New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-03
LAST FIGHT IN PORTO RICO.
ACCOUNT BY LIEUTENANT HEINER OF THE
FIGHTING AT AIBONITO WHEN THE
NEWS OF PEACE CAME

n
NEWS OF PEACE CAME
New-orleans. Sept CspeciaD. United
States transport Arkansas formerly Of the Nor.
gan Line, which left Ponce on August o.
reached New -Oreans this morning. on board
of her from the late seat OF war were Lieu
tenant Gordon G Heiner. OF Battery 3. 4th
Artillery, in charge OF five dynamite guns, and
Mr. Stockley a dynamite expert and son OK the
president Of the Sims Dudley Pneumatic Gun
Company. The party is on the way to Fort
Myer under orders.
Lieutenant Heiner gave the following &C.
count Of the Porto Rican campaign. ana the a1
fight of the war in the West Indies
Our batteries were landed az Guinica from
the transports Comanehe Cnionist and spe.
ciallst on July 20. and this was wnere we nad
slight brush with the Spanish VINO attempted
to oppose our landing. They attacked our IN.
fantry outposts but were driven back oy aaf
an hours firing Ii was not until August mat
we got into anything like an engagement, ms
was at the blockhouse at Coamo we nad
marched from Guanica TO Yauco IN one DAY,
and from there TO Tulipa. and the next day 10
Ponce where General Miles and his stan and
the larger part of the army OF Porto RICO were
Quartered. ,u,. ,1-,so.r.,,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania ana NeW-lorA
the nth and 10Th Regular Infantry iour pay.
teres Of the Sd Artillery ard troop o. ne In IN
remained there until August ., when We were
ordered away toward Coamo, ana mace iitsen
miles in that direction that day.
on the Sth we marched hve miles WITHOUT
rooa,inp tho enemy. and on the 9th we marcned
three miles into the fight. The spanish ohis
small force, were In n blockhouse ana the lolh
their flank We opened FIRE and In snort ,ln ne
had reduced the blockhouse The "a ana 90
Wisconsin were in our support, out did no, -.
chance to get into the fight. az the SpanIaros
nd
were only some dozen or fifteen men IN me
blockhouse when they had given up, ana wnen
our infantry entered the city they c@pIuIsa
1877, though probably as many more again
escaped.
On the 18th We were again engaged. rms Nas
the demonstration against the trenches in front
OF A,Soni rtier our was Il succeeded in running
the spaniards out Of the trenches nut atso ran
short OF ammunition. My oattery was sc
toned some three miles TO the rear, ana ape o..
tacking party had no infantry 10 take the
trenches by assault We were Gil nooheu up
ready 10 GO 70 the front. when the oros' can
for more ammunition, ara was otoeIeu =.
take up four linbers with II. wen' up a, q
good trot as the orders conveyed no specia,
hurry. but when arrived General wilson hao
given the order 70 retire o
in also. so this was the last firing. so tar as
know, upon the island. The Spanisrds were ~
force Of about two thousand ana Ai i, ,as
considered their stronghold. They had their guns
situated on the hillside They had spehalo
position in three lines one THOUSAND feet above
us. and Battery F. Of the Sd ARTILLERY, nad
onered Are ar distance OF 100 yards with FIVE
guns and Asept up rapid fire for an ar. nss.
which drove the Spaniards from their trenenes
When the ammunition began 10 run low our
guns fired more slowly. and in this slow IRE me
enemy got our range pretty accurately ana sent
in a shot every minute II Is wonder 70 me
that with all the shot and hail OF Mause.
bullets more men were not n,l nn IN I ,ss
infantry killed and three wounded. while Lieu
tenant J. P. Ha!nes whom you know OF mere as
having been at the barracks was wounded, as
we thought at first fatally: however ne puliea
through all right He was in the main road
with his gun. and the shot and bullets were
coming down like A hailstorr. FOR they had the
range OF this particular spot down fine. how
ever we retired at the same time that the new
OF peace came 10 us, and we were sent back"
C0amo, where my battery is still encamped
Lieutenant Heiner says that Porto Rico Is not
a good country for handling artillery and cav
airy and horses The ground is broken with
heavy underground, and the land is cut up oy
streams. while It is hot and uncomfortable.