Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-07-06

|SfANISn TLCCI UCS nUI
The quality of the American soldier
has not deteriorated. He is as good
grit as ever. Occasionally he ran
from the British. Yankees and South
erners used to run from each other ;
but standing shoulder to shoulder,
they will not run from Spaniards.
Such is the history of the fighting
before Santiago. Though attacking
an enemy in position, and laboring
under almost every conceivable disad-
vantage, it seems to be their policy to
win or die. The heroism of our men
down at Santiago may have been
equaled by Americans before; but it
has never been excelled by anybody.
1t was simply magnificent.
The full story Of the fight is not in
yet. The probability is that it will
not all be in for days. The dispatches
to THE ENQUIRER last Friday after
noon gave the first news of the open
| ing of the battle. The daily papers
of the next morning contained but
few additional details; but since then
more particulars have been coming in
and here we are enabled to give a
connected and satisfactory story that
includes about all of Importance that
has been published up to and including
Tuesday morning.
At dawn, Friday morning, the Amer
ican line extended from point nearly
opposite Ell Caney on the north, to a
short distance of Aquadores on the
south. Ell Caney is about three miles
northeast of Santiago, and Aquadores
is two miles northeast of Moro castle.
The line was about five miles long.
The Spanish entertainments and wire
fences extended from Aquadores,
along the hills on the left side of the
San Juan valley up and around the
edge of Santiago, to point on the
railroad about a mile north of the
city. Ell Caney was occupied by some
1000 Spaniards strongly entrenched,
and the line of trenches already refer
red to was full of Spaniards, who, at
different points, were further protected
by well-placed artillery.
General Lawton was in command
of the American right, before FL
Caney; General Dufield commanding
the left, before Aquadores; and owing
to the illness of General Wheeler,
General Sumner commanded the CEN
tire up to noon, when the old veteran,
though still in bad way, went to the
front and assumed his duties. Gen.
eral Summers position was in front of
the heights Of San Juan, which was
held by heavy-force strongly fortified
behind artillery. The plans of battle
included the taking of Ell Caney, the
principal defense of Santiago on the
northeast; the taking of San Juan
heights, from which the city and har-
Dor could be canuonaded and the tax.
ing of Aquadores, which was the prin-
cipal near defense of Moro castle.
The advance movement of the
Americans was commenced shortly af-
ter midnight on Friday morning, and
with the exception of about 1000 men
left to guard the camps and supplies,
the entire army was placed in the bat
tie lines, and in reserve Immediately
to the rear of the advance forces. The
fighting commenced simultaneously at
both ends of the line, and by 9 o'clock
all the troops were engaged from I'll
Caney to Aquadores, a distance of
about five miles.
On the extreme left, down at Aqua
dores, the fleet and army co-operated-
or rather the principal work was done
by the fleet. In the path Of General
Duf1ield there was strong fort. 1t
was on the western side of the river.
The railroad bridge, the only means of
crossing, had been blown up by the
Spaniards. General Dullield's troops
went to the river on trains, and could
90 no further. That, however, had
been expected. The movement was
intended only as feint anyway. But
the fort was within easy reach of the
ships, and they hammered away at it
until it was a pile Of ruins, and even
the flagstaff was carried off by a shell.
TThe one that was fired by Lieutenant
Blue]. The first days fighting here
was possessed of but little interest.
One report had it that General Duffield
had been driven back but this is de-
MED. AS stated, it is claimed that
under the circumstances he had no
intention of trying to advance, at least
until the work that had been cut out
for the right and centre had been
completed.
Up on the extreme right the fight
ing was warmer. General Lawton
started toward Ell Caney at 5 O'Clock,
his force being led by battery underI