The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-13
Another Slightly Wounded, and the Advance
Pckets Not Accounted For.
Surgeon John Blair Gibbs Among the Slain-Eight
Thousand United States Troops Reported to
Have Landed Near Santiago.

by the cracks of carbine fire along the
edge of the camp ridge or by the long roll
of the launch's machine gun, searching the
thickets with leaden stream
Shortly after midnight came the main at
up the southwest slope, but were met by
repeated volleys from the main body, and
broke before they were one-third of the way
up the hill; but they came so close that at
points there was almost hand-to-hand
struggle. The officers used their revolvers.
Three Spaniards got through the open for
nation to the edge of the camp. Colonel
Jose Campina, the Cuban guide. discharged
his revolver. and they. turning and finding
skelter down the reverse side of the hill
1t was during this assault that Assistant
Sesgea0 Gibbs was killed He was shot
in the head in front of his own tent, the
farthest point of attack. He fell into the
arms of Private Sullivan and both dropped
A second bullet threw dust in their faces.
Surgeon Gibbs lived ten minutes. but did
not regain consciousness. The surgeons
Of the hospital corps then removed their
+I,a oI5
ish stockade, north of the camp.
The attacks were continued at intervals
throughout the rest of the night with firing
from small squads in various directions. To-
wards morning the fire slackened. Dawn
is the favorite time for attack, and, as the
east paled, the marines. lying on their guns,
were aroused. Some were actually asleep,
as they had no rest for forty-eight hours.
and tired nature could no longer stand the
twelve-pound field guns, which could not
be used during the night for fear of hit
ting our own men, shelled several squads
into the bushes like prairie dogs into bur-
rows as the shells broke over them in the
gray dawn.
AS the correspondent of the Associated
Press talked with Major Cockrell. who was
in charge of the outposts, word came of the
finding of the body of Sergeant Smith. He
was reported as having been killed at
o'clock on the previous day, but it appears
that he had been seen alive at 10 o'clock
in the evening. When and how he was
killed no one knows at this writing Neither
had the men been mustered, nor had the
outposts of Lieutenant Neville and Shaw
been relieved
Lieutenant Colonel Huntington and Mai.
Cockrell gave high praise to the nerve and
steadiness of officers and men, especially the
young ones, as the engagement was a bap-
tism of fire for large majority. The men
were in darkness and in a strange land.
but they stood to their posts with courage
and fortitude, and there was no symptom
of panic. The marines, though much ex-
hausted, were eager for more fighting,
promising to inf1ict heavy punishment. They
complimented the daring of the Spa.liards
with characteristic camp profanity.
To-day the amplest precautions have been
taken, and when the Dauntless was leaving
reinforcements were landing from the Mar
blehead. A stormy time was expected
Estimates vary as to the attacking force,
some say two hundred and the figures run
as high as one thousand. Colonel Campina,
the Cuban guide. said the spaniards were
mostly irregulars. but the reports of the
discharge of Mauser rifles would indicate
that they were regulars, as most of the
guerillas carry Remingtons. The Cuban
guerrillas. as q rule, have more dash and
courage than the regulars.
The new campaign uniforms prove salts