The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1898-07-07
N a DEATH TRAP.
some More Details Of tho Battle Of Il
Ouasina.


some More Details Of the Battle Of La
Quasina-
Juragua, Cuba, June So-The initial
neht Of Colonel Woods rough riders
and the troopers Of the First and Tenth
regular cavalry will be known In his
tory a. the battle Of La Quasina.
That it did not end In the complete
slaughter Of the Americana was not due
to any miscaloulation In the plans
Of the Spaniards, for as perfect an am
buacade as was ever formed in the
brain Of an Apache Indian was pre-
pared and Lieutenant Colonel Roose-
Welt and his men walked squarely into
It. For an hour and half they held
their ground under a perfect storm OF
bullets from front and sides. and then
Colonel Wood at the right, and Lieu
tenant Colonel Roosevelt, at the left,
led o charge which turned the tide OF
battle and sent the enemy flying over
the hills toward Santiago.
It Is now definitely known that 10
men on the American side were killed,
while 90 were wounded or are reported
to be missing. It is impossible to cal
culate the Spanish losses, but 1t is
known 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, and many others are undoubt-
eddy lying in the thick underbrush.
The wounded were all removed.
/ That the Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route to be taken by
the Americans in their advance toward
Sevilla was evident as shown by the
careful preparations they had made.
The main body of the Spaniards was
posted on hill in the heavily wooded
slopes on which had been erected two
blockhouses, fanked by irregular en-
trenchments of stone and fallen trees.
At the bottom Of these bills run two
roads, along which Colonel Roosevelt
and eight troops OF the First and Tenth
cavalry. with battery Of four howitz-
ers. advanced. These roads are little
more than gullies, and at places almost
impossible. In these trails the fight
occurred.
About two and half miles out
from Siboney, some Cubans, breathless
and excited, rushed into the camp with
the announcement that the Span
iards were but a little way in front,
and strongly entrenched. Quickly the
Hotchkiss guns out in the 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 road
disclosed the hill where the Spaniards
were located. The guns were again
brought to the front and placed in po-
sition, while the men crouched in the
road waiting impatiently to give Roose-
velt's men, who were toiling over the
little trail along the crest of the ridge.
time to get up.
At 1880 A. M, General Young gave
the command to the men at the HOtch-
kiss guns to open FIRE. The command
was the beginning of a fight that for
stubbornness has seldom been equaled.
The instant the Hotchkiss guns were
fred, the hillsides commanding the
road gave forth volley after volley from
the Mausers OF the Spaniards.
Don't shoot until you see 1ome-
thing to shoot at" yelled General
Young, and the men. with set jaws
and cleaning eyes. obeyed the order.
Crawling along the edge of the road
and protecting themselves as much as
possible from the fearful fire of the
Spaniards. the troops, some of them
stripped to the waist, watched the
base of the hill. and when any part Of a
Spaniard became visible, they fred.
Never for an instant did they falter.
| One dusky warrior of the Tenth, with
ragged wound in his thigh, coolly
knelt behind rock, loading and firing,
and when told by one Of his comrades
that he was wounded, laughed and
said:
"Oh, that's all right; that's been
| there for some time. !"
In the meantime, away of to the
left, was heard the crack Of the rifles
of Colonel Woods men, and then the
deeper toned volley firing of the Span
| ish. Over there the American losses
were the greatest.
Colonel Woods men, with an adj
vance guard we'll out in front and two
Cuban guides before them, but appar-
emily with no Hangers, went squarely
into the trap set for them by the Span
iards. and only the unfaltering courage
Of the men In the face of a fire that
would make even veteran quail, pre-
vented what might easily have been a
| disaster. AS 1t was, tropp L, the adj
vance guard, under the unfortunate
Capron, was we'll surrounded, and but
! for the reinforcements hurriedly sent
forward. every man would probably
| have been killed or wounded.
There must have been nearly 1900
Spaniards In front and to the sides of
| u.s." said Lieutenant-C Colonel Roose-
welt today, when discussing the fight.
"They held the ridges with ride-pits
and guns, and had body of men in
| ambush In the thick Jungle at the
sides of the road over which we were
advancing. Our advance forward struck
the men In ambush and drove them
out, but we lost Captain Capron, Lieu
tenant Thomas and about Is men
| killed or wounded.
Il want to say word for our own
men," continued Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt. Every officer and man
did his duty up to the handle. Not q
man finched. -
| Prairie Ordered to Key West.