The record-union., 1898-11-13

Z
- Sa <3W the attack, and,
q although the SUI
Ets5SS uS4yzS$$zM ~ preme moment
Hkssglf mn 4ESw%%H$ was delayed for
lSleessl g. $GslZ9 ~ hours, the battle
E&M1tH G,1AANG was fought pre-
>SYLGE[[cisely as planned.
SNNAT TsSS0AN XVN General Chaffee
lsLP W. MA Vis universally
II III AE7yA, NHA pronounced by
Rva&gA A5>YN EsKT Ahis equals in
r. eEH&kLEANrank as well as
IL > H "NIhis superiors an
TX & : g able soldier. He
personally reconnoitered all the region
around Ell Caney before submitting the
plan which Lawton adopted without
change OF course it was supposed
that the artillery fire would speedily
render the fort, the blockhouses, the
church and other buildings practically
useless for defense, and that short
! fight between the infantry would end
the battle. But there were only four
guns at hand, and while these were Of
the very best and were splendidly
served, under the personal direction of
LieCtenants W. r. Kenly and Allston
Hamilton, they were not able at The
range which their smoking powder
compelled them to take to smash things
for Chaffee in the required time.
| Every discharge of the guns was fol-
lowed by showers of Mauser bullets,
flying wild, of course but the result
showed that the battery would have
| it attempted to do its work at short
| In fIo old -fw- 0f &rrl,
where both sides used smoking powder
and short range rifles, infantry were
/ counted upon to keep down infantry
fire and give the artillery a chance. At
the old artillery range of 500 yards
Capron could have smashed the stone
fort and blockhouses in short order.
veteran who commanded a regi-
ment at FL Caney told me that the
| Spanish position there was an ideal
one; that one Spaniard was equal to
four Americans in the charging line
The village Of Ell Caney itself is a COM
pact group of stone houses. The tallest
OF these, as we'll as the church on the
| hillside back Of them and it's beIfrv.
were loopholed, and on the outskirts of
the village there were several ordinary
| boclkhouses filled in with earth and one
made of stone. The key to the posi-
ton, as before stated was the strong
stone fort, southeast of the village
crowning a hill about 100 feet high. The
El Caney garrison has been variously
estimated from 500 to 1000 infantry.
no artillery nor machine guns. An es-
innate, which seems to be generally ac-
cepted, places the strength at 46O men.
1t has also been stated that 46O men
were killed, wounded and taken prison.
Fers. The Spanish General, Vara del
Rey. with his brother and two sons,
were among the killed.
! General Chaffee's plan was to throw
the left regiment of his brigade against
the stone fort, swinging his right in
line with it around so as to sweep the
| interval between the fort and the vii
lage and thus hold the Spanish between
his line and that of Ludlow's. During
the night of the Both he placed a. COM
pan5 of the Twelfth Regiment at the
base of a hill which lay between his
biYouac and the stone fort, with orders
to seize the hill in the morning. He also
placed company Of the Seventh Regi
ment on hight northeast of Ell Caney.
AT daylight of the 1st Chaffee sent
the Twelfth Regiment to deploy to the
right of the company posted on the hill
and attack in a southwest direction
that els, toward the fort. and at the
| same time he led the Seventh and
seventeenth north by a road from
Montanamor changing directions south
West toward the village and the interval
between that and the fort At about
$50, or all hour after Capron's guns
opened, these regiments came in view nf
the twelfth and formed connection sa
as to cover the whole Spanish positio,
Inc brigade line was actually formed
aeeut . O'Clock, for in advancing ihe
men on the right found themselves fred
on from blockhouse northeast of ri
Cahey village. Fifty Cubans were sent
against the blockhouse to keen its fro
down.
Inc glory of taking the stone fort
fell to the Twelfth Regiment. but the
seventh and Seventeenth, on its right
should snare the honor. They fought
the Spaniards flank and rear The
seventeenth on the extreme right near
the village, crept forward to a sunken
ROAD on the crest, looking down into
valley upon the village. Below them
was hollow through which runs a
creek, but when they attempted to
advance down the slope toward the
creek the men had no cover at all. In
thef loWland- was a ravine completely
covered by-Spanish fire. The orders of
the regiment were. not to fire except
they could do so effectively, which was
seldom, as the Spaniards plying their
Mausers at them were hidden behind
the stone walls of houses. in blind
trenches and behind barricades where
their smokeless powder did not give
them away. The regiment went into
the fight at Ell Caney 400 strong, ana
lost eleven men killed and forty
wounded. Lieutenant Colonel J. It.
Haskell was wounded by three Mauser
bullets, and the command devolved up
on Major L. NJ. O'Brien, a veteran sol
dier of the Twenty seventh Michigan.
The men of this regiment fought all
day upon empty stomachs, having
had no prepared meal since noon the
day before. They had left their packs
and haversacks behind them Major
O'Brien said that it was a matter of
surprise that the men were so ready
and willing, as they had been on board
the transport sixteen days before land
ing in Cuba The voice of the grumbler
was drowned by a chorus from his
comrades. What is the use?'' they
said. The Government is doing all
| it can.''
In the deployment of the right of
Chaffee's Brigade, the Seventh Regi-
ment took the lead, marching over the
ridge up path in single file. Finally
/ CT L Il 3