The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-09

stone forts ana found that Mr.. CreeI
nan. The Journals correspondent with
the infantry columns, had been serious
ly wounded and was lying in the
Twelfth infantry hospital found him
bloody and bandaged, lying ON his back
on blanket on the ground, but all the
care and attention that kind and skill.
full surgeons could give him were shown
TO him and his first words to me were
that he was afraid he could not write
much of a story, as he was pretty well
dazed but if would write for him he
would dictate the best he could. ] sat
down among the wounded, and Mr.
| Creelman told me his story Of the fight.
! think it is a good one Here il is
1.-The extraordinary thing in this
| fight of all the fights have seen is the
| enormous amount of ammunition fired.
| There was continuous roar of mus
kerry from O'Clock in the morning
until clock in the afternoon. Gen
eral A. r. Chaffee's brigade began the
fight by moving along the extreme
right, Ludlow's command being down
in the low country, to the left of Ell
Caney. General Chaffee's brigade con-
sisted of the Seventeenth, Seventh and
Twelfth infantry, and was without
artillery. 1t occupied the extreme right.
The formation was like the two sides of
nm equilateral triangle. Lieutenant
Colonel Ludlow was TO the south and
General Chaffee to the east Lieutenant
Colonel Ludlow began firing through
the brush, and we could see through the
palm trees and tangle of bushes the
brown and blue figures of our soldiers
in line mile long, stealing from tree
to tree and from bush to bush, firing as
they went up the heights.
General Chaffee, facing FL Caney,
moved his troops very early in the
morning. The battle opened by Ludlow's
artillery firing on the fort and knocking
several holes in it. The artillery kept
up steady fire on the fort and town
and finally demolished the fort. Several
times the Spaniards were driven from
it. Each time they returned before the
infantry could approach it, Our artil-
lery had but four small guns, though
they fired with great accuracy. 1t was
ten hours before the artillery reduced
the stone fort on the hill and enabled
our infantry to take possession. The
Twelfth infantry occupied the left, the
Seventeenth the right, and the Seventh,
made up of many recruits, occupied the
center The Spanish fired from loop.
holes in the stone house, and, further
more, were on the east side of the fort
in trenches. They fought like devils.
From all the ridges round about the
scream of firing was kept up. General
Chaffee's men were wondering how
they were being wounded. For time
they thought that Ludlows men were
Oh the opposite side of the fort and were
firing over it, The fact was that the
fire came from heavy breastworks ON the
northwest corner of Ell Caney, where
the principal Spanish force lay with
their hats OH sticks to deceive. The en-
envy poured in fearful fire The 1 regi-
ments had to lie down fiat. Even then
the boys were killed. General Chaffee
dashed about with his hat on the back
of his head, like magnificent cowboy,
urging the men and crying to them to
get in and help their country win vic.
tory The smokeless powder made it
impossible to locate the enemy You
wonder where the fire comes from.
When you stand up to see. you get a
bullet.
"We finally located the trenches.
The enemy was making turning
movement to the right. To turn the left
OF the Spanish position was necessary
to get the blockhouse General Chaffee
detailed Captain Clarke when the artil-
lery had reduced the blockhouse, to APP
proach and occupy it Clarke and Cap
tain Haskell started up l had been ON
the ridge and knew the condition of
affairs and could show them the way.
We got the wire cutters out to cut the
wire in front of the Spanish trench I
jumped over the strands and got in theO
trench 1t was horrible, blood splashed
thing, an inferno of agony Men lay
dead, while others with teeth cleaning
and hands clutched at their throat were
crawling there alive. l shouted to them
to surrender. They held up their hands.
! ran into the fort and found there a
Spanish officer and four men alive.
Seven lay dead in one room The whole
floor ran with blood The walls were
splashed with blood. Three poor
wretches put their hands together in
One had white handker-
chief tied ON stick which he lifted and
moved toward me. 1t was perfect hog
pen of butchery. The officer held his
hands up. The others began to pray and
plead. l took the guns from all and
threw them outside the fort. called
some of our men to put them in charge
of the prisoners. then got out of the
fort, ran around to the other side, So
cured the Spanish flag and displayed it
to our troops, who cheered Justify. Just
as l turned to speak to Captain Haskell
i was struck with a bullet from the
trenches on the Spanish side. General
Chaffee moved on the breastworks and
took them. FL Caney was ours. Banks,
the color sergeant of the Twelfth in.
fantry, raised the American flag"