St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-07-09
How Americans Fight.

following Is IaiE saiuPio VI Nv"
our boys heroically conducted them
selves upon the field of battle, be-
meath the scorching rays of q tropi-
cal sun:
A Spanish blockhouse mile up
the hill had been giving US great
trouble. Away we went after It,
the Sixteenth ahead, the Eighth on
the left, tue Seventy-first on the
right. Rafferty's company held the
Spanish line on the wood side OF the
hill. Between them and the block
house was half mile Of level land
without cover. The skirmishers were
wav across it, and were counting on
an easy capture when the whole
hillside blazed. Shot and she'll
rained among them. The Spaniards
had held their fire until our men
we're 60 far that there was no chance
OF their getting back to cover.
THE SLAUGHTER WAS AWFUL.
The Seventy-first saw what had
happened and dashed madly out in
the open, facing the whitening fire.
Shrapnel burst in their ranks, tear
ing holes four deep, while the
Mauser bullets dropped men all over
the field. Tie Seventy-first never
wavered. They closed their ranks
as fast as the Spanish shells tore
them open, and marched In, pour
ing deadly fire at the Spaniards to
save the stricken Sixteenth. Their
officers ran along the lines, calling
on their men to be cool. The
thought OF death did not deter q
single mind. Before they we're hail
way across the field the Seventy-first
had lost over seventy men and the
fire was getting more dreadful every
moment.
The enemy was well protected
behind brea<tworks, and realizing
that the Americans must reach
them, they began q retreat.
Our men broke into . run, head.
long, full into the enemy's fierce
fire.
The Sixth came out after the
Seventy-first and faced the same
awful storm Of bullets. There va.
no flinching. Right into the teeth
Of it they ran across the open,
cheering and shouting. They dashed
up hill, the enemy's Ere never slack.
ened. Half wav up they got the
first clear sight of the Spaniards.
Then 1t was our turn. Our fire was
deadly. Span;ards in the breast.
works leaped up into the air and
fell dead outside. Raffertv's com.
pany OF the Seventy-first was in the
lead.
GAVE THE sPANIARDs COLD STEEL,
They dashed into the trenches,
bayonetting the Spaniards there
until they fed, and as they rar
Rafferty's cheering crowd chopped
them down.
The blockhouse when taken was
found crowded with dead Spauiards
Outside, the hill was covered will
them. The enemy's rifle pits were
full of dead and wounded. Oul
bows threw them out and Jumped
into the pits themselves and gallcd
the Spsniards from their own works
Only three Spanish prisoners wer'
t,ken. There was hardly . man il
Rafferty's command who was no
wounded in some wav, but they re
fused to leave AND held the rife pit
for On hour. Then the Spanisl
sharpseooters and artillery made
the position too hot to hold. Raj
fer.y saw he could gain nothing b.
holding on, and withdraw over thu
crest aud half way down the hill
There he was out Of range.
Reinforced by his own regiment
he made . move toward the lef
flank. Our boys crawled on thri
bellies until they got into q position
where they could concentrate thei
fire on the Spaniards on anothe
hill.
They drove the enemy int
trenches, holding their position
three-quarters Of An hour, while th
rest of the Seventy-first New York
Sixteenth and Sixth Regiment
moved around to the right, and i
face OF another binding fire charge
up this second hill, driving tn
Spaniards from their trenches, cap
turing many prisoners and . stan'
Of colors.
The retreating foe reformed i
other trenches, and so the battl
went On for hours. The Spaniard
made desperate efforts to recaptur
the position. but were driven Of
again and again with tremendou
losses.
FIRED on OUR WOUNDED.
The Americans followed ther
every time they we're driven back
The Spaniards il their retreat LEI
their dead and wounded behind
Though they kept up . continus
fire on our wounded rs they wer
being taken from The field, our me
made no reprisals on the helples
spanish wounded that lay all abou
them.
Malarion With MaIarion Tablets
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