The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-07-02

ssS13sfSIE1s2Nl.s 1870
and thAsenRaRement Ind barely hevtn
when several OF the rough fiders rolled
over on the ground dead. The Spanisll
could not be definitely located. They
were well screened by tho u%nderbrush
and their positions could be judged
only from the direction of the fire.
ion't Swear, Hut Shoot.
General Castillo's: men began firing
made ready. to join in the shooting.
Provoked BY their inability to see the
enemy, the men began to curse. Don't
swear" Colonel Mood shouted,
shoot" They did. They joined with
the Cubans III pouring a terrific fire
into the bushes where the Spaniards
lay. 1t was az open fight for the next
fifteen minutes or so. The fire of the
Spanish then fell off n bit. They
seemed to be falling or %rctreating.
Lighter and lighter became the fire
from the underbrnsh, until finally only
an occasional shot whiZzcd toward
the Americans position.
This evidence that the enemy was on
the run quickly inspired the Amer
lean troops. They charged forward,
presently gaining n position from
which they could see the %Spaniards
They renewed their fire with grent
vfgor, driving the, enemy foot by foot
toward Sevilla. The Spaniards re.
sisted the American advance with
great stubbornness. But the tide OF
battle had turned against them. Dur.
ing the next two hours they devoted
themselves less and less to shooting,
and finally fed pr%ecipitately toward
Sevilla.
While thesroughs riders-wcresgtvin
and taking: haru Knocks on the high
aIgronnd the firing became general in
Ethesvalleysto the north, where General
Lawton, the Cuban skirmish line hnv.
ing been driven back, checked the nd
vance of a strong Spanish force and
eventually compelled them to retreat
General Lawton succeeded in bringing
a section of n mountain battery into
action. This kept the road clear OF
Spaninrds, while our troops quickly
formed and moved forward.
Crematcd Dead spnninrds.
Many dead Spaninrds lay about the
block house, where the enemy had its
final rally. After the structure had
been set on fire the bodies of these sol.
diers were cremated, and it Is believed
that hundreds died.
The heat was intense during the day
and a great many fallen troops were
Frustrated. This nervous excitement
attendant upon the first battle was
heavy strain upon the men.
General Luwton, in obtaining n posi-:
ton across Juiaguasito creek, is en-.
cnmped only six miles from the Santi.
ago cathedral, and two miles from Sc.
villa. To the westward General Gar.
Ella is making splendid progress. While
our troops We're engaged about Sevilln
General Garcia attacked Hermitano
five miles west of Socapa castle, and
only a mile from Santiago. There is Il
small Spanish fort at Hermitano, with
some field guns, supported by a garri.
son. General Garcia sent 1000 Cubans
against this fort, the attack being de.
signed to prevent General Linarcs
from sending troops to check the adj
vance of the main army. The Cubans
attacked so spiritedly, however, that
they are reported to huve taken a part
of the intrenchments. The Spanish
are preparing to fall back to Cnimones
which is inside the regular defenses OF
Santiago.
Cobre was abandoned by General
Linares during the night, and the gar.
rison was withdrawn to Caimonos.
Tho Road TO Santiago.
Standing on the hill ut Sevilla you
can look across this flat land ard see
in the distance the, large stone bar.
racks of the Spanish army, immedi-
ately back of Santiago and overlooking
the city, which from that point slopes
gradually down to the Bay of Santiago
This fiat country between the ridge
Sevilla stands on and the one Santiago
is on is %alluvial, and in the rainy sea
son the roads are simply quagmires.
Before you reach the base of Santi.
ago ridge you cross wv rivers. The
last II is San juan, being about 4
thousand feet from the base of the
ridge. Until you reach sevilla on you1
right you have the foothills of the
themselves. On the left you have q
broken country coming Quito the SET
in palisades of from 200 to 800 feet
high.
1t is almost entirely uninhabited; in
fact, u veritablc wilderness.
The name road in the province OF
Santiago is simply a comparative term
There are no vehicles of any kind used
in the country, and therefore the roads
are simply paths broad enough for per,
sons to ride single file. What might
be called the right of way is possibly
cleared ten feet. but the constant pass
ing of animals makes n beaten path.
An army marching over this road
would have to go single file. or those
not walking in the path would have to
travel over the extremely rough sur
face lining the road. which III a short
time would tire any man.
On the high rolling ridge, or n mile
to the eastward of S%eyilln, the road is
comparatively broad, and also in the
low land between Sevilla and Santiago
it is the same. 1t has been %broadened
there in the attempts for centuries to
pass around quagmires. Otherwise it
is what would be called in the noun
tains of Tennessee n bride path. 1t is
lined by dense masses of foliage. in
terspersed with n few trees. the bushes
lin the main being about twenty feet
high. This chappara1 is filled with
thorny shrubs and interlaced with rum
ming vines. An army could pass within
twenty feet of any number of men in
these bushes and never suspect their
presence.
Was u Perfect Ambush.
The initial fight of Colonel Woods
rough riders and the troopers of the
First and Tenth regular cavalry will
be known in history as the battle of
La Qunsinn. That it did not end in a
complete slaughter of the Americans
was not due to any miscalculation in
the plan of the Spaniards, for as per-
feet an ambuscade rs was ever formed
Walter S. Volkmar, volunteer signal
corps; Percy w. Arnold, corporal