Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1898-06-30
IN A DEATH TRAP.
some More Details Of the Battle Of La
Quasina.


and the troopers OF the First and Tenth
regular cavalry will be known in his
tory as the battle OF La Quasina.
That 1t did not end In the complete
slaughter Of the Americans was not due
10 any miscalculation In the plans
Of the Spaniards, for as perfect an am
buscade as was ever formed in the
brain Of an Apache Indian was pre-
pared and Lieutenant Colonel Roose-
velt and his men walked squarely into
it. For an hour and half they held
their ground under perfect storm Of
bullets from front and sides, and then
Colonel Wood at the right, and Lieu
tenant-Colonel Roose velf, at the left,
led charge which turned the tide Of
battle and sent the enemy flying over
the hills toward Santiago.
1t is now definitely known that l6
men on the American side were killed,
while 60 were wounded or are repotteh
to be missing. II is impossible to cal
culate the Spanish losses, but it is
known they were far heavier than those
OF the Americans, at least as regards
| actual loss of life. Already 81 dead
Spanish soldiers have been found and
buried, and many others are undoubt-
edly lying in the thick underbrush.
The wounded were all removed.
That the Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route to be taken by
the Americans in their advance toward
Seyila was evident as shown by the
careful preparations they had made.
The main body of the Spaniards was
posted on a hill in the heavily wooded
slopes on which had been erected two
blockhouses, fianked by irregular en-
trenchments Of stone and fallen trees.
At the bottom of these bills run two
roads, along which Colonel Roosevelt
and eight troops Of the First and Tenth
cavalry. with battery of four howitz-
ers, advanced. These roads are little
more than gullies, and at places almost
impassable. In these trails the fight
| occurred.
About two aud a half miles out
from Siboney, some Cubans, breathless
and excited, rushed into the camp with
the announcement that the Span
iaids were but little way in front,
and strongly entrenched. Quickly the
Hotchkiss guns out in the front were
brought to the rear, while strong
scouting line was thrown out. Then,
cautiously and in silence, the troops
moved forward until bend in a road
| disclosed the hill where the Spaniards
were located. The guns were again
brought to the front and placed in po-
| sition, while the men crouched in the
road waiting impatiently to give Roose-
| velt's men, who were toiling over the
little trail along the crest of the ridge.
time to get up.
AT 1880 A. M, General Young gave
the command to the men at the Hoteh.
kiss guns to open FIRE. The command
was the beginning of fight that for
stubbornness has seldom been equaled.
The instant the Hotchkiss guns were
fired, the hillsides commanding the
road gave forth volley after volley from
the Mausers OF the Spaniards.
Don't shoot until You see some.
thing to shoot at" yelled General
Young, and the men, with set jaws
and cleaning eyes, obeyed the order.
i Crawling along the edge of the road
and protecting themselves as much as
possible from the fearful fire of the
Spanialds. the troops, some of them
stripped to the waist, watched the
base OF the hill. and when any part of 9
Spaniard became visible, they fired.
Never for an instant did they falter.
One dusky warrior of the Tenth, with
ragged wound in his thigh, coolly
knelt behind rock, loading and firing
and when told by one of his comrade;
that he was wounded, laughed ant
said:
"Oh, that's all right; that's beer
there for some time"
In the meantime, away of to th'
left, was heard the crack OF the rifle
Of Colonel Woods men, and then th'
deeper toned volley firing of the Span
1911. ONtT tucI0 tIlC AhViiOah AOSoC'
were the greatest.
Colonel Woods men, with an ad
vance guard well out in front and tw,
Cuban guides before them. but appar
emily with no Hangers. went SQUARED.
into the trap set for them by the Span
iards. and only the unfaltering courag
of the men in the face of fire tina
would make even veteran quail, pre-
vented what might easily have been
disaster. AS it was, tropp L, the ad
vance guard, under the unfortunat
Capron, was we'll surrounded, and bu
: for the reinforcements hurriedly sen
forward. every man would probabl,
have been killed or wounded.
"There must have been nearly 80
Spaniards in front and to the sides 0
us,n said Lieutenant Colonel Roose
welt today, when discussing the fight
. "They held the ridges with rihe-pit
and guns, and had body of men il
. ambush in the thick jungle at tn
sides OF the road over which we wer
advancing. Our advance forward stTuc
the men in ambush and drove ther
! out, but we lost Captain Capron, Lieu
, tenant Thomas and about 10 me-
killed or wounded.
81 want to say word for our owl
men," continued Lieutenant-C Colone
Roosevelt. EVERY officer and ma
did his duty up to the handle. Not