The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-27
Constant and Terrific Fire Of Enemy Did Not Daunt Our
o|diers--ROosevefs va|or in Leading Advance
at the Battle Of La Quasina.

Kingston. Jam. June 2z.-The initial
Eight OF Colonel Woods rough riders
and the troopers Of the First and Tenth
regiment cavalry will be known in his
tory as the battle Of La Quasina- 1t
did not end In a perfect slaughter of
Americans was not due to n miscalcu-
iation In the plan of the Spaniards. for
as perfect an ambuscade as was ever
formed In the brain of an Apache Indian
was prepared, and Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt and his men walked squarely
into IL. For an hour and a half they held
their ground under a perfect storm of
bullets from the front and sides. and then
Colonel Wood. to the right, and Lieuten-
ant Colonel Roosevelt. to the left. led a
charge which turned the tide Of battle
and sent the enemy flying over the hills
towards Santiago.
1t Is now definitely known that l6 men
on the American side were killed. while
go were wounded. or are reported to be
missing. 1t Is impossible to calculate
the Spanish losses. but II is known that
they were far heavier than those OF the
Americans. at least as regards actual
loss of life. Already 81 dead Spanish
soldiers have been found and buried,
while many others are undoubtedly lying
In the thiok underbrush on the side of the
gully and on the slope of the hill. where
the main body of the enemy was To-
Mated. The wounded were all removed.
That tho Gno MIA ride Waro fhnr0tt0h1v
posted as to the route to be taken by the
Americans In their movement towards
Sevilla was evident, as shown by the
careful preparations they had made. The
main body Of the Spaniards was posted
On a hill. on the heavily wooded slopes
of which had been erected two block
houses flanked by irregular entrench-
ments OF stone and fallen trees. At the
bottom of these hills run two roads along
which Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt's
men n eight troops Of the First and
Terth cavalry. with a battery of four
howitzers, advanced. These roads are
but little more than gullies, rough and
narrow and at places almost impossible.
In these trails the fight occurred. Near
ly half a mile separated Roosevelt's men
from the regulars, and between them
and on both sides OF the road in the thick
underbrush was concealed a force of
Spaniards that must have been large,
judging from the terrific and constant
fire they poured In on the Americans.
A force of S~paniards was known TO be
IN the vicinity Of La Quasina, and early
In the morning Roosevelt men started
Sr up the precipitous bluff Jack OF Sib-
)ney to attack the Spaniards on their
Fight flank. General Young at the same
lime took the road at the foot oft hill.
About 2k miles out from Sibopey. some
Cubans, breathless and excited, rushed
into camp with the Announcement that
the Spaniards were but a little way in
front and were strongly entrenched.
Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out In the
front were brought TO the rear. while q
strong scouting line was thrown out.
Then cautiously and in silence the troops
moved forward until a bend in the road
disclosed a hill where the Spaniards
were located. The guns were again
brought to the front and placed In posi-
ton. while the men crouched down in
the road. waiting impatiently to give
Roosevelt's men. who were toiling over
the little trail along the crest of the
ridge, time to get up.
At 1880 a. m. General Young gave the
command to the men at the Hotchkiss
guns to open fire. That command was
the signal for a fight thai for stub
lbornness has seldom been equalled. The
instant the Hotchkiss guns were fired
from the hillside commanding the road
came volley after volley from the Maus-
ers Of the Spaniards. Don't shoot until
you see something to shoot at" yelled
General Young, and the men, with set
Jaws and cleaning eyes. obeyed the
order. Crawling along the edge OF the
road they protected themselves as much
as possible from the fearful fire of the
H%paniards. The troopers. some of them
stripped TO the waist, watched the base
of the hill and when any part OF a Span
lard became visible they fired. Never
for an instant did they falter. One
dusky warrior OF the Tenth cavalry. with
n ragged wound in his thigh. coofiy knelt
behind a rock loading and firing, and
when told by one of his comrades that
he was wounded laughed and said: "Oh,
that's all right. That's been there for
some time"
In the meantime. away or to the left
could be heard the crack of the rifles OF
Colonel Woods men. and the regular,
deeper toned voiley firing OF the Span
iards. Over there the. American losses
were the greatest. Colonel Woods men,
with an advance guard well out In front.
and two Cuban guides before them. but
apparently with no nankers. went
souarely into the trap set for them by
the spaniards. and only the unfaltering
courage OF the hen In the face Of a FIRE
that would even make a veteran quail