The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-02

has taken part. Camp rumor has 1t
that General Wheeler remarked during
the fracas that 1t was the hottest fire
he was ever under. The day had been
an unusually quiet one and light rain
having been falling since early evening
led the watchful outposts to believe
that they would enjoy a peaceful tour
Of duty. AT half past l, however. a
solitary signal shot came from across
the narrow river which separates the
two lines, rebel bugle sounded beau
tiful charge" somewhere in the silent
darkness and then 1t seemed as II all
the inhabitants of the neither world had
conspired to make the night hldeous.
Six big guns opened the entertainment
and whoever handled them knew his
business. II was the first fight Of the
war In which the rebel artillery exceed
ed our own in point of numbers and
certainly the first where their effective
ness equalled that OF our own artillery
men. At the first shot thousand
Remington rifles cut loose at short
range from position at right angles
to the rallroad and under cover Of the
artillery's fire a rapid advance was be-
gun. 1t seemed an age before the rain
soaked reserve tnmbled out into the
chilly trenches, but In reality is was but
few moments until our whole line OF
defense on the north poured volley af-
ter volley into the rebel ranks with the
steadlness and regularity of clockwork,
An armored car was hastily showed
along the track until 1t seemed almost
abreast with the blaze of the enemy's
rifles and when It's guns were turned
loose both to the right and left the ad-
vance was checked almost as suddenly
as it had begun. But this attack on the
north was not intended as main at
tack we soon learned to our sorrow.
over on the west of town a cOnsId-
cradle body OF troops had quietly crept
through the cane, whose cue to attack
evidently began with the bugle call to
cease firing" along the railroad. The
attack here was no less fierce than the
first had been. but the Twelfth infantry
wisely reserved its FIRE until the dusky
horde had advanced almost upon the
trenches. Then a gatlIng, three-inch
and the entire regiment let loose as fast
as their guns would work and with
such effectiveness that after the pell-
nell retreat once began there was
scarcely a shot fired from that direction
during the rest of the night. Just as
each fellow was congratulating himself
upon the apparent success OF the gar
rIson's defense, third surprise was
sprung with the suddenness and VIC
Iousness of the earlier attempts.
"Agulnaldo's Own" regiment of veter-
ans, armed entirely with Mausers and
clad in the glarIng red OF the rebel
chiefs body guard, lunged with spirit
and dash rarely eQualed right in among
the Seventeenth's outposts, clear over
on the east OF town. Knowing full well
that the other two divisions had been
unsuccessful in entering the city and
that the day was already lost in all
probability, this picked body of braves
sacrificed themselves with a zeal
worthy OF a better cause. Nor did they
give up even when torrent of Krags
poured into them from every trench
within rifle range. They deliberately
moved to the left to escape the deadly
hall on their first front and tried to
flank the line OF trenches from the
south of town. But here battalion OF
my regiment had lain through the long
hours without the chance to fire shot,
The fire from these was 80 terrific
and so unexpected that the second re-
bel charge ended In last convulslve
effort, and by $3.50 in the morning not
an enemy was in sight anywhere. TAX
ing 1t all In all, this proved one of the
longest as well as the best planned and
most evenly contested battles % the
war.
For hours the fate OF Angeles. with
It's stores Of ratlons and ammunition,
hung in the balance. 1t was perhaps
the grim realization that the Americans
had no avenue OF retreat open to them
and that no help could reach them from
any quarter that kept many a hard
pressed squad at It's post. The city
presented dilapidated appearance
when all but the outposts returned for