The times., 1898-09-04
LAST BATTLE I'M PORTO RICO.
Peace News Came During a Fight
mt AibOnitO.


mt Aibonito.
New Orleans, Sept. 3.-The United
States transport Aransas, formerly of
the Morgan line, which left Ponce on Au-
gust %. reached New Orleans yesterday
On board of her from the late seat of
war were Lieut.. Gordon c. Heiner, of
Battery B. Fourth Artillery. In charge of
five dynamite guns. and Mr.. Stockley. a
dynamite expert, and son of the president
of the Sims-D Dudley Pneumatic Gun Com
pany. The party is on the way TO Fort
Myer, under orders.
Lieut.. Heiner gave the following account
of the Porto Rican campaign, and the
last fight of the war in the West Indies:
''Out batteries were landed at Guanica
from the transports Comanche, Unionist
and Specialist on July 26, and this was
where we had a Slight brush with the
Spanish. who attempted TO oppose our
landing. They attacked our infantry
outposts, but We're driven back by half
an hours firing. 1t was not until Au-
gust 8 that we got into anything like an
engagement This was at the blockhouSe
at Coamo. We had marched from Guani-
ca to Yauco in one day. and from there
to Tulipa, and the next cay 10 Ponce,
where Gen. Miles and his staff and the
larger part of the army of Porto Rico
were quartered.
~ here were regiments rom Illinois.
Wisconsin. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania
and New York the Eleventh and Nine
teenth Regular Infantry, rour batteries
OF the Third Artillery and Troop A of
the Fifth Cavalry We arrived at Ponce
on August l. and remained there until
August T. when we We're ordered away
toward Coamo, and made fifteen miles
in that direction that Gay.
"On the sth we marched miles with
out meeting the enemy, and on the 9th we
marched miles, into the fight The Span
ish only a small force, were in block
house and the Sixteenth Pennsylvania
was sent around Is miles upon their flank.
We opened fire, and in short time had
reduced the blockhouse. The Second and
Third Wisconsin were in cur support, out
did not get chance 10 get into the nght,
as the Spaniards threw up their hands and
surrendered. There were only some dozen
or fifteen men IN the blockhouse when
they had given up and when our infantry
entered the city they captured l6I. though
probably as many more again escaped.
ION the 11th we were again engaged.
This was the demonstration against the
terry was not in this. but the Third Artil-
lery was 1t succeeded in running the
Spaniards out of the trenches. but also
ran short of ammunition. Ny battery was
stationed some miles TO the rear, and
the attacking party had no infantry TO
take the trenches by assault
1--WE we're all hooked up ready to go
70 the front. when The order came for
more ammunition. and / was ordered to
take UP lour limbers with 1t. l went up
at a good trot, as the orders conveyed
no special hurry. but when l arrived
Gen. Wilson had given the order to re-
ti-a.
The news of the peace negotiations
had come in also, SO this was the last fir
ing, so far as I know. upon the island.
The Spaniards were In force about two
thousand and Aibonito WAS considered
their stronghold They had their guns
situated on the hillside They had a
splendid position in three lines one thous-
and feet above US. and Battery F. of the
Third Artillery. had opened fire at a
distance of 2100 yards with five guns.
and kept up a rapid fire for an hour.
which drove the Spaniards from their
trenches.
When the ammunition began to run
low our guns fired more slowly, and in
| this slow fire the enemy got our range
| pretty accurately and sent in shot ev-
| cry minute 1t is a wonder to me that
| with all the shot and hail of Mauser
| bullets more men Were not killed and
wounded. AS it was, we had two men
in the infantry killed. and three wound
! ed, while Lieut.. j. p. Ha-les, whom you
know of here as having been at the bar
| racks. was wounded, as we thought at
| first fatally: however, he pulled through
! all right. He was in the fnain road with
! his gun, and the shot and bullets were
| coming down like d hailstorm. for they
! had the range of this particular spot
| down fine. However, we retired at the
same time that the news of peace came
| to US, and we were sent back to Coamo,
| where my battery is still encamped"
Lieut.. Heiner says that Porto Rico IS
| not good country for handling artillery
and cavalry and horses. The ground is
broken with heavy underground. and the
| land is cut up by streams, while it is hot
| and uncomfortable.