The Springfield herald., 1898-06-17
FIGHT ON CUBAN SOIL
MARINES LANDED AT GUANTAN-
AMO.
Eight Hundred Men Drive on the Span
iards and Plant tho Stars and Stripes
hut Afterward Have Hot Time-Four
Marines Killed.

After brief engagement In which
! regiment of Spanish infantry was
Z driven headlong from its position, sou
l American marines were landed on the
eastern side of the harbor OF Guam
7 tanamo yesterday afternoon. Ihe
landing was made under the protection
of the guns of the Oregon, the Marble
head and the Yosemite.
BY this stroke the American forces
gained a most desirable base. They
will now be able to seize the railroad
which runs from Guantanamo to Cal
manera, and they can take, without
trouble, several Spanish ships loaded
with coal now lying in the harbor
whenever the coal is needed for the
American fleet.
This first landing In the vicinity OF
Guantanamo was accomplished III
broad daylight. The Spaniards made
n feeble attempt at resistance, but
they were forced to flee under the
heavy fire of the American vessels. So
hasty was their departure that, when
the Americans landed their first duty
was to haul down the Spanish flag
left by the enemy. In its place was
raised the stars and stripes, at the
sight of which the marines became
wildly enthusiastic.
Captain Goodrell. with sixty marines
from the Oregon. landed Mt IL o'clock
TO select camping place. Crest
Heights, a post overlooking the harbor
and the town of Guantanamo, was
chosen and made ready for the
marines who were coming on the Pan
ther. This is fine site, the climatic
conditions being favorable, and the
point being impregnable against at
tack by the enemy.
Before Captain Goodrell and his men
had finished their work, the Yosemite
and the Panther appeared off the
coast. 1t was then l o'clock in the
afternoon. Awaiting the vessels from
Santiago, besides the Oregon and the
Marblehead We're the Dolphin, the Nix-
en- and two colliers, the Sterling ana
Kingston The work of landing the
men from the Panther began at once
In whaleboats, towed by launches, the
entire force of $50 men was quickly
put ashore They formed under COM
mand of Lieutenant Colonel Hunting
ton, and went up to Crest Heights.
The landing was effected in an hour,
without accident 1t was known that
5000 Spaniards were assembled with
in five miles of Crest Heights, and the
work of fortifying the base was begun
forthwith.
The spirits of the Americans were
high, and the work of mounting the
guns went forward so rapidly that by
half-past three o'clock the camp of the
Americans was capable of resisting
any force the Spaniards would be able
to send against 1t.
On Board the Associated Press Dis
patch boat Dauntless, of Guantanamo,
Sunday, June -, via Mole st. Nicholas,
June 12-Lieutenant Colonel r. w.
Huntington's battalion of marines,
which landed from the transport Pan
ther on Friday and encamped on the
hill guarding the abandoned cable sta
tion at the entrance to the outer mar
Dor of Guantanamo, has been engaged
In heading off n rush attack by Span
ish guerrillas and regulars since 3
o'clock Saturday afternoon. The fight
Ing was almost continuous for thirteen
hours. until o'clock this morning,
when reinforcements were landed from
the Marblehead. Four of our men
were killed and one wounded. The ad-
vance pickets, under Lieutenants Ne
vile and Shaw, are unaccounted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geon John Blair Gibbs, son of Major
Gibbs of the regular army. who fell In
the Custer massacre. His home was at
Virginia. but he has been
practicing in New York and entered
the service since the war began. He
was a very popular officer. The others
killed are Sergeant Charles FL. Smith
Of Smallwood; Private William Dun
ply of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and
Private James McColgan of Stoneham,
Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but 1t
is was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight at
the positions the Spaniards occupied
indicate fatalities. but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets thousand
yards inland from the camp. Captain
Spicers company was doing guard
duty and was driven in, finally rally
ing on the camp and repulsing the enc
my by o'clock The bodies of Pri-
Yates McColgan and Dunphy were
found, both shot in the head. The
large cavities made by the bullets
which, inside n range of 500 yards,
have rotary motion. indicated that
the victims We're killed at close range
The bodies We're stripped OF shoes, hats
and cartridge belts and horribly mutt
lated with machetes.
When they We're brought in the
whole battalion formed three sides of
hollow square about the camp on the
hilltop. Below in the bay the war
ships were at anchor. Inland from the
camp is a deep ravine and beyond this
are high hills. The adjacent country
is heavy with thicket growth.
The sky was blanketed with clouds
and when the sun set gale was blow
Ing seaward. Night fell, thick and i'm
penetrable.
The Spanish squads concealed in the
chapparel cover had the advantage,
the men furnishing II fine target
against the sky. The Spaniards
fought from cover until midnight, dis
coverable only by the flashes from
their guns. The repeaters sounded like
crackers in n barrel.
The Marblehead launch with n Colt
machine gun in her bow, pushed up
the bay, enfilading the Spaniards, and
1t is thought that some were killed
The marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost 1t. Sharks
are numerous in the vicinity.
Tho ShinS fbrau- thn;r