The evening times., 1898-07-04
THE EVENING TIMES. WASHINGTON. MONDAY JULY q 1898

| r1ed along the road to Caney and FL PazO
to head them off They were just In time
to catch the fleeing Spaniards at the Du-
curance estate. There was "a hot fight
for few minutes and the Spaniards then
went back to, Caney taking their wounded
with them. The Cubans had nineteen
wounded. =.
Meantime Caprons battery continued
firing until it delivered twenty-seven
shots. to which no answer was made
The Spaniards were driven back into q
corner and they now fought Capron's
battery damaged the town, not the forti-
| fications. As the twenty-eighth shot was
being fired there was a whistling near the
battery. followed by the explosion of a
shell from the Rienas Mercedes battery
Another and another followed. but the
Spaniards did poor shooting. Their shells
| did not touch the battery, but fell on q
| house where some soldiers were, long
| distance away. The three shells wounded
| thirteen Cubans and eighteen Americans
The duel became. hot. The Americans
fired quicker, now that they had line
| on the forts. Every shot from their bat
terry told. and so did many of the Span
ish shells. Their firing showed much i'm
provement and their guns Were handled
in mastery style After an hour the
firing ceased on both sides.
Grimes's battery at Ell Pazo had in
| the meantime opened, firing across the
| gulch from the hill below San Juan.
There was no reply until the tenth shot.
Then the Spanish shells burst over the
American line, all of them flying too high
| to do any damage to the battery. The
First and Tenth regiments and the Rough
Riders were lying along the hillside in
the bushes. The Spanards were raining
shrapne on them, but they did not seem
to heed it much. many of them joking as
the firing went on. None of them was
seriously hurt.
For half an hour the shells from both
sides whistled and shrieked. The Span
iards on the hill were surrounded by
cloud of yellow dust that was torn up by
the American shells Still the enemy
fired. but. as usual. their shells went too
high. In half an hour more the position
became too hot for them. Their firing
gradually became weaker and weaker and
then ceased. The battery was sileneed
and there were no Spaniards in sight
The Tenth and Rough Riders were order
ed to make a detour and take the hill.
Then began the real fighting. The Span
iards were not in sight. but there were
hundreds of them in conccalment. The
Rough Riders marched through the
gulch across TO the slope, whereupon the
blockhouse opened fire again. One of
their shells wounded Mason Mitchell.
Trooper Long. and Surgeon Devoire.
At The same time the Spanish sharp
shooters began popping away. picking OF
men here and there. Lieut.. Col. Roose-
welt. mounted. rode at the head of his
troops, with the Tenth Cavalry ranged
alongside. The Riders all lodged behind
bushes and trees TO escape he hail of
Lullets. The Spani h fire grew hotter an
hotter and our men dropped two and
three at time.
When they came to the open, smooth
hillside there was no projection. Bullets
Were raining down on them and shot and
shell from the batteries were sweeping
everything.
ROoscvcIt Leads His Men.
There was moments hesitation and
then came the order: Forward, charge"
Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt led. waving his
sword.
Death to every man seemed certain. The
crackle of the Mause- rifles was continu-
Gus. Out of the brush came the riders.
Up, up they went with the colored troops
alongside OF them. not man fiinching.
firing as they ran. Roosevelt was hun
dred feet in the lead. Up. up they went
in the face Of death. men dropping from
the ranks at every step. The Rough Rid
ers acted like veterans. II was an inspir-
ing sight and an awful one.
Aston!shed by the madness of the rush
the Spaniards exposed themselves. This
was fatal mistake for them. The Tenrn
Cavalry picked them OF like ducks and
rushed on. up and up. The more Span
iards were killed more seemed to take
their places. The rain oi@sneIls and bull
lets doubled. Men dropped faster and
faster. but others took their places.
Roosevelt sat erect on his horse, holding
his sword high and shouting for his men
to follow him. Finally his horse was
shot from under him. but he landed on his
feet and continued calling for his men to
advance. He charged up the hill afoot.
1t seemed an age to the men who were
waiting and to the Rough Riders the hills
must have seemed miles high. But they
Were undaunted: they went on, firing as
fast as their guns would work. The shoot
ing of the Tenth Cavalry was wonderful.
Their ranks closed as fast as they were
thinned.
At last the top of the hill was reached.
The Spaniards in the trenches could still
have annihilated the Americans but the
Yankee dazed them They wavered for
in instant. and then turned and ran. AS
they ran cur men coolly picked them
off. The position was won and the
blockhouse coptured.
Some of she guns were captured. but
not all of them. The men across the
gulch cheered wildly as they saw their
the Tenth and the latter eheered the
Riders. Then on they went to drive the |
Spaniards farther They found the
trenches full of dead. but none alive. In |
the rush more than half the Riders were |
wounded.
Though they had the HILL the position
was still perilous. on account of the |
A stubborn Resistance.
While this was going on Gen. Lawton
was advancing rapidly on Ell Caney. The
Spaniards had prepared for attack.
though they had run away when il be- |
gan. There were trenches everywhere.
Gen. Lawton advanced, but was met by
| hot rifle fire from the enemy's in
renchments. Chaffee's Seventh, Seven
eenth and Twelfth Infantry still had no
lrtillery. On the extreme right our men
pread out. getting the protection of the |
rees and bushes and firing every time |
hey saw a Spanish head. They were al
Ways advancing upon the outside line of
he trenches. The retreat of the Span
ards prevented a flank movement Ca
ron's artillery now resumed its firing,
Is target being a stone fort in the town.
ivery shot went through 1t, but the guns |
we're not big enough to do the necessary
amage. They, however, made it so hot |
or the enemy that he had to retire sew
raj times. 1t always got back, though,
efore our infantry reached the outside
( the town. The force was then split |
DING in two directions at the same time |
lighting before reaching the town was {
othing compared with their reception in
he town. They were fired on from all | {
ides by the enemy, who were concealed {
verywhere. The trenches in view were {
lied with men, whose hats were visible.
The Americans shot the hats in pieces