Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-06-15


defending Santiago the Spaniards had
tremendous advantage in artillery
well posted and using smokeless pow.
der. But they had no cannon or ma.
chine guns at Ell Caney, where the
Americans opened the ball with Ca
pron's light artillery on the morning of
July 1.
General Chaffee, one Of Lawton's
brigade commanders, was responsible
for Capron's battery in the fighting
outfit that day, and it was due to him
that there was but one battery on the
ground. He asked for one and got it,
AS matters turned out, Ell Caney might
have fallen earlier than it did if the
artillery had been doubled in effective
ness. Heavy guns were needed to smash
blockhouses which the troops couldn't
reach on charge nor silence with rife
shots
AT Ell Caney the American line was
shaped like V, with the village at the
mouth and the stone fort in the angle
Capron's battery was 1000 yards or
more from the line at the angle and was
in danger of shooting into the troops on
the opposite line as they neared the
Spanish position Capron opened at
1900 yards on some Spanish cavalry in
the village Of Ell Caney and killed an
officer and 16 troopers In the village
was loopholed church, but the gun
ners were ordered not to fire upon that
The firing began at o'clock and was
suspended at II 10, at which hour
nothing had been accomplished beyond
stirring up the Spanish in the village
Some shells had been thrown at the
blockhouse, the key to the position, but
the Spaniards still held it in full force
Several times the infantry had sent
word to Capron that his fire endangered
them. Lawton stood by Capron all day
and directed the fire Of the guns. At
II 30 the shots were turned on the
blockhouse, and at 2 Il its flagstaff was
cut down, and the enemy began to de-
sert it. Soon afterward Chaffee's infan-
try charged up and found holes in the
walls large enough to admit a man.
I asked Lieutenant w. r. Kenly, who
commanded section under Capron
that day and represented his captain,
why the guns were not taken nearer so
as to double their power. He said that
owing to the black powder the enemy
would have found them an easy target
and the gunners could not have lived at
closer range than about 3, 900 yards.
But after the blCckhouse had fallen the
guns were rushed up to within / 600
yards Of the smaller blockhouses at the
village, After firing two shots word
came that the Spanish had surrendered.
In the trenches at Santiago Capron S
guns were within 800 yards Of the
Spanish infantry and 1000 Of the ar
tilery, but then the gunners were IN
der cover At Ell Caney they had stood
in the open, except for the cover of
chaparral and the branches of trees.
Showers of bullets swept through the
trees, but at that distance We're harm
less.
A volunteer who was in the trenches
beside CaYron's battery relates this IN
cident Of the bombar;ment. Said M
"Overhead the Spanish shells were
humming and screeching. | could occa-
sionally see the CLINT Of one in the sun
shine as il passed over. About our ears
a humblebees' nest of Mauser bullets
W. singing and zooing. There was
| Captain Capron, fieldglasses in one
hand and erect and infexible as ever
One of his gunners who had thrown a
shell wide of the mark was beside him