The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-07-02
ARE THREATENING SANTIAGO
A GREAT BATTLE AT ANY TIME.
Advance Force Less Than Five Miles
From the City-Cubans Seem to He
Lazy and worthless-Spnnish BuI-
lets Are FriRhtful.

On the Rio Guiana, June 26, noon (via
Kingston, Jamaica, June 2S).-The adj
vance forces of the American army rest
on this stream with the city of Santiago,
four and half miles westward, in PLAIN
sight.
Last night the outposts, consisting of
two companies of the Seventh infantry
under Major Coolidge, occupied positions
at right angles to the road, guarding the
crossing a mile and a half beyond Sevilla
where three regiments of General Law
toms division are camped 49, the First.
Fourth and Seventeenth. The Eighteenth,
Second and Twenty-second Massachu-
sets, with the Rough Riders, Tenth cav
airy and portions of several other regi-
ments, are strung out behind them to-
ward Juragua.
About 500 Cubans, under General Con
zales, were amped around General Law
tons headquarters, but less than so of
them did scout duty last night.
General Wheeler today, with the First,
Second and Tenth cavalry, and the
Rough Riders with dynamite guns,
moved up to where General Lawton' 5
outposts were last night, and four bat
teries of the Third artillery and four
Calling guns, with a special detail under
Lieutenant Parker, were brought and
planted ON the brow of a hill overlooking
the basin in which the city of Santiago
lies. The top of every hill and mountain
east of Santiago is occupied by block
houses, whence the Spaniards can view
the movements of the American army as
it advances by way of Sevilla TO the east
ward of this city.
Hard Fighting Ahead.
No officer who has surveyed the field
over which the advance must be made
underestimate the task ahead of tn,
Americans, although our boys still ex
press the most contemptuous opinion O.
their adversaries. The general opinion
is that more artillery will be necessary
before it will be safe to attempt an as
sault, as the fire of different regiments
must be necessarily deadly and sufiicien
to demoralize any force, no matter how
brilliant in its courage, when halted b!
wire distractions. Some of the officer
DclltNc IL Will nc uttcSSdll 10 lay a ltS
ular siege to Santiago and advance witt
line of earthworks until the rifle pit
can be shelled with shrapnel. Should
night attack occur, our soldiers woul'
fare worse than did the marines i
Guantanamo, as the attacking fore
would not be at the disadvantage of hay
ing to charge up hill
Cubans Are Lazy.
The Cubans with the advance forces, i
, spite of the good behavior of their CON
} rades at Guantanamo, seem to be utterl
worthless. All day they sit in the shad
of their palm thatched camps, and a
: night they smoke cigarettes and gorge o
Uncle Sans rations, while in sight {
them Uncle SANS boys, with empt
stomachs and not a bit of tobacco fo
their pipes, build roads all day under tn
blazing sun and sleep on their rifles undo
] the sky at night.
; The Spaniards are using brass-sheathe
lead bullets, and the brass rips on tOucl
ing and tears the flesh horribly while til
small brass splinters cause blood poison
ing. They are practically explosive Blu
lets and are used in the Remington
They also cut a small cross through til
end of the Mauser bullet, so that it musi
rooms on striking. with a similar result