The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1898-12-30

aple seld1er. He personally reConnoit-
cred all tho region around El Caney
before submitting the plan which Law
ton adopted without change. OF course
10 was supposed that the artillery fro
would Speedily render tho fort, tho
blockhouses, the church and other
buildings practically useless for defense,
and that q short fight between tho in.
fantry would end tho battle But there
were only four guns ut hand, and while
these were Of the very best and were
splendld1y served. under tho personal
direction OF Lieutenarts w. r. Kcnly
and Allston Hamilton, they wero not
able Mt the range which their smoking
powder compelled them to take to smash
things for Chaffee in the required time.
Every discharge Of tho guns was fol-
lowed by showers of Mauser bullets,
flying wild, of course but the result
showed that tho battery would have
been siicnced by Mauscr fro alone had
1t attempted to do its work at short
range. In the old style Of fighting,
where both sides used smoking powder
and short range rifles, infantry wero
counted upon to keep down infantry
fro and givo the artillery chance. at
tho old artillery range Of 500 yards
Capron could have smashed tho stono
fort and blockhouses in short order.
A veteran who commanded q regi-
ment at Ell Caney told lro that the Span
ish position there was an ideal one;
that one Spaniard was equal to four
Americans in tho charging limo The
village Of I'll Caney itself is compact
group Of stone houses. The tallest of
these, az we'll rs the church cn the hill
side back Of them and its helfry, were
lcopEcled, and Oh the outskirts Of the
village there were several ordinary
biockhouses filed i'll with earth and ono
madc OF stono. The key to the position,
es before stated, was tho strong stuno
fort, southeast of tho village, crowning
Q hill about 100 feet high. The El
Cancy garrison has been variously esti.
mated from 500 to l,G0O infantry, 40
artillery nor machine gyms. An csti-
mate, which seems to ho generally nc
ceptcd, places the strength mt 400 men.
1t has also been stated that AGO mon
were killed, wounded and taken prison
ers. Tho Spanish general, Vara del Rey,
with bis bother and two SOUS, wele
among tho killed.
General ChaTeo's plan vas to throw
tho left regiment of his brigade against
tho stone fort swinging his right in
limo with it around so rs to sweep the
interval between tho fort and the vii
lage and thus hold the Spanish between
his limo and that of Luhlow's Dminy
tho night of the 30.h he placed COM
pany Of the Twelfth regiment at the
base of Il hin which lay between his
bivouac and tho stone Sort, with orders
to seize the hill III tic morning. He also
placed company Of tho Seventh regi-
mcnt Oh height northeast Of El Caney.
At daylight CT tho lst Chaffcc sent
the Twelfth regiment to dcploy to the
right of tho company posted On the hill
and attack i'll southwest direction
that is, toward the fort, and at the Same
time he led tho Seventh and Seventeenth
north by IL road from Montanamo,
changing directions southwest toward
THO village and tho Interval between
that and the fort. at about 1:30, or an
hour after Capron's guns opened, these
regiments camo in vi9W Of tho Twelfth
nnd formed connection. 50 as to cover
the whole Spanish position. Tho bri.
gado limo was actually formed about
O'Clock, for in advancing the men OH
tho right found themselves fired on from
a blockhousc northeast Of FL Caucy vii.
lage. Fifty Cubans were sent against
the blockhouso to keep its fire down.
Tho glory of taking the stone fcrt fell
to the Twelfth regiment, but tho Sew.
enth and Seventeenth, Cn its right,
should share tho hCnor They fought
tho Spaniards flank and rear. The Sew.
enteenth OH the extreme right. near the
village. crcpt forward to u sunhcn road
cn tho crest, looking down into val.
ley upon the village. EelOw them was
Y hollow through which runs II creek,
but when they attempted to advance
down tho slopo toward tho crcGl: the
men had no cover at all. In the low.
land was ravine completely covered
by Spanish fire. Tho orders of tho rc9i-
mont were net to fire except they coUld
DO so effectively. which WAS seldom, us
tho Spanards plying thcir Mauscrs at
them wero hidden behind TIC stonn
walls of houses, in blind trenches and
behind barricadcs whuro their smoke
less powder did Eot give them away.
The regiment went into the fight ut Ell
Uaney 400 strong and lost men killed
and 40 wounded. Lieutcnaut Colonel J.
T. Haskell was wounded hy three
Mauser bullets, and tho command de.
Solved upon Major L. M. O'Brien. Q