The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-28
ecopyrIght. 1sss. BY the Assoelated Press,


ON THE RIO GUAMAYA, June 26. noon.
via Kingston, Jamaica. June 81, 9 a. m.-The
advance of the American army rests
on this stream with the city of
Santiago de Cuba four and one-half
miles westward in plain sight of
the troops. Last night two companies of
the Seventh Infantry. under Major Coolidge,
occupied positions at right angles of the
road, guarding the crossing a mile and
half beyond Sabinalla, where three regi-
ments OF General Lawtons division camped
The First, Fourth and Seventeenth. The
Eighth, Second and Twenty-second Massa-
chusetts, with the Rough Riders" Tenth
Cavalry and portions of several other regi-
ments, are strung out behind towards
under General Gonzales. were camped
around General Lawton's headquarters. but
less than fifty of them did signal duty last
night.
General Wheeler to-day, with the First,
Second and Tenth Cavalry, and the Rough
Riders" with dynamite guns, moved up to
where General L.awton's outposts were last
night. and four batteries of the Third Ar
tillery and four Calling guns, under Lieut..
Parker, were brought up and planted on
the brow of the hill overlooking the basin
in which Santiago lies.
Not a shot was fired from the American
side last night though the front of the
American line was not two hundred yards
from the entrenchments where the Span
iards propose to combat the advance on SAM
tiago de Cuba. Three cannon shots were
heard during the night. They seemed to
come from the distant Spanish batteries,
or perhaps from seaward.
BLoCKHoUsES ON HILLS.
The top of every hill and mountain north
and east of Santiago is occupied by block
houses. from whence the Spaniards can
view the movements of the army as it ad-
vances beyond Sabanilla, while to the east
ward of the city gashing every knoll and
Bit OF high ground are Spanish entrench-
ments The correspondent of the Associated
Press from an elevation at the right of the
American line to-day counted thirty-four
of these entrenchments, completely fenc-
ing every approach to the city. The trenches
have been dug as the conformation cf the
ground admitted. The ends of the trenches
overlap where breaks in the line occur, thus
Il
rifle fire in case part of the trenches are
Captured Upon of these works modern
guns have been mounted. They can be
/plainly seen with the naked eye. Spies re-
port that inside the entrenchments are four
parallel lines of rifle pits. shoulder deep,
and in front of them are marked ranges
and several rows of barbed wire fences.
No officer who has surveyed the field over
which the advance must be made underesti-
mates the task ahead for the Americans.
Our boys. however. stin express the most
contemptuous opinion of their adversaries.
Tho general opinion is that more artillery
will be necessary before it will be safe to
attempt to make an assault upon the Span
ish works as the fire of the rife pits must
necessarily be deadly and SUFFICIENT to de-
moralize any force, no matter how brilliant
in its courage. when halted by wire obstruc-
tions.
SIEGE NECESSARY.
Some officers believe it will be necessary
to lay regular siege to Santiago and ad-
vance with a line of earthworks until the
rife pits can be shelled with shrapnel by
the light artillery. These pieces have an
effective shrapnel range of $500 yards The
Atauser rifles in the hands of the Spaniards
ara sighted to 1900 yards and they kill at
acc yards.
However gratifying to the national pride
Is the careless attitude Of our enlisted men,
tAe grave fear remains that they may need
a more severe lesson than the ambush of
the Rough Riders" before they realize the
deadly possibilities of modern warfare.
The road over which the ordnance must
bO brought is densely lined by underbrush.
Every yard is an artificial hedgerow and
the road 10 the base OF supplies is In a
similar state.
But very little danger is apprehended of
3 nank attack. as it is evident General