Evening star., 1898-07-20


ments in which the latter had been hidden
ard took their places as possessors Of
dominating position, that the whole pano-
rama of the fight was unfoided to those
who were carefully watching 1t from the
exposed vantage point of Grimes hill where
the shells from the Spanish snokeless
batteries dropped with more or less irree-
ularity for hours.
The sun had burst forth from the mist
at the moment of the first command of
Forward with scorchng intensity. Now
the mist had risen and was absorbed In
the vast depths of the air which seemed
tc give all the coiors of the landscape a
more lively briliancy.
Between five and six miles to the north
eastward the insistent firing of Lawton's
artillery could be marked almost dis
tinctly as the gyrations of crack pitcher
by the grand stand spectator of base ball
game First the, white puff of old-fash-
ioned powder What seemed to be many
seconds would tick away before the dull
round detonation reached the ear; lastly,
through the glass, around the base of the
old church converted into block house
near the upper end of the town, or else
upon the ramparts of the "Stone Fort
above IT, great masses of dirt and dust
were seen to rise. showing that the shell
had struck and had exploded at or near its
mark.
Our Cool Marksmen.
The mist fingered over the lower foot
hills, however, and only where deeper
valley could the line of our infantrymen
be made out. 1t was, of course much in
advance of the artillery position. which
vas a sharp pointed. pyramid-shaped hill.
to our right rear. The steady pop-pop of
Lawtons rifles answered by the Spanish
at longer and longer intervals was cheering
enough as well because it proved the cool
ress and deiiberat1on of our marksmen as
that 1T indicated an uncompromising on
ward movement
The firing continued heavier on the right
throughout the whole of the first day than
it was on the left. Nowhere was better
demonstrated the fact that position and
defensive works were the chief reliance of
the enemy. This carried with it the cor
rollary that these two factors had been i'm
mensely underestimated by our general Of
hcerS. 1t was marvel to every military
man who surveyed the field after we had
secured possession of the whole Spanish
line how ever had been able to do it.
They all declared that with such positions,
so covered by intrenchments, no army in
the world equal to ours in numbers could
have jislodged us, unless. indeed, it had a
great preponderance in artillery.
InsuficientIy Equipped.
One of the most striking facts Of the
campaign is that the Santiago expedition
was insuffcently equipped with field guns;
but even had three times as many field
guns it would still be true that we were
absurdly wrong in our notion of the fight
ing capacity of the Spanish troops, and of
the value of their preparations for de-
fenSe
While for three or four days our army
was encamped on the Sevila branch of the
San Juan, it became a common remark of
field and company officers that any enemy
with small degree of enterprise could at
tack us there and easily do US great dam
age if indeed, he could not rout us and
drive US back in confusion, so crowded and
m nrnd nyfA
our formation. A high ridge to the west
ward of our center, which was not thor
oughly picketed, would have afforded him
command of our entire position. But not
even demonstration was made against
us. 1t vas only when ii was thought that
the SpaniardS were erecting new and more
enacing works in the vicinity of Caney,
which might enfilade right, that Gen.
Skaters determination to move at onca
was announced.
The reason for the Spanish Indifference
to our position and also for the very feeble
resistance which they made to our advance
rear Sevilla is no longer far to seek. They
had chosen the decisive battle-ground, and
there alone did they wish to fight. Their
confidence in the strength of the San Juan
position was entirely justified. In the first
place. the natural conformation of the
country could hardly be more favorable TO
a defensive campaign.
The Wilderness in Virginia presented far
less difficulties to the invading northerners
than did the San Juan valley to Skaters
army. The greater part of it is densely
covered with young timber underground,
interlaced with thorny vines. or studded
with natural abattis of cacti, palnettOeS
and brambles. The roads were originally
little more than blind trails, every one of
Which afforded q hundred opportunities for
ambuScade,
A Mixed Company.
What an undertaking it was to deploy a
line of battle at right sngles to one of
these paths will perhaps be ina gined. On
Friday, July 1, in moving through the tim
Der toward San. Juan ridge. some of Wheel
er's regiments became seriously mixed up,
owing to the utter impcssibility of moving
straight forward at anything like regular
intervals. Capt. Charles Morton com
nanding battalion of the Sd Cavalry.
when he finally approached the open space
across which the dash was made for the
right OF the San Juan position, found him
self surrounded by men of two or three
different regiments, mostly, however, of
his own. He did not hesitate. 1t was not
a moment for hesitation. Mauser bullets
and shrapnel were singing thick and fast
through the air, and men We're falling on
every side.
Morton put all the men near him fnto
line, and wnen Maj. Vessels commanding
the Sd, gave the order to charge ne led
them forward obiiqueiy behind the ISt Bat
talon, under Maj. Jackson, and quickly
took the most advanced position on the
ii6'', uiiNiieS lHt SpdHidIuS ma
cienda house which he found there back
upon battery of theirs down under the
walls of San Juan barracks He held this
position against superior odds for a long
time before .e1lef was sent him. Had he
waited to separate his men from those of
other regiments who had become mixed up
with them in the scramble through the
lush this movement might have been far
less successful, as every moment OF delay
in the advance meant loss
Spnniards' Enyfneerio.. skin
Secondly, the artificial strengthening of
the Spanish line of defense showed the
very highest order of engineering skill
This is the verdict of all competent Off
GERS who have examined it The utmost
advantage was taken of the conformation