The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-12-09
Hobson,s Hero,s,,,

ndIDor py sinking the collier Merrjmac in
.le channel under a fierce fire from the
a.oie batteries, escaping with their lives
as by miracle. but falling into tho
nands of the Spaniards 1t is most ora.
| llylng incident of the war that the bra
cry OF tnls little band Of heroes was, cnr-
uidHy appreciated by the Spaniards who
sent a nag of truce to notify Admired
sampson OF their safety and to compll-
rl.el. them upon their daring act. They
! were subsequently, EXCHANGED, Julv =
by June the cutting of the Iast c,,ho,,
caoie isolated the island Thereafter the
i ~ was vigorously prosecuted. June
~ uhder a heavy protecting fire a land
ing Iorce OF 600 marines from the OREGON
Marplehead and Yankee was effected q +
guantanamo bay, where it had been de-
.eilhlneo 10 establish cable station This
t.lpol.ant and essential port was taken
from the enemy after severe fighting NV
the marines, who were the first organized
force OF the United States to land in Cuba
Inc position so won was held, DESPITE the
desperate attempts to dislodge our forces.
by June is additional forces were landed
/ and strongly intrenched.
June " the advance of the invading
army under Major-General Shafter landed
at Daiquiri, about Is miles east of Santi-
ago. This was accomplished under rraat
olIhculties but with marvellous dispatch.
On June % the movement against Santa on
was begun.
On the oath the first serious enga cement
TOOK place in which the First and Tenth
cavalry and the First volunteer cavalry
General Young's brigade of General
Wheeler's division participated. losing
heavily. BY nightfall, however ground
within five miles of Santiago was won.
Inc advantage was steadily increased.
On July severe battle took place. our
forces gaining the outer works of Santiago
and Ell Caney and San Juan were taken
after a desperate charge and the invest
ment of the city was completed. The
navy co-operated by Smelling the town
and the coast forts.
Destruction of the Armada.
On the day following this brilliant
achievement of our land forces Julv
occurred the decisive naval combat of the
war. The Spanish fleet, attempting to
leave the harbor, was met by the Ameri-
can squadron under command of Commo
dore Sampson. In less than three hours
all the Spanish ships were DESTROYED.
Two torpedo-boats were sunk and the Ma
ria Teresa, Almirante Oquendo, Vizcaya
and Cristobal Colon were driven ashore
The Spanish admiral and over 1900 men
were taken prisoners. While the enemy's
loss of life was deplorably large, some
2OO perlshing, on our side but one man
was killed and one man seriously wounded.
Although our ships were repeatedly struck.
not one was seriously injured. The men
also conspicuously distinguished them
selves, from the commanders to the gun
ners and the unnamed heroes in the
boiler-rooms, each and all contributing
toward the achievement of this astound-
ing victory, for which neither ancient nor
modern history affords parallel in the
completeness of the event and the marvel
Gus dlsprOportion of casualties. 1t would
be invidious to single out any for special
honor. Deserved promo ton has rewarded
the mere conspicuous actors-the nations
profoundest gratitude is due to all of those
brave men who by their skill and devo-
ton in few short hours crushed the sea
power of Spain and wrought a triumph
whose deciSiveneSS and far-reaching eff
fects can scarcely be measured. Nor can
we be unmindful of the achievements of
our builders, mechanics and artisans for
their skill in the construction of our war
ships.
With the catastrophe of Santiago,
SPANS effort upon the ocean virtually
ceased. A spasmodic effort toward the
end of June to send her Mediterranean
fleet, under Admiral Camara to relieve
Manila was abandoned, the expedition be-
ing recalled after it had passed through
the Suez canal.
Surrender of Santiago.
The equalization of Santiago followed.
The city was closely besieged by land,
while the entrance of our ships into the
harbor cut off all relief on that side After
a truce to allow of the removal of the
noncombatants, protracted negotiations
continued from July until July Is, when,
under menace of immediate assault, the
preliminaries of surrender were agreed
upon. On the 18th General Shafter occu-
pied the city. The capitulation embraced
the entire eastern end of Cuba. The num-
Der of Spanish soldiers surrendered was
%, 600, all Of whom were subsequently con-
veyed to Spain at the charge of the
United States. The story of this success
full campaign is told in the report of the
secretary of war which will be laid be-
fore you.
The individual valor of officers and sol
diers was never more strikingly shown
than in the several engagements leading
to the surrender of Santiago, while the
prompt movements and successive victo-
ries won instant and universal applause.
To those who gained this complete tri-
umph which established the ascendency
of the United States upon land as the fight
off Santiago had fixed our supremacy on
the seas the earnest and lasting gratitude
of the nation is unsparingy due. Nor
should we alone remember the gallantry
of the living; the dead claim our tears,
and our losses by battle and disease must
cloud any exultation at the result and
teach us to weigh the awful cost of war,
however rightful the cause or however
signal the victory.
Invasion of Porto Rico.
With the fall of Santiago, the occupa-
ton of Porto Rico became the next STRAIT
egic necessity. General Miles had pre-
viously been assigned to organize an ex-
petition for that purpose Fortunately,
he was already at Santiago, where he had
arrived on the 18th of July with reinforce
ments for General Skaters army. With
these troops, consisting of 34l5 infantry
and artillery, two companies OF engineers
and one. company of the signal corps, Cen
eral Miles left Guantanamo July Il, hav-
ing nine transports conveyed by the fleet
under Captain Higginson, with the Mas
sachusetts (1agship), Dixie Gloucester,
Columbia and Yale, the two latter carry
ing troops The expedition landed at
Guanica July 25 which port was entered
with little opposition. Here the fleet was
joined by the Annapolis and Wasp, while
the Puritan and Amphitrite went to San
Juan end joined the New Orleans, which
was engaged in blockading that port The
maior-general commanding was subse-
uuently reinforced by General Schwanns
eraI Wilson with a part of his division,
and also by General Brooke. with a part
of his corps, numbering in all 1878 officers
and men. On July q he entered Ponce,
one of the most important points in the
island, from which he thereafter directed
operations for the capture of the island.
With the exception of encounters with
the enemy at Guayama, Hermiguerez,
Coamo and Yauco, and an attack on