The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-27

men in ambush in the thick jungle
at the sides of the road over which
we were advancing. Our advance
guard struck the men i'm ambush and
drove them out. But they lost Cap
tain Capron. Lieutenant Thomas and
about fifteen mon killed or wounded.
The Spanish firing was accurate. so
accurate indeed that it surprised me:
and their firing was fearfully heavy.
Il want to say a word for our own
men" continued Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt. Every officer and man did
his duty up to the handle. Not a man
flinChed."
TO THE RESCUE.
From another officer who took a
prominent part in the fighting more
details were obtained. when the fir
ing began said he, Lieutenant Col
onel Roosevelt took the right wing
with Troops q and X, under Captains
LleWellyn and jenkins. and moved to
the support of Captain Capron, who
was getting it hard At the same time
Colonel Wood and Major BrOdic took
the left wing and advanced in open
order on the Spanish right wing Major
Brodie was wounded before the troops
had advanced 100 yards. Colonel Wood
then took the right wing and shifted
Colonel Roosevelt to the left.
In the meantime the fire of the
Spaniards had increased in volume. but,
Notwithstanding this. an order for a
general charge was given and with
yell the men sprang forward Colonel
Roosevelt, in front of his men. snatchcd
a rifle and ammunition belt from
| wounded soldier and cheering and yell
ing with his men. led the advance. For
a moment the bullets were singing like
swarm of bees all around them and
every instant some poor fellow went
down. On the right wing Captain Nc
Clintock had his leg broken by a bullet
from machine gun, while four of his
men went down. At the same time
Captain Luna. of Troop \, lost nine Of
his men. Then the reserves. the Troops
/ Is and +, We're ordered up. There was
no more hesitation. Colonel Wood with
| the right wing, charged straight at a
| block house about eight hundred yards
| away and Colonel Roosevelt, on the
! left, charged at the same time. Up the
men went, yelling like tiends and never
| stopped to return the fire Of the Span
! iards, but kept on with a grim deter
mination to capture that block house
THAT charge was the end When
| within 800 yards Of the coveted point
| the Spaniards broke and ran, and for
| the first time we had the pleasure,
! which the Spaniards had been eXperi-
encing all through the engagement, Of
! shooting with the enemy in sight"
| DEEDS OF IJERnISN
in the two hours fighting, during
| which the volunteers battled AGAINST
their concealed enemy. enough deeds
! of herO!Sm were done to fill a volume.
one Of the men of Troop T., desper-
ately wounded, was lying squarely be-
tween the lines of fire. surgeon Church
| hurried to his side, and, with bullets
| pelting all around him, dressed the
mans wounds, handaGed il and walked
! unconcernedly back, soon returning
with two men and a litter. The wound
ed man, was placed on the litter and
! brought into our lines. Another SOL
dier Of Troop l., cunCealing himself as
| best he could behind a tree, gave up
his place to a wounded companion and
a moment or two later was himself
wounded.
Sergeant Bell stood by the side of
Captain Capron when the latter was
mortally hit. He had seen that he was
/ hghting against terrible odds, but he
never finChed. Give me your gun a
! minute he said to the sergeant and,
kneeling down, he deliberately aimed
and fired two shots in quick success
| ion. At each a Spaniard was seen TO
| fall. Bell, in the meantime, had seized
a dead comrades gun and knelt beside
his captain and fired steadily.
when Captain Capron fell he gave
! the sergeant a parting message TO his
wife and father and bade the sergeant
goodbye in a cheerful voice and was
then borne away dying.
THE FIRST VICTIM.
Sergeant Hamilton Fish. ir., was
the first man killed by the Spanish fire.
He was near the head of the column as
| il turned from the wOodside into range
! OF the Spanish ambuscade. He shot
| one Spaniard who was firing from the
cover OF a dense patch Of underbrush.
! When a bullet struck his breast, he
| sank at the foot of a tree with his
back against it. Captain Capron stood
over him shooting and others rallied
around him, covering the wounded
man. The ground was thick with
empty shells where Fish lay. He lived
twenty minutes. He gave a small
ladies' hunting case watch from his
belt to mess mate as last souvenir
with the exception of Captain Cap
ron all the rough riders killed i'm yes,
terdays fight We're buried this morn.
ing on the field Of action. Their bodies
We're laid in one long trench, each
wrapped in blanket. Palm leaves
lined the trenches and We're heaped IN
profusion over the dead heroes. Chap,
lain Brown read the beautiful Episco-
! L.al LLl-Lal .-.I...l... ~. o.