The times., 1898-07-04

yawning holes in the masonry of the hill
side defenses
1t is not possible at this time to tell
the complete story of the two days fight
ing.
| Just a week after the battle near Sc
villa. in which the Rough Riders took
part. Gen. Skaters army was in posi-
ton for attacking the Spaniards. Read
| ers will understand the situation from
the following description of the surround
ings of the city of Santiago:
Six miles from the sea, at the head OF
what Is practically salt water lake, lies
Santiago, surrounded on all sides by high
mountains which rise straight up from
the water. These mountains stand in
| ridges practically running parallel with
the coast. Between the first and second
ridges is Santiago. Two miles east of
the entrance of the harbor is Aguadores
which is south OF the city itself South
east of Santiago on the top of a HILL is
San Juan. from which place this dispatch
is sent. A short distance north of the city
is FL Caney
Santiago is a walled city and Aguadores.
San Juan and FL Caney are its outposts.
shnfter Favored "a Siege.
Gen. Shafter believed that Santiago
would be best taken by compelling its
capitulation by siege. but he finally yield
| ed to arguments in favor of attacking
the place. It was decided to make the
attack all along the line. and to never
stop the fighting until Santiago was
| taken.
On Thursday the Americans had the
city practically surrounded. The plan of
attack comprised a joint assault by the
feet and army on Aguadores, and a mill
tary attack along FL Caney and San
Juan. the fleet dlverting the attention Of
the enemy by occasionally bombarding.
Three divisions under Gen. Lawton
were sent north to make the attack on
El Caney. Gen. Wheeler's cavalry. under
Sumner, Gen. Wheeler being i'll, had the
center of the line up the valley. while
Gen. Duffield was at the seaside to fight
| in conjunction with the feet and the
Michigan volunteers against Aguadores.
The seventy-first New York, Gen. Law
ton, the Rough Riders and Whee1er's
Massachusetts Volunteers were held in
reserve.
AT o'clock Gen. Lawton was on the
Caney Road around the mountains. Gen.
Duffield was at the railroad, with his
troops in trains, while Gen Wheeler went
up the valley to the hillside ranch Ell Pa
20. He planted Grimes's battery of four
pieces there. 900 yards from the Santa
go forts. Gen. Lawton's division was led
| by Gen. Chaffee's brigade, with Col. Lud-
low supporting. Col. Miles's brigade sup
ported Gen. Wheeler in the center. Ca
| pron's battery was placed on a bluff a
mile and half from Caney All was in
readiness at daylight. The spaniards did
49, N'-A--O' - IAiC P1o4liD4I VI Inc americans
until sunrise Capron fired the first gun at
o'clock and this opened the battle which
has been raging ever since.
Americans Open the Fight.
The report of the first gun echoed and
re-echoed and then died away There was
no reply. Another shot followed and then
another. Still there was no reply. 1t
looked as though the Spaniards would not
fight. The Cubans believed that they
were retreating. a thousand Cubans hur-
rIed along the road to Caney and Ell Pazo
to head them off. They were just in time
| to catch the fleeing Spaniards at the Du
curance estate. There was hot fight
| for few minutes and the Spaniards then
went back to Caney taking rneIr wounded
with them. The Cubans had nineteen
| wounded
! Meantime Capron's battery continued
firing until It delivered twenty-seyen
| shots, to which no answer was made.
The Spaniards were driven back into a
oSAA'SA o-'A thcs HON ~SdpFOn
| battery damaged the town, not the fortt-
| fications AS the twenty-eghth shot was
being fired there was whistling near the
/ battery followed by the explosion of a
shell from the Riena Mereedes's battery.
Another and another. followed but the
Spaniards did poor shooting. Their shells
| did not touch the battery, but fell on a
house where some soldiers were, long
distance away. The three shells wounded
thirteen Cubans and4eighteen Americans
The duel became hot. The Americans
fired quicker, now that they had a line
on the forts. Every shot from their bat
terry told, and SO dia many of the Span
ish shells. Their firing showed much i'm
proVement and their guns were handled
in mastery style After an hour the
firing ceased on both Sides
Grimess battery at El Pazo had in
the meantime opened. firing across the
gulch from the hill below San Juan.