand style and opened fire. The
telegraph line, La Brunette superin-
t@nding. kept up with the advance in
fac style An observation balloon
was intiat ed yesterday for the first time
and made three successful experiment
tai ascents, the car holding six men.
The first shot was fired from the
battery at $40 by Captain Capron,
whose son, Captain Allyon K. Capron,
of the rough riders, was killed in bat
tie at Sevilla. The shot was directed
at Caney, where the Spaniards were
in force and it fell in the heart of the
town. The firing continued twenty
minutes without response. Meantime
the cavalry division had moved for
ward on the main Santiago trail,
headed by the light battery of the Sec
ond artillery. under Captain Grimes
The movement of this battery was a
heart-breaking task, owing to the mud
in the valley and the steep hill. I'm
der the musketry fire of the cavalry
men, the Spaniards in the little town
of Ell Paso retreated and Captain
Grimes battery took up a position
there and began rapid firing into
Caney. The guns of the two batteries
made the place so hot that the enemy
finally retired, having no artillery.
The town was surrounded by rough
earthworks and lines of barbed wire
After the enemy had been driven from
Ell Paso, q shots were fired by Captain
Grimes and Captain Capron from that
position into the outer iortifca-
tons Of Santiago before a response
came. When it did come, however, il
came with unexpected accuracy, the
shots being from three and fiye-inch
rarid-fire rifles, evidently taken from
Admiral CerVera's warships anC
mounted behind the Notifications. The
Spanish gunners raked the hill OF
which Ell Paso stands which meantime
had been made the headquarters O.
Gen. Sumner AMI the Cuban generals
Garcia, Castillo, Capote and Rabi.
One shell struck large sugar hous'
on the roof of which stood ten Cuban
viewing the fight. The roof fell AM
all the Cubans were wounded, three
200 Cubans went forward from z
Paso then and Col. Wood, with tn
rough riders and the first and tent