Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-12-03

up path IN single file. Finally lJ
struck sunken road on the crest of the
ridge $40 yards from the Spanish block
house, northeast of Ell Caney. The crest
of the ridge offered some protection
from Spanish fire. Looking across the
hollow between them and the village,
the men could see the enemy in their
trenches, Firing sometimes by volIeys
ard sometimes at will, the Seventh was
unable to silence the Spanish fire. All
day, for eight hours, the high key of
the Mauser rife could be heard above
the pop of the Kr Jorgensen.
The slope in front of the Seventh was
dense chaparral, and charge down
that across the ravine under the muzzles
of the Mausers would have annihilated
the regiment Besides, in advancing to
the fort the Seventh would have got
ten under the fire of Capron's guns.
They kept their oolors flying all day as
markers for Capron. The losses were
distributed over every hour Of the day
and over all the companies in the regi-
ment. The officers were surprised in
the end to learn how many had been
lost, total of 140 out Of $50 in line.
AS it was impossible for man to show
the smallest part of his body without
getting it punctured, all the firing was
done while lying down, and all the
killed were shot in the head. Its COM
mander, G. S. Carpenter, veteran of the
civil war, was on the firing line all day.
When the Twelfth regiment advanced
against the stone fort early in the morn
ing, it drew the Spanish fire from the
trenches, the loopholed fort and the
church. Spaniards in the church belfry
first sighted the Twelfth as it moved
from the mountain down through the
hollow to reach high ground 700 or 800
yards from the fort
Captain Waltz's company crept up
within $50 to 400 yards, working right
and left and trying to get position
unswept by the Spanish fire. After the
fort had been preached by Capron' s
guns a complete regimental line was
formed and swept forward to the fort,
| which was taken possession of by Com.
panies A, D and f under Captain Wood,
Lieutenant Wilde and Captain Clarke.
of Company f crept through the holes
| which c. ron's shells had made in the
stone wall and got the Spanish flag.
Private Al / of Company A raised the
colors of le Twelfth over the fort
Soldiers of the regiment were wounded
| in the fort after it had been taken. The
Spanish flag was handed first to Cap
tain H. L. Haskell, commanding the
| battalion to which Company F be.
longed Captain Haskell gave it to
| Creelman, the correspondent, who was
| afterward wounded The Twelfth men
finally got possession Of the flag again,
| tore it into bits and distributed the
pieces through the regiment
| The Twelfth was 500 strong at Ell
Caney, and lost 40 killed and wounded.
| Colonel Richard Comba, war veteran,
was wounded, and was succeeded in
command by Major Fl. A. Humphrey,
another war veteran.
After the fort fell the Spaniards in
the village made a weak attempt to re-
take it. They advanced with scatter
ing line under cover of the fire from the
houses in the village, but were driven
back. Capron's battery moved up and
opened on the blockhouses around the
village. Chaffee' S regiments also charged
forward through the hollow. For an
| hour it was struggling fight between
the demoralized Spaniards trying to get
| away, Americans heading them off, and
the few misguided Spaniards, who