The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-06

Of all obstacles it was pushpd on as
rapidly as possible and on June 30 the
batteries bearing on the Morro were
completed, and the next morning
tremendous Cannonade was opened
upon the Spanish fort.
Admiral PocOck, anxious to cooper
ate with the land forces, i; ,erte1 Com
mOdo"e Keppel to send n part If his
fleet to lombard the Morro On the sea
side. hoping thus to divide the atten-
tion of the enemy and prevent the con-
centration OF his fire upon the bat
teries. 1t was a dangerous undertake
ing. keppel says: THE ships pro-
Ceeded to their stations. Captain
Campbell, in the Sterling Castle. was
ordered to lead, but his courage failed
him. The three other ships, the Dra-
gon, Marlborough and Cambridge.
anchored close in with the shore and
laid their hroadsides against the fort
For six hours they kept up an unintcr-
mitting fire. Early in the engagement
Captain Goosetry, of the Cambridge,
was killed" Captain Hervey, in an
houncing to keppcl Captain Goosetry's $
uedth' wrote: Il am unluCkily
aground, but my guns bear cannot
perceive their fire to slackcn =
! have many men hors de combat now
and officers wounded: my masts and
rigging much cut. and only one anch-
or. | shall stay here as long as | can.
and wait your orders" As it was evi-
dent that the fire of these ships had
little effect on the MORO. while it's fire
was playing havoc with them, Com
modore Kenpel ordered their with
drawal. They We're in bad condition
ana had to be retired for repairs.
ON July the English batteries
| again opened on the MORO, and the
next week showed encouraging results
ON the 10th the English fire had in
creased, while the MORO could only
reply with two guns. The British COM
nandcrS now determined that it was
! time To prepare for an assault upon
! the works. The MORO was defended
by ditch so feet deep and 40 feet
wide, cut through the solid rock, cX-
! 'ept IN one place, whore narrow
| ledge had been left across the ditch
To smut out the water from the sea
! Along this ledge only one man could
I pass at time. but on July IS the Eng
! llsh sappers and miners made a dash
/ across ii and effected a lOdgmcnt in
the wall of the fortress. The defense
! of the MORO had been committed 10
! Don Luis Nelasco, a gallant naval
| captain, who proved himself worthy of
| the trust. Appreciating the necessity
| of driving the British miners from
| their position, NelasCo sailed out with
! l5OO men, in three divisions, but was
| promptly met and repulsed with heavy
| loss. In this affair the battalion of
| Royal Americans, who had Just ar
! rived, distinguished itself greatly.
| Under the immediate command Of
| General Keppel, who led it in person.
! it defeated one of the Spanish col
umns, driving them into the river,
where $50 Spanlards We're drowned.
| o
In the subsequent operations Of the
| siege the American provincials :. 900
| strong, consisting Of the FIRST Connec-
! ticut Regiment, New York battalion
and one from New Jersey. and two OF
| three companies from Rhode Island. all
under command of Gen. Phineas L,v-
man, did good service Lyman was Col
! onel Of the Connecticut troop, but be.
ing the senior provincial officer, he took
command Of the brigade, and his Lieu
| tenant-ColOnel, Israel Putnam. the
| "Old Put of our Revolution. com.
| manded the regiment. Putnam with
half Of his regiment had been ship.
! wrecked in a storm off the coast OF
Cuba, about thirty miles from Havana
! He managed to land his men on an is.
| land, and they were afterward taker
off and Joined the main body at tht
siege. The arrival of the American.
was a great relief to the British army
as they came in good health, while the
| English forces We're in large part pros
trated by the heat of the climate anC
endemic disease.
The Spaniards having failed i'm theil
sally, the work of sapping went oI
| without interruption, and on July 80
! sufficient breach was made in the wall,
of the fortress. Through this, on tn,
afternoon of that day, a stormin,
party, headed by Lieut.. Forbes of tn,
Royals entered the works and took thu
Spanish by surprise. They made a des
perate but brief defence. Don I.ui
Velasco, rallying around him about
hundred of his men, refused to surren
der until mOrtally wounded. He died
day or two after, In recognition of hi
gallantry the King OF Spain created hi
son Viconde del MORO and ordered tina
there should always be a shin i'm tn
Spanish Navy called the Velasco. Tha
order is respected to this day. Tn
Spanish cruiser of that name is nov
at the Philippine islands.
| o
The MORO taken, the fate of the cit!
was sealed. The Spanish governor
however, held out to the last, and /
was not until August II, when the Brit
ish opened fire on the city with forty
five heavy siege guns, that lie signfiet
his Willingness to Capitulate. The Brit