Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-24
.SHAFTER'S LANDING.
Our First Invasion Of Foreign Soil In
Ralf a Century.
NOT A SINGLE LIFE LOST.
Only Casualty the WOundins Of q Cuban
by an American Shell.
INsURGENT ALLIES DO WELL.
They Garry Out Their Part of the
Programme CreditabIy - Spanish
the American Forces.

1 =
ON BOARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DIsPATCH-BoAT WANDA. BAIQUIRI
| HARBOR, CUBA. WEDNESDAY, June
22-5 7. M.-Via KINGSTON, JAMAICA.
THURSDAY, June 2S.-53o A. Mat 8
o'clock this afternoon. 5000 trained
American soldiers are encamped in the
hills and around Baquiri, and 1000 more
rest on their arms on board transports
| off-shore ready 10 join those who have
! debarked as soon as the available
launches and small boats can carry them
| ashore
Time and sea and weather were pTopi-
| tiOus for the army OF invasion The
| navy and army co-operated splenddly.
and as the big warshps closed in on the
shore to pave the way for the approach
of the transports. and then went back
again, three cheers for the navy went up
| from 10000 throats on the troop-ships,
and three cheers for the army arose from
ship after ship, the troopships moved
in TO take their share in the hazardous
game. 1t was war, and IL was magnifi-
! cent.
| The Cuban insurgents, too, bore their
share I'm the enterprise honorably and
well. Five thousand Of them, in mouR-
tain Businesses and dark thickets OF ra-
vines. lay all last night on their guns,
watching every road and mountain path
| Leading from Santiago de Cuba to Guam
| tanamo. A thousand of them were within
sight Of Baiquiri, making the approach
Of the Spaniards under cover Of the dark
ness an imDossibility.
AN EVENTFUL MORNING.
At O'Clock this morning, as the Asso-
| ciated Press dispatch-boat approached
Baiquiri, the entire island of Cuba seem
ed wrapped in soft mist, like that of the
| dog-days III northern ATTITUDES. Distant
| objects lOomed up dimly, but it was seen
| that many of the ships which had been
| lying in the ofiing had drawn in toYard
| shore, while three or four warships lay
menacingly near the harbor approaches.
All around the transports steam launches
and small boats were bObbing about like
corks, the first indication of the true OBJ
ject of the undertaking ahead. An hour
later the sun was rising in the eastern
sky, touching the mountain tops with
patches Of light-green, and revealing the
great semi-circle Of trOOpships, some close
to the coast line, others a mile distant,
with their decks crowded with eager ex-
pectant men, impatient 10 begin the great
movement OF destiny, TO make a new
chapter In the history Of America-the
| first invasion by our army of a foreign
country in half a century,
As the dspatch-boat of the Associated
| Press ran closer I'm near where the New
Orleans was lying, with her great Arm
strong guns trained on Baiquiri, tongues
d.
rising from the town the inevitable con-
sequence Of war, and sure sign that the
Spdniards had gone, leaving ruin behind
them The captain of the New Orleans
shouted the news TO the dispatch-boat,
adding: "You had better keep off a lit
tie. You are i'm range. They have a rifle
on the hill on the eastern side of
Baiqulri."
SPANISH FLAG DISAPPEARS.
There is a steep, rocky Hill, known as
Punta Baiquri. rising almost perpendicu-
larly at the place indicated. II is a veri-
table Gibraltar in possibilities Of defence.
From the staff on its summit the Spanish
flag was dofiantiy floating at sunset last
night but it was gone this morning, and
with it the small Spanish guard which
had maintained the signal station. Be
tween nightfall and dawn. the Spaniards
had taken the alarm and had fled from
the place firing the town as they left.
The flames were watched with interest
from the ships. Two sharp explosions
were heard. At first they were thought
TO be the report of guns from Spanish
masked batteries, but they proved TO be
the explosion Of ammunition in the burn
ing buildings. Three hours waiting made
the men on the transports impatient to
get ashore and in action, and every move
Of the warShipS was closely watched by
the soldiers.
A little before o'clock the lombard
ment Of the batteries of Jaragua was be-
gun by the ships of Rear-Admiral Samp-
sons fleet. This was evidently feint TO
cover the real point of attack, Jaragua
being about halfway between Baiquir
and Santiago de Cuba. The bombardment
lasted about twenty minutes
The scene then quickly shifted back to
the great semi-circle of the transport
fleet before Baiquiri. At $40 o'clock the
New Orleans opened fire, with gun that
sent a shell rumbling and crashing
AGAINST the hillside. The Detroit Wasp,
Machias. and Suwanee followed suit, and
soon the hillsides and the valleys seemed
10 be ablaze, as shot followed shot IN
swift succession, amid the wildly-excited
cheering of the soldiers on the transport.
THE LANDING IN DETAIL.
In FIVE minutes the sea was alive with
notiIlas of small boats, headed by launch
es speeding for Baiquiri dock. Some OF
the boats were manned by crews OF sail
ors while others were rowed by the sol
diers themselves Each boat contained
sixteen men, every one In hghting lrlm
and carrying three days rations, shell
ter tent. a gun. and 200 cartridges, ready
~ take the field on touching shore,
ha
firing of the warships, however, proved
70 he a needless precaution, as their shots
were not returned, and no Spaniards
were visible.
Two correspondents Of the Associated
press. i'm small boat, joined the first
aotilla that went ashore. and witnessed
th.. inspiring sight Of the landing. Gene
raj Shafter, on beard the Seguranca.
cios.lv watched the landing OF the
troops. Brigadier-General Lawton who
had been detailed 10 command the land
ing party, led the way in a launch. ac-
companied by mis- staff. and directed the
formation of the line of operation. The
Eighth Gegular) Infantry was the hrst
reeiment to land. followed by General
sbafterss old regiment, the First Infantry
Then came the Twenty-hfth Infantry, the
Twenty-second Infantry, the Tenth In
fantry, the Fifteenth Infantry. the Sew
enteenth Infantry and the Twelfth In
fantry the Second Massachusetts Regi-
ment, and detachment Of the Ninth Cav
airy.
The boats rushed forward simultane-
ously from every quarter In good-natured
rivalry 10 be first. and their occupants
scrambled over one another 10 leap
ashore. AS the boats tossed about in the
surf. breaking against the pier, getting
soldiers