The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-06
CHEERED WHILE FIGHTING.
How the Troops Received News of the
Sranish Fleets Destruction.


Copyright. 1898, by the Associated Pressl
AT THE FRONT, Headquarters of Gen.
Skaters Army, before Santiago de Cuba,
July 3, via Kingston, Jamaica, July A.
Early in the day man on the lookout had
reported that the Spanish fleet under the
command of Admiral Cervera, had sailed
out of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. but
1t was not until late this afternoon that the
result was known at the front AS the word
or the victory flew from sentry to sentry
along the firing lines and was shouted to
companies. regiments and brigades, a great
cheer swept down the line of weary men.
which gathered force as it went, until the
rattle of musketry was drowned in the roar
from glad American throats The news was
flashed back into the underbrush. where the
reserves lay, and the men almost stampeded
IN their enthusiastic desire to get to the
front. The cheering continued through the
evening as the details of the fight came in.
The men could not have displayed more en-
thusiasm had the victory been theirs instead
of the navy's
Although the firing continued all day be-
tween the outposts very little damage was
done on either side. General Chaffee was
wounded slightly, rifle bullet cutting
through his foot, but he will not be COM
PEELED to leave the field The only severe
firing during the day occurred when the
Spanish fleet was leaving the harbor. The
enemy evidently attempted to divert the at
tentlon of our troops, but the Americans
responded SO willingly that the fire soon
ceased and was only resumed at intervals
during the remainder of the day.
Last night the only aggressive movement
the Spaniards made resulted in their severe
defeat. AT about 10 o'clock the enemy came
out of the breaches about the city walls in
large forces, and dashed straight for the
American lines. In one or two places our
men fell back from their position, but
quickly rallied and drove the enemy back
pell NEIL into their own bitches The Span
ish losses must have been frightful, as they
were exposed to terrific fire for quarter
Of an hour. The losses on the American side
were very light, as our soldiers lay in the
rifle pits and had~every advantage
The most daring of the Spanish forces
are the sharpshooters. They take their po-
sitions almost at the wall, and from the
dense treetops do execution with smokeless
powder, making it difficult to locate them
Several times they have shot into General
Skaters tent, which is several miles from
the front, and they have infested the trail
for ten miles between Juragua and the out
posts.
One of the most horrible features of the
war is that dozens of men have been killed
as they lay on filters, and that surgeons,
wearing the emblem of the Red Cross So
ciety upon their arms, have been the special
object of attack.
The number of killed and wounded for the
week reaches tonight about 1900 No eff
iS l,oin
GERS to expedite the listing of the casualties
and not one-ffth of the total names are
known even to the commanding officers
Already eight hundred cases have been
handled at the hospital here. because of the
overflow from the hospitals at the front
All the wounded here are recovering
There has been only one death since the
hospital was established, that of Private
Meyers, of the Sixth Infantry, which oc-
CURED to-day. He was shot through the
body. Adjutant Wood of the Ninth Cavalry
who was shot through the face, and who
was not expected to recover, is improving
rapidly and will be sent to Key West next
week
There has been much conjecture to-day as
to whether Lieutenant NJ. A Babon. of the
Ninth Cavalry who is acting Typographical
officer of the staff, made the maps of the
trails before Fridays battle. He has been
at work ever since most of the time i'm
and around the Spanish lines. He has al
most always refused an escort and though
he has been shot at several times he has
not been wounded Thursday, while out
with two men, he encountered a detach-
ment of Spaniards and an officer, and took
all prisoners. A total of 800 prisoners were
captured in the battle at Caney on Friday
of which forty-nine were regular Spanish
soldiers in uniforms two officers and the
remainder armed residents of the town
I.o~se ATTENDED 10y native physician The
to-day in charge of Captain Macarthur and
two companies of the Thirty-third Michigan
Regiment and camped along the railroad
The Cubans followed them in great crowds
and hurled epthets at the frightened cap
tives All the soldiers belonged 10 the
Twenty ninth Spanish regulars and ex-
pected to be killed
The character of the fighting in storming
the main redoubt on Friday was not fully
realized until after the firing ceased that
night The entertainments lay west of the
hills. Without cover the Americans, in
their advance up the slope. were for fully
80 yards exposed to the volley firing OF
men protected 10 the shoulders in rifle pits.
But they carried the trenches by successive
PUSHES pausng and budding behind every
bush or rut for Temporary shelter from the