Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-07-06
THEY AREPREPARED
Spanish Position Strongly Fortified
at Santiago.
IT CANNOT BE EASILY TAKEN,
The Rows of Rifle Pits Protected By
Barbed Wire Fence, Make As
Sauit EiGicuIt-1!ore Artu-
lery II Needed.


20, noc1, via Kingston, Jamaica, Mon
day, June 27.-The advance force of
the American army rests ON this
stream, with the city of Santiago,
four and Il half miles westward, in
plain sight.
Last night the outposts, consisting
of two companies of the Seventh in
fantry, under Major Coolidge, occu-
pied positions at right angles to the
road, guarding the crossing a mile
and half beyond Sabinalla, where
three regiments of General Lawton's
division camped, the First, Fourth
and Seventeenth. The Eighth, the
Second and Twenty-second Massa-
chusetts, with the rough riders,
Tenth cavalry and portions of several
other regiments, are strung out be-
hind them toward Juragua. About
500 Cubans, under General Gonzales,
were camped around General Law
toms headquarters, but less than fifty
of them did scout duty last night.
General Wheeler to-day, with the
First, Second and Tenth cavalry, and
rough riders, with dynamite guns,
moved up to where General Lawton's
outposts were last night, and four
batteries of the Third artillery and
four Gatling guns, with a special de-
tail, under Lieutenant Parker, were
brought up and planted On the brow
of hill overlooking the basin in
which Santiago lies.
Not a shot was fired from the
American side last night, though the
front of the American line was not
$500 yards from the intrenchments
where the Spaniards propose to COM
bat the advance on Santiago.
Cannon shots were heard during
the night. They seemed to come from
the distant Spanish batteries, or, per-
haps, from seaward. The top of every
hill and mountain north and east of
Santiago is occupied by biockhouses,
whence the Spaniards can view the
movements of the American army as
it advances beyond Sabinalla, while
to the eastward of the city, gashing
every knoll and every bit of high
ground, are Spanish intrenchments.
The correspondent of the Associ-
ated Press, from an eleva ton to the
right of the American line, to-day
counted thirty-four of these intrench-
ments, completely fencing every ap-
proach to the city. The trenches
have been dug as the conformation
of the ground admitted. The ends of
the trenches overlap where breaks in
the line occur, thus securing compar-
atively safe retreat from the rifle fire
in case parts Of the trenches are cap
tured. Upon some of these works
modern guns have been mounted.
They can be plainly seen with the
naked eye.
Spies report that inside the in
trenchments are four parallel lines
of rifle pits, shoulder deep, and in
front of them are marked ranges and
several rows Of barbed wire fences.
No officer who has surveyed the
field over which the advance must be
made underestimate the task ahead
of the Americans, although our boys
still express the most contemptuous
opinion of their adversaries.
The general opinion IS that more
artillery will be necessary before it
will be safe to attempt to make an
assault upon the Spanish works, as
the fire of the rife pits must neces-
sarily be deadly and sufficient to de-
moralize any force, no matter how
brilliant in its courage, when halted
by wire Instructions.
Some officers believe it will be nec-
essary to lay regular siege to San
tiago, and advance with a line of
earthworks until the rifle pits can be
shelled with shrapnel by the light ar
tillery. These pieces have an effec-
tive shrapnel range of $500 yards,
and the Mauser rifles in the hands of
the Spaniards are sighted to 1900
yards and they kill at 2,100 yards.
| However gratifying to the national
pride is the careless attitude of our
enlisted men, the grave fear remains
that they may need a more severe
lesson than the ambush of the rough
riders before they realize the deadly
| possibilities of modern warfare.
The road over which the ordnance
must be brought is densely lined by
underbrush, and the road to the base
| of supplies is in a similar state. But
very little danger is apprehended of
flank attack, as it is evident General
Linares is acting strictly on the de-
| fensive. The failure of the Spanish
| troops at Holguin, Manzanillo and
Guantanamo to effect a junction with
him have left the Spanish commander
go weak that it would be an act of
insanity upon his part to attempt to
assume the aggressive, or to retrea t.
The problem now Confronting the
army is the transportation of sup
| plies, for the roads to the front are
still impossible for wagons, but are
seing improved. In the meantime,
tha pack train is being used. The
frst ,~f these left Juragua late last
n;obt a,'d others left to-day. The
Officers and men were completely out
Of rations vest. -rday. The Seventh re-
ceiyed half ration.S. and to-day they
! received nothing. Tie boys are COM
planning bitterly, but are Pacified
with the assurance that the pack
train will be here tonight.
Should night attack occur, our
| soldiers would fare worse than did
| the marines at Guantanamo, as the
| alta cking force here would not be al
the disadvantage of having to charge
| up hill.
| The Cubans with the advance force,
in spite of the good behavior of their
comrades at Guantanamo, seem to b,
utterly worthless. All day they sil