The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-27

airy. .f't
Tho Messing.
Private Merriam Camp, Troop G. First
volunteer cavalry.
Sergeant D. G. Bell, First volunteer
cavalry.
Trumpeter R. Mcdonald, First volun-
teer cavalry. sAj.
Private n. H. cochrane, First volun-
teer cavalry.
Private Fred ChIlcot. First volunteer
cavalry.
Private J. S. Miller. First volunteer
cavalry. 't %
Private W. s. Sharp. First volunteer
cavalry. 80
Private J. E. steadman. First volun-
teer cavalry.
Private D. C. Deniss, FIRST volunteer
cavalry. 1-Es55 -
Captain Mccormick and Captain
Luna. OF the First volunteer cavalry,
VINO were reported yesterday, as among
the dead or wounded, were unharmed
as was also Colonel Wood, whom Adju-
tant Hall reported as mornlly wound
ed. 5.t., 5ltis
| sphhiarhs thoroughly Posted. sf
That the spaniards were thoroughly
posted as 10 the route to be taken BY
the Americans in their movement to-
wards Seville was evident. as shown BY
the careful preparations they had made.
The main body OF the Spaniards was
posted on a hill, on the heavily wooded
slopes OF which had been erected two
block houses. flanked by irregular en-
trenchments OF stone and fallen trees.
AT the bottom of these hills run two
roads along which Lieutenant Colonel
/ RQoseVelts men and eight troops OF the
First and Tenth cavalry with battery
or four Howitzers, advanced. These
roads are but little more than Gulleys,
rough and marrow and at places almost
impossible. In these trails the fight oc-
CURED. Nearly half mile separated
Roosevelt's men from the regulars and
between them and on both sides OF the
road In the thick underbrush was con-
cealed a force OF Spaniards that must
have been large, judging from the ter
rife and constant fire they poured ln
on the Americans.
The fight was opened By the First an,
Tenth cavalry, under General Young. A
force OF Spaniards was known to be In
the vicinity OF La Quasina. and early In
the morning Lieutenant Colonel Roose-
velt's men started of up the precipl-
tous bluff back OF Slboney to attack the
Spaniards on their right flank, General
Young at the same time taking the road
at the foot or the hill. About two and
a half miles out from Slboney some Gu
bans. breathless and excited, rushed In
the camp with the announcement that
the Spanlards were but little way In
front and were strongly entrenched.
Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out in the
front were brought to the rear, while q
strong scouting line was thrown out.
Then cautiously and In silence the
troops moved forward until bend in
the road disclosed lhill where the
Spaniards were located The guns were
again brought to the front and placed In
position, while the men crouched down
In the road, waiting impatiently to give
Roosevelt's men who were toillng over
the little trail along the crest OF the
ridge, time to get up.
The Opening Fire.
At 7:3o q. m. General Young gave
the command to the men at the Hotch-
kiss guns to open fire. The command
was the signal for a fight that for stub
bornness has seldom been equulled The
instant the Hotchkiss guns were fred,
the h!llsldes commanding the road gave
forth Volley after volleS from the Maui
GERS Of the ,Spaniards.
Don't shoot until you see something
to shoot at" yelled General Young, and
the men with set jaws and cleaning
eyes. ,obeyed the order. Crawling along
the edge OF the road and protecting
themselves as much as possible from
| the fearful fire OF the Spanlards, the
troopers, some OF them stripped to the
1 waist watched the base OF the hill and
when any part OF a Spaniard became
visible they fired. Never for an instant
did they falter.
One husky warrior OF the Tenth cav
airy with n ragged wound in his thigh.
coollv lsnelt behind rock, loading and
firing and when told by one OF his COM
rades that he was wounded. laughed
and said: "Oh, that's alright. That's
been there for some time" @ &
i In the meantime, away of to the lef,
could be heard the crack of the rifles OF
Colonel Woods men and the regular.
deeper. toned volley firing OF the Span
Inrds. Over there the American losses
were the greatest
Colonel Woods men with an advance
| guard well out In front and two Cuban
guides before them but apparently Will
no nankers, went suuarely into the trap
set for them by the Spanlards and only
the unfalterlng courage OF the men In
the face of q fire that would even mako
a veteran quail. prevented what might
easily have been disaster. As II was,
Troop i. the advance guard, under tho
unfortunate Captain Capron, was al
most surrounded and but for the REIN
4 forcement liurrIedly sent forward, ev-
cry mo n would probably have been kill
i ed or wounded. 10 e
Not MI American EIlmci,ed.
There must have been nearly 1,5On
spanIards in front and to the sides OF
u.s." said Lieutena Mt, Colonel Roosevelt
to-day, when discussing the fight.
"They. held the ridges with rifle pits
and machine guns and had a body OF
men In ambush In the thick jungle at
the sides of the road over which we
were advancing. Our advance guard
struck tie men In ambush and drove
them out. But they lost Captain Ca
prom, Lieutenant Thomas and about fif-
teen men killed or wounded Ei' ..f ~
ls55"The Spanish firing was accurate, so
accurate indeed. that It aurprlscd me,
and their firing was fearfulIy heavy
''I want to nay a word for our own
1. lt o. \ aI-t -.