The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-27

While strong scouting line was thrown
out. Then, cautiously and i'm silence.
the troops moved forward until a bend
in a road disclosed a hill where the
Spanish were located. The guns were
again brought to the front and placed
in position, while the men crouched in
the road waiting impatiently to give
Roosevelt's men. who were toiling over
the little trail along the crest of the
ridge. time TO get up.
At 1880 a. IN. General Young gave the
command to the men at the Hotchkiss
guns TO open fire. The command was
the beginning of fight that for stub
bornness has seldom been equaled. The
instant the Hotchkiss guns were fired
the hillsides commanding the road gave
forth volley after volley from the Maus-
ers of the Spaniards.
Don't shoot until you see something
to shoot at" yelled General Young. and
the men. with set jaws and cleaning
eyes, obeyed the order. Crawling along
the edge of the road and protecting
themselves as much as possible from
the fearful fire of the Spaniards the
troops. some of them stripped to the
waist. watched the base of the hill. and
when any part of a Spaniard became
visible. they fired. Never for an in
slant did they falter.
One husky warrior of the 10th cavalry,
with a ragged wound in his thigh, coolly
knelt behind a rock. loading and firing
and when told by one of his companions
that he was wounded. laughed and said
"Oh, that's all right: that's been there
for some time"
In the meantime away off to the left
was heard the crack of the rifles of
Colonel Woods men and the regular.
deeper-toned volley firing of the Span
ish. over there the American losses
were the greatest. Colonel Woods men.
with an advance guard well out in
front and two Cuban guides before
them, but apparently with no fiankers,
went squarely into the trap set for
them by the Spaniards. and only the un-
faltering courage Of the men i'm the
face of fire that would make even a
veteran quail. prevented what might
easily have been disaster. AS it was,
Troop L, the advance guard under the
unfortunate Capron, was all surround
ed. and but for the reinforoements hur-
riedly sent forward, every man would
probably have been killed or wounded
There must have been nearly / 800
Spaniards in front and to the sides of
us, said Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt
to-day, when discussing the fight. They
held the ridges with rifle pits and ma
chine guns and had a body Of men in
ambush in the thick jungle at the sides
of the road over which we were ad-
the men i'm ambush and drove them out,
but they lost Captain Capron. Lieutenant
Thomas and about Is men killed or
wounded. The Spanish firing was accu-
rate, so accurate indeed that il surprised
me, and their firing was fearfully
heavy.
Il want TO say word for our own
men," continued Colonel Roosevelt "Ev-
cry officer and man did his duty up to
the handle. Not a man flinched."
From another officer who took
prominent part i'm the fighting, more de-
tails were obtained
When the firing began" said he
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt took the
right wing, with troops under Lieuten-
ants Llewellyn and jenkins and moved
To the support of Captain Capron, who
was getting it hard. At the same time
Colonel Wood and Major Brodie took
the left wing and advanced i'm open or
der on the Spanish right wing. Major
Brodie was wounded before the troops
had advanced 100 yards. Colonel Wood
then took the right wing aud shifted
Colonel Roosevelt to the left In the
meantime the fire of the Spaniards had
increased in volume. but notwithstand-
ing an order for a general charge was
given, and with a yell the men sprang
forward. Colonel Roosevelt. i'm front II
his men, snatched a rifle and ammuni-
tion belt from a wounded soldier and.
cheering and yelling with his men, led
the advance. For a moment the bullets
were singing like a swarm of bees all
around them and every instant some
poor fellow went down. on the right
wing Captain McClintock had his leg
broken by bullet from machine gun.
while four of his men went down. At