Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-05-26
ABILENE WEEKLY REFLECTOR ABILENE KANSAS MAY % B98-7wELW PAGES

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something that at first looked like Q
hedge or q picket fence but In Q few
seconds more as the fog cleared up
1t was seen to be force of infantry
IN line Of battle, forming two sides
OF 3 hollow square with two field
pieces at the angle ready for action.
The enemy had suspected that We
were on their front end were pre-.
pared to receive ". Mingled exclam.
atoms Of surprise and CONSERVATION
rap up and down the line. Would
the general order Q charge on re-
treatf Opinions on this point were
about evenly divided. There was an
embarrassing walt Of half minute
Gomez was taking in the situation
before deciding what to do. The
Spaniards, uncertain whether we
were Cubans or Spanish guerrillas
who had come out to meet them,
hesitated to open fire. But the sus-
pense was soon over. From where
Gomez and his staff were waiting
came the quick, jerky ra-ta-ta-ta-ta
Of the headquarters bugle sounding
the charge. The effect was magical
and instantaneous. The moments
that followed were, 1t seems to me,
worth some years Of humdrum ex.
istence. and it would be mighty
poor sort Of man whose heart would
not thrill as his mind went back to
that wild charge across the Cuban
savanna. The whole line moved for
ward, first at trot, and then at a
gallop.
The Cubans we'a firing over the
heads of their horses as they advanc-
ed, with Winchester and Remington
carbines, while above the terrific din
rose the yells Of Viva! Viva Cuba!
Adelante, adelante! Arriba, arriba!
We had covered scarcely forty
yards, when blaze of light broke
along the whole front of the Spanish
line, followed in few seconds by
another, and then another, while at
each discharge the air about us
seemed full of the spiteful cracking
of Mauser bullets. The scene that
followed is beyond description. Men
and horses were falling on every
side, while above the crash of rife
volleys and the booming of cannon
rose the frantic cheers Of the Gu
bans and the thunder Of nearly 1000
hoofs. The Spanards gave us six
perfect volleys, emptying the maya
zines Of their rifles. but their fire
after that was at will and rather
wild--usually too high.
But It does not take long for horses
to gallop 400 yards, and in a short
time we were upon them. The Gu.
bans showed no disposition to force
their horses on to the bayonets and
come to close quarters with the ma
chete, but rode furiously up and dis
charged their revolvers in the faces
of the Spanish infantry and did good
execution. The Spanards, who at
the beginning of the charge had done
such perfect volley firing, were now
shooting wildly. All had their rifles
at the hip instead Of at the shoulder,
and were madly nmping bullets into
the air; and, incredible as it may
seem. even at that close range the
greater part of their fire was pass
ing over our heads. We were so close
to the Spanish line that we could dis
tinguish the features of the men,
whenever there was a temporary rift
in the smoke, IT was plain that they
were excited, but there was no sign
of panic or of giving way. The two
Spanish cannon that had peppered
us badly with canister while crossing
the open space, " re now withdrawn
behind the line, for fear of capture.
We had held our hopeless position on
the Spanish front for something
more than minute, and it seemed
that. Notwithstanding the bad firing
of the enemy, we were to be cut TO
pieces, when suddenly a lively scat
tering fire opened on our right, and
the woods 500 yards distant were
being hecke1 with the white smoke
of the Remingtons. We were certain
that the new arrivals were friends,
for the Mauser rife used by the
Spanish regulars makes little or no
smoke, and our surmise was correct.
Avelino Rosa, the Colombian, had ar
rived with the 800 infantry, and was
making well directed and most de-
termined attack on that part of the
Spanish half-square facing the north,
which hitherto had not been in ac-
ton. This fire, Of course, caught on
the flank the side with which the
cavalry was engaged, and rendered
the Spanish position untenable
The Spaniards facing the attack
ing infantry replied to their assail-
ants with rapid volleys, but with lit
tie effect, owing to the fact that the
Cubans were dcployed in open order
and were advancing STOPPING and
crawling. The closely-packed Span
iards, standing upright lost more
heavily; and their commander, doubt
less thinking that the attacking
force was large one and that he
was in danger of being surrounded,
ordered retreat. which was con-
Quoted without confusion, they car
ryng from the field all their wound
ed and the greater part Of their
dead, the rear guard In the mean
time keeping up a fire on Bosa.
Under ordinary circumstances this
would have been the opportunity of
the Cuban cavalry to use the ma
chete, but they had been so severely
punished that they were glad enough
A