Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-06-30
THE BATTLE Of IA QUAS|NA.
Later Particulars of the Great Fight
of the Rough Riders in
the Chaparral.
THOSE WHO FELL BRAVELY FIGHTING.
Breathless Cubans Give Warning of the
Ambush-GalIant Conduct of Our Men
Under whitening Fire-NO Thought
of Retreat Hesitation Entertained
for Moment.

initial fight of Col. Woods rough riders
and the troopers of the First and Tenth
regular cavalry will be known in his
tory as the battle of La Quasina. That
it did not end in the
Complete Slaughter of the Americans
was not due to any miscalculation in
the plan of the Spaniards, for as per-
feet an ambuscade as was ever formed
in the brain of an Apache Indian was
prepared, and Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt and
his men walked squarely into it. For
an hour and a half they held their
ground under a perfect storm of bull
let's from the front and sides, and then
Col. Wood at the right and Lieut.
Col. Roosevelt at the left, led charge
which turned the tide of battle and
sent the enemy flying over the hills to-
ward Santiago.
Impossible to Calculate the Spanish Losses.
1t is now definitely known that 10
men on the American side were killed,
while 90 were wounded or are reported
to be missing. 1t is impossible to calcu-
late the Spanish losses, but it is known
that they were far heavier than those
of the Americans, at least as regards
actual loss of life. Already 81 dead
Spanish soldiers have been found and
buried, while many others undoubt-
edly are lying in the thick underbrush
ON the side of the gully, and on the
slope of the hill, where the main body
| of the enemy was located. The
wounded were all removed.
Acomplete list of the killed, revised
to four o'clock Saturday, is as follows:
The Heroes Who Died at La Quasina.
Capt. Allyn x. Capron, First United
States volunteer cavalry.
Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., Troop
l., First United States volunteer cav
| airy.
Sergeant Doherty, Troop A, First
United States volunteer cavalry.
Sergeant Marcus D. Russell, Troop
G, First United States volunteer cav
airy. Sergeant Russell lived in Troy,
N. Y, and was formerly colonel on
Gov. Hills staff.
Private Leggett, Troop -, First
United States volunteer cavalry.
Private Harry Heffner, Troop G,
First United States volunteer cavalry.
Private Milden w. Danson, Troop L,
First United States cavalry.
Private w. L. Irving, Troop F, First
United States volunteer cavalry.
Private Slennoc, Troop K, First regu-
lar cavalry.
Private 3. Work, Troop B, First reg
ular cavalry.
Private Krupp, Troop B, First regu-
lar cavalry.
Private Stark, Troop A, First regular
cavalry.
Private Barlin, troop K, First regu-
lar cavalry.
Private Kelbe, Troop K, First regular
cavalry.
Corporal White, Troop E, Tenth reg
ular cavalry.
The SPanlards were Thoroughly Posted.
That the Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route to be taken by
the Americans in their movements to-
wards Sevilla was shown by the care
full preparations they had made. The
main body of Spaniards were posted
on a hill, on the heavily wooded slopes
of which had been erected two block
houses, thanked by irregular intrench-
ments of stone and fallen trees. At
the bottom of these hills run two roads
along which Lieut.-Col. Roosevelt's
men and eight troops of the First and
Tenth cavalry, with a battery of four
howitzers, advanced.
Large Force of SpanIards in Ambush.
These roads are but little more than
gullies, rough and narrow, AMI at
places almost impossible. In these
trails the fight occurred. Nearly half
a mile separated Roosevelt's men from
the regulars, and between them and
on both sides of the road in the thick
1al o.
Spaniards that must have been large,
judging from the terrific and constant
fire they poured in on the Americans.
Started OFF Up the Precipitous Bluff.
The fight was opened by the First
and Tenth cavalry, under Gen. Young.
A force of Spaniards was known to
be in the vicinity of La Quasina, and
early in the morning Lieut.. Col. Roose-
velts men started off up the precip-
itous bluff back of Siboney, to attack
the Spaniards on their right flank, Gen.
Young at the same time taking the
road at the foot of the hill.
BreathIess Cubans Bring Warning.
About two and half miles out from
Siboney some CubanG. breathless and
excited, rushed into camp with the an
nouncement that the Spaniards were
but little way in front, and were
strongly intrenched.
Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out in
front were brought to the rear, while
strong scouting line was thrown out
Then cautiously and in silence the
troops moved forward until bend in
the road disclosed hill where the
Spaniards We're located. The guns
were again brought t. the front and
placed in position, while the men
crouched down in the road, waiting
impatiently to give Roosevelt's men,
who were toiling over the little trail
along the crest of the ridge, time to
get up.
Gave the Command to Open Fire.
At 7:3O a. m. Gen. Young gave the
command to the men at the Hotchkiss
guns to open fire. The command was
the signal for fight, that for stub
bornness has seldom been equalled.
The instant the Hotchkiss guns were
fired the hillside commanding the road
gave forth volIey after volleJ from the
Mausers of the Spaniards.
"Don't Shoot Until You See Something to
Shoot At"
yelled Gen. Young, and the men, with
set jaws and cleaning eyes, obeyed the
order. Crawling along the road, and
protecting themselves as much as pos
sible from the fearful fire of the
Spaniards, the troopers, sumo of them
stripped to the waist, watched the
base of the hill, and when any part of
L,