Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-27

Note to Nap.-Thc positions of regiments
wCr' aS indicated NJ some stage of the battle.
Owing To- its smoking Springfield rifles the SEQ
ond Massachusetts, changed position to avoid
exposure. Thu scale of the map is nbou. Loo
yards TO the inch.
necessarily slow, but drew n steady fire
from the Spaniards. II was evident that
Lawton would have to fight for the pos
session of FL Cnney.
Lawton's division comprised the
bricadcs Of General A. r. Chafrce,
Colonel L. II. Miles and General J. II,
Ludlow. Ludlow and Chaffee, like
Lawton, were veterans of the civil war,
Each brigade consisted Of three rcgi
ments of regulars, excepting the Second
Massachusetts Of Ludlow's brigade.
Ludlow was new to the brigade, having
taken command on the Goth. The work
cut ont for Ludlow n, FL Caney was to
hold his line rs close us possible to FL
Cancy III support of the main infantry
attack, which Chatfce was To make on
the northeast, and be ready to cut Off
the retreat IF the Spaniard- toward san
tiapo, as wei rs to prevent re-cnforCe-
ment by troops coming out Of Santiago.
Tho Twenty second infantry had the
right If Ludlov's brigade nearest the
fort, and 1T first there was wide in
terN al between it and the left of Chat.
fees brigade, east of the fort. The
Twnaty- Secuud had eight companies,
800 strong, under command of Lieuten.
ant Colonel j. II. Patterson, n veteran
of Sykes regular division in the civil
war Patterson was wounded early in
the fight, and the command dovolve'l
upon Major ". NJ. Van Horne, Wikoff,
tho colonel of the regiment, was that
day in command of a brigade i'll Kent S
division. When the regiment advanced
in battle formation along the road to FL
Caney, it WAS fired on from the under
brush, some distance in front of the
fort and the town of FL Caney. The
men followed up until they reached
good range position. The ground was
open, in some places covered with corn
and cultivated shrubbery, all inclosed
with wire fences ana hedges of cacti.
No Spanish breastworks could be seen,
Tho regiment remained under fro from
IA, IN. until $3.50 Y. H., and lost off .
GERS wounded, men killed and 80
wounded.
On the right of the Twenty second was
the Eighth regulars, II fighting COM
mand dating back to 1898, when II was
organized with General Worth rs its
first colonel, Major +, b, Savage, who
served in the civil war in the One Hun
dred and Fifteenth New York volun-
teers and was with AmeS in the despor-
ate battle OF Fort Fisher, commanded
one battalion at FL Caney, and the regi-
ment was commanded by Major Conrad,
who later died of fever. There were
seven com panies of the Eighth in the
fight, numbering $50 men. The reRi-
ment got within range of the Spanish
sharpshouttrS at about s o'clock. While
advancing toward field adjoining the
road leading to FL Caney it formed in
| line and charged forward toward the
blocEhouses at FL Caney village. When
within 500 yards of the blockhouses, the
regiment found rise of ground which
served as shelter, and there it remained
until o'clock. The losses of tho Iegi-
ment began when the sharpshooters
opened on it and continued during its
advance to the shelter and while lying
there. One oiiicor wounded, q men kill,
ed and 40 wounded were the total cas-
ualties.
On the line with the Twenty, second