The San Francisco call., 1898-07-03
Spunidrds Retire as the Boys in Blue. E u'., Rusb
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Deadly Aim of copron's Battery Trained UpoD tbe Cups:
 Guarding the HilItops.


 increased the size of the breach in the roof. The firing was from hill to hill. for San. Juan stands high. :. | The soldiers were moving up the muddy road behind Ell Pogo, and as company after company of stalwart, eageE fellows appeared they shouted with delight when they learned that at last an attack on Santiago had been begun. :. I. passed several regiments on my way to the coast, The Spanish up to that time had made no: reply. to our guns on Fl Pogo, but a surgeon coming from where Capronts battery was said bullets were .whistling over the ridge there as he rode away and that he thought the advance of our infantry on Caney had been opposed. The Span- iards,. he said: answered our attack with a rife fire and slowly gave ground before our. men, who moved forward firing by: .Volleys and. at will under cover of Capron's guns. There were no casualties at the time. the surgeon left that wing, which was; early in the en- gagenent. : ;.
 The men were most enthusiastic, cry ing ':On to. Santiagos" There: was no intention to rush, to the city, but at first to attempt to 'dislodge the Spanish from their earthworks and from behind their barbed wire fences by our artil- lery. The enemy's hope evidently was that the Americans would attempt to capture. their earthworks at the outset the ground that was swept by the deadly fire of the men behind them.
 Two more batteries of light artillery were being; pushed forward as I left. and this made four batteries in all: Then: the: men will be moved forward and in numbers they will be strong enough to drive the enemy into the main section of the city proper, which successful. move would permit them to destroy the wire fences which bar their approach: It is said there are six fences. and three lines of earthworks outside of San Juan,' but these are hidden by the hill. across. the crest of which the: elevated forts were shelled.
 Santiago newspapers brought to Gen eral Shafter's headquarters give a weird account of the alleged victory of the Spanish over the Rough Riders, but its correct information as. to the names of our regiments engaged leads me to believe that there may have been spy in our lines last Friday.
 Admiral Sampson sent Flag Lieuten- ant Stanton to consult General Shafter yesterday, and this morning as the troops moved forward toward Fl Pogo
 V t,o to two miles off Santiago the flagship ran close in shore and took up a posi- tion at the mouth of the valley three miles east of Morro and began to shell the Spanish infantry who were coming out of the woods to the westward of the position toward which Shafter was moving his field batteries.
 The New York lay in a cloud of smoke for nearly two hours. keeping up a terrific fire, her shells bursting wherever glasses disclosed the move ment of Spanish troops in the thick cover to the west A signal hoisted at 10 o'clock brought converted yacht to her assistance in the work, and at noon the rest of the squadron moved in to- ward the batteries east and west of Morro and began a general Lombard ment
 Seven ships were engaged on the in ner line few minutes past noon, and the reply from the batteries, which had been desultory from the first, had les sened perceptibly.
 It was said that when the army has forced it's way near enough to the city proper-which may be Saturday--the ships, having silenced the outer batter ies, would move into the harbor's mouth, reduce the battery on Cayo Smith, a small island inside, and two of them take up positions near the Mer- rimac, where they could train guns on Cervera's ships and the city itself. If this is done 1t is believed the army will soon succeed in entering Santiago from the east in s-ite of the Spanish troops and take possession. AS far as I could learn none of our ships were damaged up to the time the Golden Rod left