The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-19
BATTLE BEFORE SANTIAGO
DEFEAT OF sPANIARGS 4 RE
MARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT
Had Picked Their FIy;,t-
ing Ground and Could Not Re
Drawn Away From Et--No Army
Earth, OF Equal Strength,
Could Have BtsfcaiSed American
Forces Similarly EHt-cnched.

Copyrighted by the Associated Press.
Ell PASO, rear Santiago de Cuba,
July SIT would, net be easy to find
in history. a campaign which has been
rep!ete with more pc -ulezqua features
than this of Santiago de Cuba
OF most great flghts it is probably
true that the nearer you are to the
extreme front the less general cones p
ton you can gain for the tine Of what
is going on. The formation of the
ground on which the battle of SAINT ago
took place, peculiarly emphasizes this
fact. The enemy, behind green-mask-
ed breaStworkS on the 6aSte.n verge OF
the plateau. could be located by the
troops who We're moving against him,
chiefly by the sound of his vo.leys.
Even from the summit of the hill at
our left center, on which Grimes bat
terry was posted, ard which afforded a
fine general view of the whole field
from the extreme left to the "stone
fort dominating Caney. it was not
easy to discern clearly more than
small portion of the Spanish line of
fire. Our men, as thsy advanced to the
attack, We're completely shut in for
half the distance westward of the San
Juan river, by the tangled brush,
which. however. was peopled by BUSH
whackers whose aim was constant ana
majority OF the casualties took place
here, because they had emerged from
what would ordinarily be termed cover.
And, singularly enough, some of the
volunteers, it is supposed, showed the
greatest reluctance to leave this fame e
shelter, which was really so dangerous
to them.
REGIMENT THAT FAILED.
A certain regiment, which l shall not
name until the official reports of the
battle are accessible, lay down in the
road leading through the timbered
place, and all but one battalion refus-
ed to move on when ordered to. Officers
of other regiments were heard to up
braid these soldiers and to ask them
to act like men. If their own officers
had thus spoken to them, it is not TO
be doubted that they would have
promptly responded. The way was so
blocked by their inaction that for a
little while the advance was stopped
Then two regiments of regulars pressed
forward over the PROSTATE forms of
those ahead of them, some of the SOL
diers not touching ground for yards at
time. 1t is but the merest Justice to
say that the regiment which had lain
so ebstinately in the road afterwards,
at least through a part of its number,
sitien in its front. 1t is very prob
able that the conduct of two of its bat
talions, as described to me, was due to
a misrepresentation of orders on the part
OF its officers.
The order of Gen. Shafter which
started the battle of San Juan was ten
tative in its nature.
You will push on and capture the
salient position in your 'front.'" it said
to Gems. Wheeler and Kent, eff it can
be done without bringing on a general
engagement"
One thing is certain; that the enthu-
Siasm of the men and officers was such
that, once started, their advance could
not have been checked even by orders
from the major general until they had
driven the enemy from the crest of the
opposing ridge. Unstinted credit is due
to their ardor in attack and to their
subsequent stubbornneSs in defense Of
that which they had gained.
CHOSE FIGHTING GROUNDS.
The reason for the Spanish indiffer-
ence to our position and also for the
very feeble resistance which they made
to our advance near Seviiia is no long
er far to seek. They had chosen the
decisive battle-ground, and there alone
did they wish to fight. Their conf
dence in the strength of the San Juan
position was entirely justified. In the
first place the natural formation of the
country could hardly be more favor
able to a defensive campaign. The
Wilderness, in Virginia, presented far
less difficulties to the invading North
erners than did the San Juan valley 70
Skaters army. The great part of it
is denseiy covered with young timber
underground. iIrterlaeed with therny
vines, or studded with natural abbatis
of cacti, palmettoes and brambles. The
roads were originally little better than
blind trails, every one of which offord-
ed hidden opportunities for a massacre