Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-04-29

liant fighting, not
to ambush and slaughter pen.
The two regiments which lost The
highest both numerically and by per-
eentage engaged in q long contest with
the Spaniards and got their scars by
carrying the battle home to the enc
my's lines. The Seventh regulars of
Chaffee's brigade entered the fight at Ell
Caney early in the day, an 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 Chaffee's
brigade on the northeast of the Span
ish position the Seventh took the lead,
marching by single file over the ridge
to the crest commanding Ell Caney viii
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 again at will,
the regulars Were unable to silence the
enemy 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 a dense
chapparal, and a charge down that
across the ravine at the bottom under
the muzzles of the Spanish rifles would
have annihilated the regiment. Besides,
in advancing to the fort the men would
have fallen within range OF Capron's ar
tillery fire, which was playing upon the
Spaniards 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 q
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
vas 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-fifth (colored). The Twenty
fifth lost II per cent of its total. but
the main loss of Al killed and wounded,
fell upon about 900 men who charged
directly upon the stone fort under a
deadly Mauser fire. The loss 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 well sheltered. In an
other part of the field, where the range
was open, the Eighth regulars lost 10
per cent and the Twenty-second, in the
same line, 10 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
but not heavily engaged. For a large
body of troops heavily engaged 80 per
cent and upward is an exceptional loss
fer a single battle.
Capron's light battery. which did the
heavy pounding at E. . aney and prac-
tically smashed T. spanish fort, al
though it was a l. tg time about it, lost
no men in the affair. It's guns were too
far from the enemy to feel his fire. But
at San Juan the case was different.
Grimes battery had been stationed on
I'll pncn hill fA cf1anoa INV GDoD,ah ho+
teries which might open upon the adj
vancing Americans. The range was
long, but the Spaniards had artillery at
Santiago with which TO answer at long
range. AT the second shot into Grimes
battery one shell killed two men at a
piece and wounded four, destroy
ing a gun detachment at a blow.
had 30 men at the battery,
hence the loss was 20 per cent, and 1t
occurred in a second. During that day
two more were hit, and later in the
two others, making a loss Of ten
in the battery, a very high one for light
artillery fighting at long range.
1t has been shown that the regular
at Ell Caney averaged about
12M per cent, and the lowest in any
regiment was 10. The Second Mas
sachusetts volunteers lost 8 per cent,
and including it in the strength and
losses the average is pulled down to
II per cent. AT San Juan.
the loss has been called high, the
Ell Caney average was exceeded in both
the infantry and cavalry divisions, and