Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-07-07
The Fight at Santiago.

IlIuO w Ve'hS l"i' IA 'AAN
the Cristobal Colon.
The Fight at Santiago.
There was fierce fighting last Fri
day and Saturday between the United
States troops under General Shafter
and the Spanish soldiers defending the
city of Santiago. Our soldiers made
an impetuous attack upon the enemy,
who were strongly entrenched at adj
vantageous points and who fought
with desperate bravery. Ell Caney,
situated short distance from Santa
90, was attacked and carried by Gen.
Lawton's division. In this affair the
American loss was heavy, while the
loss of the Spaniards in killed, wound
ed and prisoners was 1000, All Of
the outside approaches to Santiago
were taken, after desperate fighting,
and occupied by the American troops,
the Spaniards retreating into the city
Gen. Linares, the Spanish commander,
was severely wounded, and Gen. Taral
succeeded him in command. General
Shafter, General Wheeler and others
of our officers have been very sick but
were carried to the front on cots, from
which they directed the movements
of the army. The losses to the Amer
lean troops will reach l 800 in killed,
wounded and missing, Theodore
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders fought
with great gallantry. Roosevelt's
horse was shot from under him, when
the brave New Yorker ran afoot ahead
of his men and led them up hill in
the face of whitening rain Of bullets
and shells.
General Shafter has demanded the
surrender of the city of Santiago, but
the Spanish commander refuses to
yield. A truce has been granted until
the foreign residents and the women
and children can get out. General
Pando has reached Santiago with
5000 Spaniards to reinforce the army
there, and the enemy has now so many
men and so well entrenched that the
city could only be taken after a most
bloody conflict with great loss Of life.
General Shafter will probably not sac
rifce his soldiers in such an assault,
but will play waiting game. Samp-
sons fleet will not attempt to enter
the harbor until the channels have
been cleared of mines. This may take
some days. Once inside, however, his
fleet will have the city at its mercy.
In the meantime General Shafter is
holding his position outside the city.
The almost impossible roads have pre-
vented the bringing forward Of the
heavy siege guns. There are rains
every day, and the road is quagmire
through dense forest, making trans
portation slow and fatiguing work.
Reinforcements are being hurried for
ward from Tampa for General Shafter.
The Cubans are doing their level
best to get even with the Spanish for
the numberiess cruelties and atrocities
that the latter are responsible for.
The Cubans, now that they have food
and ammunition, fight like fends, and
no service is too dangerous for them
as they act in conjunction with the
United States army, to which they are
giving invaluable assistance. On Sat-
furday a party of Spanish soldiers
were captured by Gen. Skaters men
in a biook-house. The prisoners were
turned over to guard of Gubans, who
were told to take them to the rear.
They never reached their destination,
and the next day the spaniards were
found in the bushes with their heads
cut off.