The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-15
FIGHTING FOR
THIRTEEN HOURS.

On board the Associated Press
Dispatch Boat Dauntless. off Guam
tanamo, Sunday, June IL, via Mole
st. Nicholas. Hayti. June IL Lieut..
Col. w R. Huutington's battalion of
marines, which Landed from the trans.
port Panther on Friday and encamp-
ed on the hill guarding the abandon
ed cable station at the entrance TO
the outer harbor of Guantanamo, has
been engaged in beating off bush
attack by Spanish guerrillas and reg
ulars since 8 o'clock Saturday af.er-
noon. The fighting was almost con.
tinuous for 13 hours uutil 6 o'clock
tins morning. when reinforcemente
were landed from the Marblehead.
Four of our men were killed and
one wounded. The advance pickets
under Lientenants Neville and Shaw
are unaccounted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geon John Blair Gibbs, son of Major
Gibbs of the regular army, who fell
in the Custer massacre His home
was at Richmond, Va; out he had
been practicing in New York and he
entered the service since the war be.
gan He was very popular officer
The others killed are Sergeant Charles
H Smith Of Smallwood, Private
William Dunphy of Glouchester,
Mass aud Private James McCoigan
of Stoneham, Mass.
Corporal Glass vas accidentally
wounded in the head
The Spanish loss is unknown, but
it was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found >at daylight
at the position the Spaniards eccu-
! pied indicate fatalities, but their COM
rades carried off the killed and
wounded.
The engagement began With desul-
tory firing at the pickets, thousand
yards inland from the camp. Cap
tain Spicer's company was doing
guard duty and was driven in. 6naliy
ra;lying on the camp and repulsing
the enemy at 5 o'clock
The bodies of Privates McCoglan
and Dunphy were found, both shot
in the head The large cavities
caused by the bullets, which. inside
a range of 500 yards havea rotary
motion, indicate that the victims
were killed at close range.
The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
mutilated with machetes When they
were brought in the battalion formed
three sides of a hollow square about
the camp ON the hill top Below in
the bay were the warships at anchor.
Inland from the hill camp is deep
rayine and beyond this are high hills.
The adjacent country is heavy with a
thicket growth
The sky was blackened with clouds,
and when the sun set gale was
blowing seaward Night fell. thick
and impenetrable The Spanish
squads, concealed in the chappareI
cover. had the advantage, the Ameri-
cans on the ridge furnishing fine tar
gets against the sky and the white
tents The Spaniards fought from
cover till midnight, discoverable only
by flashes, at which the marines fred
volleys The repeaters sounded ike
crackers in barrel
TIE Marblehead launch, Colt
machine gun in her bow, pushed up
the oay entilading the Spaniards, and
it is thought that some were killed.
The marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost it Sharks
ave numerous in the vicinity.
The shps throw their seachlights
ashore, the powerful electric eyes
sweeping the deep trepic foliage and
disclosing occasionally skulking par
ties of Spaniards
1t all resembled transformation
scene at the barbor
Each discovery of the enemy was
greeted by the cracks of carbine fse
along the edge of the camp ridge or
by the long roll of the lsunches ma
chine gun, searching the thickets
with leaden stream
Shortly after midnight csme the
main attack The Spaniards made
a gallant charge up the southwest
slope. but were met by repeated
yolleys from the main body, and
broke before they we're one third OF
the way up the hill but they came
80 close that at points there was
almost hand.to-hand struggle The
officers used their revolvers. Three
spaniards got through the open forma-
ton to the edge of the camp Co'.
Jose Campins, the Cuban guide. dis
nnd <hcu fOrn.