Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-23

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III Mt[ITL They show that
| ~ Il NNNI the battle was
TNxN.MN won by heroism,
lWp1' klG1 MSs4I1 not by accident;
ytt.S&H1yxgI that the losses
Wif[r-IC G'.sss>2l were due to pro-
lWt&Lf~l longed and gal
L-- liant fighting, not
to ambush and slaughter pen.
The two regiments which lost the
highest both numerically and by per-
centage engaged in a long contest with
the Spaniards and got their scars by
carrying the battle homo to the enc
my's lines. The Seventh regulars of
Chaffee's brigade entered the fight at Ell
Caney early in the day, and in the
course of six hours counted its killed
and wounded at 140 officers and men.
The regiment carried $50 all told into
battle. In the deployment of Chaifee's
brigade on the northeast Of the Span
ish position the Seventh took the lcau,
marching by single file over the ridge
to the crest commanding Ell Caney vii
lage. The crest of the ridge offered
some protection from Spanish fire, and
across the hollow between the crest
and village the Americans could see
the Spanish in their trenches Firing
sometimes by volleys and arain at will,
the regulars were unable to silence the
enemy's rifles All day the high key of
the Mauser mingled with the pop Of the
Krag- Jorgensen. The slope in front Of
the Seventh was covered with dense
chapparal, and a charge down that
across the ravine at the bottom under
the muzzles of the Spanish RIFFS would
have annihilated the reg .ment. Besides,
in advancing to the fort the men would
have fallen within range of Capron' ar
tillery fire. which was playing upon the
Spanards from the opposite front. The
losses of the Seventh were distributed
over every hour of the day and among
all the companies. Dead and wounded
were borne back from the firing line
until over 100 had been gathered in a
sunken road behind the crest, yet in
the end all We're surprised to learn that
the total was SO great. As it was inn
possible for a man to show the smallest
portion of his person to the enemy
without getting punctured, all the firing
was done while lying down and all
killed were shot in the head.
Although the Seventh was outdone
in the matter of percentage at San
Juan. it was not at Ell Caney, except a
distinction Is made in the case of the
Twenty tifth (colored). The Twenty
fifth lost 1 I per cent of its total, but
the main loss of al killed and wounded
fell upon about 200 men who charged
directly upon the stone fort under a
deadly Mauser fire. The less in the Sew
enth amounted to II per cent.
The Seventeenth regulars sustained
about the same kind of fighting as the
Seventh, but its men had better shelter
and the loss was 10 per cent. The
Twelfth, which was closest to the fort
and reached there first, lost 10 per
cent. In approaching the Spanish lines
the Twelfth was we'll sheltered. In an
other part of the field, where the range
was open, the Eighth regulars lost II
| per cent and the Twenty in the
same line, IL per cent. Taken through
/ out, the casualties in the five regular
regiments of the Ell Caney division were
about the average for a division steadily
hut not heavily engaged. For large
body Of troops heavily engaged 90 per
! cent and upward is an exceptional loss
fer single battle.
t Capron light battery, which did the
1 heavy pounding at Ell Caney and prac-
y tically smashed the Spanish fort, al
n though it was long time about it. lost
J, no men in the affair. Its guns were toe
= far from the enemy to feel his fire. But
|, at San Juan the case was different
. Grimes battery had been stationed or
a Ell Peso hill to silence any Spanish bat
teries which might open upon the ad
vancing Americans The range wal
long, but the Spaniards had artillery a
. Santiago with which to answer at Ions
q range At the second shot into Grimes
s battery one shell killed two men at {
single piece and wounded four, destroy
g ing Il gun detachment at u blow
Grimes had 80 men at the battery
hence the loss was 30 per cent, and i
o occurred in a second. During that day
I two more We're hit, and later in thu
siege two others, making a loss of ter
in the battery, a very high one for ligh
artillery fighting at long range.
. 1t has been shown that the regular
~ regiments at Ell Caney averaged abou
1919 per cent, and the lowest in any
. regiment was TO- The Second Mas
}. sachusetts volunteers lost 8 per cent
p and including it in the strength an(
losses the average is pulled down t.
minus per cent. AT San Juan
where the loss has been called high, tn,
FL Caney average was exceeded in boil
IN the infantry and cavalry divisions, ant
the highest percentage for single regi
at ment there exceeded in several cases
Kent's regular infantry lost nearly 4
per cent on the average. and. includin,
the strength and loss of the Seventy
first New York, 1917 per cent. Tn
percentage in the Seventy first was T. 90
Experienced soldiers declare that tn
. Second Massachusetts and Seventy frs
New York were handicapped by tn
form of rife they carried, the Smoking
, Springfield, as it was termed. In tn