The record-union., 1898-08-15
Spanish Occupied a Position
Of Great Strength.
Our Troops Forced Them to khan-
don Two Guns and Flee.
Presidents Order to Suspend HustiItIss
Has Reached the Generals and
the Fighting Has Been
Suspended.

PONCE. Aug. 12.-(Delayed in transA
mission.)-General Wilson moved one
Lancaster Battery out to the front this
| afternoon for the purpose Of shelling
the Spanish position in the crest OF the
mountain at the head of the pass.
through which the road winds The
enemy occupied a position of great nat
ural strength. protected by several lines
OF intrenchments and a battery of two
howitzers. The Spaniards were eager
for the fray, and earlier In the day
had fired upon Colonel Biddle Of the
Engineer Corps, who, with a platoon
of Troop c of New York, was recon-
noitering on their right flanks
As our battery rounded a curve in the
road 1000 yards away, the enemy
opened an artillery and infantry fire
Four companies of the Third Wis
consin, which were posted on the bluffs,
to the right of the road, were not per-
mitted TO respond to the infantry fire.
The guns advanced at a gallop in the
face of a terrific fire. were unlimbered,
and We're soon hurting shell and shrap-
mel at the enemy at a lively rate, strik-
ing the empacements, batteries and in
trenchments with the rhythmic reg
ularity of a trip-hammer. The enemy
soon abandoned one gun, but continued
to serve the other at intervals for over
an hour. They had our range. and
their shrapnel burst repeatedly over
our men. One shell burst. the frag-
ments killing Corporal Swanson of
Company L. and seriously wounded
Corporal Yanke and Privates Bunce
and Vought
Captain Paget, the British army off,
Ger, who is with the American forces
for the purpose of observing the OPP
erations in the field, distinguished HIM
self by aiding DR.. Woodbury..
Captain Lee and Private Sizer of
Company We're wounded by Mauser
bullets In about two hours the en-
emy abandoned the other gun, and the
man began to flee from the intrench-
ments toward a banana grove in the
gorge Our guns shelled them as they
ran.
One gun was now ordered to advance
to a position quarter of a mile fur
ther on. 1t had just reached the new
position when the Spanish infantry re-
Inducements filed into the trenches and
fired down a deadly fire upon our men,
compelling the battery to retire at q
gallop. Then both the enemys howitz-
ers reopened, and shrapnel screamed
and Mausers sung. Another gun gall
loped from the rear, but our ammuni-
ton was exhausted.
Lieutenant Haines was shot in the
body by Mauser just before his gum
retired, the ball following a rib.
The orders issued for two companies
to advance were countermanded, and
firing soon ceased.
Colonel Bliss went forward to the
enemy's line with a flag of truce, and
explained that peace negotiations were
almost concluded, and that their posi-
ton was untenable, and demanded their
surrender.
The Spanish have no communication
with the outside world, but the COM
mander asked until tomorrow, in or
der that he might communicate with
Governor General Macias.
General Wilson and staff viewed to-
DAYS action from a hill at the right or
the battery The enemy's guns were
fired from a high elevation with low
velocity. The Spapiards had the range
as accurately as they had at Santiago
The position from the front is almost
impregnable.
Estimates Of the strength Of the en-
envy range from 500 to 1000 Their
position is five miles from Aibonito.