Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-07-01
THBY WIRE ANBOSHED.
sPANlAROs TRAPPED THE AMER,-
CANS IN FRIDAYS FIGHT.

CANS IN FRIDAYS FIGHT.
Oaly tho Unfaltorinx Courage OF Ous
Men Prevented Disaat~r-Ths Casual l.
ttes Incrsase.l-Now Knowu Americans
I.ost Sixteen kill~d aad Sixty Wound ed.
lsotlle. OF Thirty.sovsn spaaiarLs Are
Recovered and Iaterrsd.
JURAauA, Cuba, via Kingston, Ja.
maica, June 27.-The initial fight Of
Colonel Woods rough riders aud the
troops Of the First and Tenth cavalry
will be known in history as tho battle
Of La Quasina. That 1t did not end in
tho complete slaughter Of the Amcri.
cans was not due to any miscarriage in
tho plans Of the Spaniards. for as per.
feet an ambuscade rs was ever formed
in tho brain of an Apache was
formed. and Colonel Wood and his
men walked square into it. For an
hour and o half they held their
ground under o perfect storm OF
bullets from the front aud sidos. and
then Colonel Wood at the right and
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt at the
left lod a charge which
Turned the Tide of Battle
and sent tho enemy flying over the
hills towards Santiago. It is now
definitely known that 10 men ON the
American side were killed while ~ are
wounded or are missing. It is impossi.
ble to calculate the Spanish losses
though it is known that thoy were
much larger than tho American as 70.
CARDS actual loss of lifo. At present 81
have been recovered and buried, while
others are undoubtedly lying In the
thick under brush on tho aide OF tho
gully or the slope Of the hill whore tho
main body Of tho enemy was located.
That tho Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route to be taken by
the Americans in thoir
Movement Towards ssvilla
10 evident. as shown by the careful
preparations they had made. The
main body of the spaniards was
posted on hill ON the heavily wooded
slopes on which had been erected two
blookhouses, flankod by irregular in.
trenchments Of stone and fallen trses
At the bottom Of these hills run two
roads along which Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt's mon and eight troops Of
tho First and Tonth cavalry. with q
battery of four howitzers, advanced.
These ronds are but little moro than
gullics, rough and narrow and ut places
almost impassable. In these trails the
fight occurred. Nearly half a mile
separated Roosevelt's men from the
ssgulars, and between them and on
both sides of the road in the thick un.
derbrush was
Conoesled Force Of spaniards
that must havo been large, judging
from the terrific and constant fire
they poured in ON the Americana. Tho
fight was opened by the First and
and Tenth cavalry under General
Young. A force OF Spaniards was
known to BIO in the vicinity OF La
Quasina and early in the morning
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt's men
started of mp the precipitious bluff,
back of Siboney to attack the Span.
iards on their right flank, General
Young at the samo time taking the
road ut the foot Of the hill. About
two and q half miles out from Sibo.
ney SINE Cubans, breathless and OK.
cited, rushed into camp with the an
nouncemont that the Spaniards were
but little way in front and were
strongly entrenched. A bend in the
road soon disclosed hill ON which
Tho kpaniards We're I4ocatsh.
The Hotchkiss guns were again
brought to tho front aud placed in
position, whilo the men crouched down
in the road waiting impatiently to give
Roosevelt's men, who were toiling over
the little trail along tho crest OF tho
ridge, time to get up.
At 1880 a. m. General Young gave
tho command to the men at tho Hotch.
kiss guns to open fire. Tho command
was the signal for fight that for stub.
bornncss has seldom been cqualled.
The instant tho Hotchkiss guns were
fred tho hillsides gave forth volley
after volley from tho Mausers OF the
Spaniards. Crawling along tho odge
Of the road and protecting themselves
as much rs possible from the
Feavful Fire Of the Spa niards
tho troopers watched the base of the
hill and when any part Of Spaniard
became visible they fred. Never for
an instant did they falter.
In the meantime away of to the left
could be heard the cracks of Colonel
Woods men and the regular fir;r Of
tho Spaniards. Over there the A,.ur.
lean losses wero the greatest. Colonel
Woods men went squarely into the
trap sot for them by the Spaniards and
only the unfaltering courage Of the
men in tho face of fire that would
even make q veteran quail prevented
what might easily have been disaster
As it was Troop L. the advance guard.
under the unfortunate Captain Ca.
prom, was almost surrounded and but
for the reinforcements hurriedly sent
forward every man would probably
have been killed or wounded.
A~a.AAs~aAs~ @As a.-sa~~