The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-18

London, Aug. 1.-THE Manila CORE
spondent of the Times telegraphs, I'M
der date of Aug. IS, 5 p. m:
The capture of the town today was
not without melodramatic events. Nor
has it been a well kept secret that the
captain general personally suggested
the manner in which American troops
should advance to prevent loss of life
on both sides. At first it was not in
tended to attack the trenches, but
| quietly to advance after the lombard
ment had ceased.
At the last moment, however, the
programme was changed, and orders
were issued for the land battery to
open fire simultaneously with the fleet
and for an advance to be made as
soon as it was considered practicable to
assault the Spanish trenches. The rea-
i son for this change of plan is not yet
apparent, but considerable loss OF life
| resulted.
General Anderson placed his division
according to directions from General
! Merritt. There were eight battaliOns
| of the First brigade under General Nc
j Arthur in the fighting line on the right,
/ with three battaliOnS in reserve, while
seven battalions of the Second brigade,
under General Green, were in the
| shore, three others forming a reserve.
The troops left the camp at $3.50 in a
heavy thunder storm. They carried 800
! rounds of ammunition per man and two
days cooked ratiOns.
Shortly after S:45 the fleet got away
with flags mast-headed At o'clock
the Olympia led. attended by the Ra-
| leigh and the Petrol, while the CallaO,
under Lieutenant Tappan, and the
| launch Barcolo crept close inshOre in
the heavy breakers.
Perfect quiet prevailed in the lines
on both sides as the great ships cleared
for action. and silently advanced. some
times hidden by rain squalls The
Monterey, with the Baltimore. Charles
ton and Boston formed the reserve.
At 9:35 a. sudden cloud of smoke
green and white against the stormy
| sky, completely hid the Olympia, a
shell screamed across two miles of tur-
bulent water and burst near the Span
ish fort at Malate, San Antonio de
Abad. Then the Petrol and Raleigh and
the active little Callao opened q rapid
fire, directed towards the shore end Of
the entertainments.
UTAHS FOUR GUNS.
In the heavy rain it was difficult to
J judge the range and the shots at first
/ fell short but the fire soon became
I
untenable, while the four guns Of the
Utah battery made excellent practice
/ of the earthWOrks and swamp to the
east of the fort. The Spaniards replied
/ feebly with a few shells.
Less than half an hour after the
bombardment began, General Green de
cided that it was possible to advance,
although the signals to cease firing
were disregarded by the fleet, being
probably invisible on account of the
rain. ThereupOn six companies of the
Colorado regiment leaped over their
breastworks, dashed into the swamp
and began volley firing from the par
tial shelter of the low hedges within
200 yards of the Spanish lines. a few
moments later the remaining six COM
panies moved along the seashOre, some
what covered by a sand ridge formed
by an inlet under the OutWOrkS Of the
fort and at IL o'clock occupied this
formidable stronghold without loss.
Mccoy hauled down the Spanish flag
and raised the stars and stripes. amid
wild cheers along the line.
Meanwhile, the fleet, observing the
movement of the troops along the
beach. withheld it's fire. The ombard-
ment had lasted exactly an hour and
half.
An hour later General Green and his
staff proceeded along the beach, still
d
right, where the Eighteenth regulars
and the Third regular artillery were
engaging the enemy, and directed the
movement for an advance into Malate.
The vicinity of the forts was uncOm-
Portable. on account of numbers of
sharpshoOters in the buildings on both
sides 200 yards distant The forward
movement was, therefore, fastened,
and in a few minutes the outskirts of
the suburbs were well occupied, and
the sharpshOOters were driven away.
WITH FLAGS AND MUSIC.
AS the Californians, under Colonel
Smith, came up the beach their band
played the national air, accompanied
/ by the whistling of Mauser bullets and
during the sharpshooting, continued to
encourage the men with inspiring mu-
sic. Each regiment carried its cOlorS
into action. There was considerable
street fighting in the suburbs of Malate
and Ermita, but the battalion OF Cali
fornians pushed into the Luneta,
popular promenade, within 2OO yards
of the moat of the citadel.
Then the white flag was hOisted at
the southwest corner of the walled
town. General Green, with few mem
! bers of his staff, galloped along the Lu-
meta under a sharp scattering fire from
the houses near the beach and par
leyed with an officer, who directed him
along to the gate further east
AWKWARD SITUATION.
At this moment the Spanish forces,
retreating from Santa Ana came into
view, fully 1000 strong, followed by in
surgents who had eluded General Nc
Arthur's troops and now opened fire
for a brief period. The situation was
awkward, if not critical, both sides
being slightly suspicious of treachery.
The Spanish troops lining the citadel
ramparts, observing the Insurgents ac-
ton, opened fire on the Calif0rnians,
killing one and wounding three. The
confusion. however, soon ceased by the
advance OF the retreating Spaniards to
the Esplanade, when General Green or