The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-06-17
.IHE FIRST LAND BATTLE.
Four Americans Killed and the Loss
of the Enemy Not Known.
IT LASTED THIRTEEN HOURS.
Engagement Occurred at Guantanamo
Between American Marines and Span
ish GuerilIas--The Marblehead
Finally Landed Reinforce
ments and Put the En-
envy to Flight.

Mole ST. NICHOLAS, Hayti, June 49,
Lieutenant Colonel r. w. Hunting
toms battalion of marines, when
landed from the transport Panther on
Friday and encamped on the hill guard
ing the abandoned cable station at the
entrance to the outer harbor OF Guam
tanamo, has been engaged in heading
off rush attack by Spanish guerrillas
and regulars The fighting was almost
continuous for thirteen hours, until 9
o'clock Sunday morning, when rein
forcements were landed from the Mar
blehead. Four of our men were killed
and one wounded. The advance pick
cts under Lieutenants Neville ana
Shaw are unaccounted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geon John Blair Gibbs, son OF Major
Gibbs of the regular army, who fell in
the Custer massacre. His home was at
Richmond, Va, but he has been prac-
ticing in New York and he entered the
service since the war began. lie was
a very popular officer.
Inc OIneTS hlllcu arc DCi BNoho C''"S'
H. Smith of Smallwood, Private Will
lam Dunphy of Gloucester, Mass, and
Private James McColgan of Stoneham,
Mass. Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight
at the positions the Spaniards oc-
cupied indicate fatalities, but their
comrades carried off the killed and
wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets, thousand
wards inland from the camp. Captain
Spicer's company was doing guard
duty, and was driven in, finally rally
ing on the camp and repulsing the en-
envy at 5 o'clock The bodies of pri-
Yates Michigan and Dunphy were
found, both shot in the head The
large cavities made by the bullets,
which. inside range of 500 yards,
have rotary motion, indicate that the
victims were killed at close range.
The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
mutilated with machetes. When they
were brought in, the whole battalion
formed three sides of a hollow square
about the camp on the hilltop.
Below, in the bay were the warships
at anchor. Inland from the hill camp
is deep ravine and beyond this are
- nIiaoant country
heavy with a thicllet growth. The sky
was blanketed with clouds, and when
the sun set gale was blowing sea-
ward. Night fell, thick and impen-
etrable. The Spanish squads concealed
in the chapparel cover, had the advan-
tare. the men furnishing a fine target
against the sky. The Spaniards fought
from cover till midnight, discoverable
only by flashes at which the marines
fred volleys. The repeaters sounded
like firecrackers in barrel.
The Marblehead launch, with colt
machine gun in her bow, pushed up
the bay, enfilading the Spaniards, and
it is thought some were killed. The
marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost it. Sharks
are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships threw their searchlights
ashore, the powerful eyes sweeping
the deep tropic foliage and disclosing
occasionally skulking parties of Span
iards 1t all represented transform
alton scene at the harbor.
Each discovery of the enemy was
al af Wilma fire
along the edge of the camp ridge or by
the long roll of the launch machine
gun, searching the thickets with a
leaden stream.
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack The Spaniards made
gallant charge up the southwest slope
but were met by repeated volleys from
the main body, and broke before they
were one third of the way up the hill
but they came so close that, at points
there was almost a hand to hand strug
ole. The officers used their revolvers
Three Spaniards got through the open
formation to the edge of the camp
Colonel Jose Campina, the Cuban guide
discharged his revolver, and they, turn
ing and finding themselves without
support, ran helter-skelter down the
reverse side of the hill.
1t was during this assault that AS
sistant Surgeon Gibbs was killed. do
was shot in the head in front of hi:
own tent, the farthest point of attack
He fell into the arms of Private Sulli
van. and both dropped. A second bul
let threw dust in their faces. Surgeon
Gibbs lived ten minutes, but did no
regain consciousness.
Toward morning the fire slackened
Three new two-pound field gum
which could not be used during thu
night for fear of hitting our own men
shelled several squads of Spaniard
after daylight. They dove into tn
bushes like prairie dogs into burrow
as the shells broke over them in tn
gray dawn.
Estimates vary as to the attacking
force; some say 200, and the figure
run as high as 1000.