Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-27
Gallant Behavior Of Our Troops in
Last Fridays Fight.
BY TIE SPANIARDS
Gallant Deed Of Surgeon Church
on the Battlefield.
D EFT AILS OF THE FIG HIT

was sent out from Kingston, Jamaica, last
night by the Associated Press. 1t is dated
Juragua, Cuba, June %, and says: The in
itial fight Of Col Woods Rough Riders and
the troopers Of the 1st and 10th Regular
Cavalry will be known in history as the
battle Of La Quasina. That it did not end
in the complete slaughter of the Americans
was not due to any miscalculation in the
plan of the Spaniards. for perfect
ambuscade as vas ever formed in the brain
of Apache Indian was prepared, and
Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt and his men walked
squarely into it. For an hour and half
they held their ground under a perfect
storm Of bullets from the front and sides,
and then Col. Wood at the right and Lieut..
Col Roosevelt at the left led a charge
which turned the tide of battle and sent
the enemy flying over the hills toward San
tiago.
1t is now definitely known that sixteen
men on the American side were killed.
while sixty were wounded or are reported to
be missing. 1t is impossible to calculate the
Spanish losses, but 1t is known that they
were far heavier than those of the Amer
leans. at least regards actual loss of
life. Already thirty-seven dead Spanish
soldiers have been found and buried, while
many others are undoubtedly lying In the
thick underbrush the sides of the gully
and on the slope OF the hill, where the
main body of the enemy was located. The
WOuHOeu were all removed.
Chose Il Strong Position.
That the Spaniards were thoroughly post
ed as to the route to be taken by the Amer
leans in their movement toward Sevlla
was evident, as shown by the careful prep
arations they had made The main body
of the Spanards was posted on hill, on
the heavily wooded slopes of which had
teen erected two blockhouses, fianked BIZ
irregular Entertainments of stone and fall
en- trees. AT the bottom of these hills run
two roads, along which Lieut. Col. Roose-
veltS men and eight troops of the list and
10th Cavalry, with battery of four how
tiers. advanced. These roads are but lit
tie more than gullies, rough and narrow,
and at places almost impossible. In these
trails the fight occurred. Nearly half a
mile separated Roosevelts men from the
regulars. and between them and on both
sides of the road, in the thick underbrush
was concealed a force of Spaniards that
must have been large, judging from the
terrific and constant fire they poured in on
the Americans
Cavalry, under Gen. Young force of
Spaniards was known to be in the vicinity
OF La Quasina, and early in the morning
Lieut.. Col. Roosevelts men started off mn
the precip1tous bluff back of Siboney to at
tack the Spaniards on their right flank,
Gen. Young at the same time taking the
road at the foot of the hill.
Warned by Cuban Scouts
About two and a half miles out from ST.
honey some Cubans, GREATNESS and ex-
cited. rushed into camp with the announce
ment that, the Spaniards were but little
way III front. and were strongly intrenched.
Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out in front
were brought to the rear, while a strong
scouting line was thrown out Then
cautiously and in silence, the troops moved
forward, until a bend in the road disclosed
a hill. where the Spaniards Were located.
me guns We're again brought to the front
and placed In position while the men
crouched down in the road, waiting i'm
patiently to give REQ evelt's men, who We're
toiling over the little trail along the crest
of the ridge, time to get up.
AT 1:30 am. Gen Young gave the COM
mand to the men at the Hotchkiss guns to
open fire. The command the signal
Tor a fight that for stubbornEess has seldom
been equaled. The instant the Hotchkiss
guns were fired from the hillsides COM
manding the road came volley after volley
from the Mausers of the Spaniards.
Don't shoot until you 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 troopers 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
| instant did they falter
A Gallant COlOred Soldier.
One husky warrior of the 10th Cavalry,
| with ragged wound in his thigh, coolly
knelt behind rock loading and firing, and
when told by of his comrades 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
could be heard the crack of the rifles of
| CoL Woods men, and the regular, deeper
toned volley firing of the Spanish.
| Over there the American losses were the
greatest. Col. Woods men, with an adj
vance guard well out in front, and two
Cuban guides before them, but apparently
with no hankerS, went Squarely into the
trap set for them by the Spaniards, and
only the unfaltering courage of the men in
the face of fire that would even make a
veteran quail prevented what might easily
have been a disaster. AS it was, Troop l.,
the advance guard under the unfortunate
Capt. Capron,. was almost surrounded and
but for the reinforcement hurriedly sent
forward every man would probably have
been killed or wounded
There must have been nearly 15OO Span
! iards in front and to the sides of u.s. said
| ing the fight They held the ridge with
rife pits and machine guns and had a body
| of men in ambush in the thick jungle at
! the sides Of the road over which we were
advancing. Our advance guard struck the
men in ambush and drove them out But
| they lost Capt. Capron, Lieut.. Thomas and
about hftesn men Killed wounded.
1.-The Spanish firing was accurate; so ac-
curate, indeed, that it surprised me, and
| their firing was fearfully heavy.
Every Man Did His Duty.
II want to say word for our own men,"
continued Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt. Every
officer and man did his duty up to the ham
die. Not a man flinched."
From another officer who took a prom
inent part in the fighting more details were
obtained. When the firing began" said
he, Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt took the right
| wing with Troops G and K, under Capts
L!ewelyn and Jenkins. and moved to the
support of Capt. Capron, who was getting
it hard. AT the same time Col Wood and
Major Bro6ie took the left wing and adj
vanced in open order on the Spanish right
wing: Major Brodie was wounded before
the troops had advanced 100 yards. Col
Wood then took the right wing and shifted
Col. Roosevelt to the left.
I'm the meantime the fire of the Span
iards had increased in volume, but, not
withstandng this an order for general
charge was given, and with yell the men
sprang forward. Col. Roosevelt, in front Of
| his men, sRatched a rifle and ammunition
| belt from wounded soldier, and, cheering
and yelling with his men. led the advance
For moment the bullets were singing like