The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-29
Ell CANEY AND SAN JUAN
THE SPANISH VERSION OF THE HAT
TIE OF JULY 1 MADE PUBLIC.
What Might Have Been Had Escario's
Column Come Up-American Adj
miratfOn for Brave Enemies.
washington Letter in St. Louis Globe-Dem-

| 500. San Juan hill was held by two Spanish
companies numbering $50 men. From Aqua
/ CORES on the coast TO Cruces on the Bay of
! Santiago was a line of three miles defended
| by 500 men, most of whom had fallen back
a few days before as the American troops
! advanced from the landing place. Daiquiri.
At Socapa battery on the bay, were 400
men; at the Morro, commanding the entrance
to the bay, 45O; at Punta Gorda, on the bay.
10. An inner line of works closely encir-
cling the city was held by 296S men, less
than go of which had been sent out to the
advanced position on San Juan hill. These
are the figures now for the first time Of
hcially given, of the disposition OF the Span
ish troops in the defense of Santiago when
| the attack was made on July ]. They are
| in the notes which were made al the time
by Lieut.. Jose Muller y Tejero, and which
have been translated and made public by
the bureau of naval intelligence of the Navy
Department at Washington. The Spanish
statement of the disposition of the troops is
as follows
THE forces of the army which, as has
| been stated, abandoned the mineral region,
not being able to maintain 1t, concentrated
in the city, preserving, as was indispensa-
ble the line from Aguadores to Cruces,
| after destroying the bridge at the former
point. The line Qour kilometers) was COW
cred by six companies of the Santiago Reg
iment and two of mobilized troops a total
contingent of about eight hundred men.
THE advance post of Caney "a league and
a half-about six miles-from the city), in
command of Gen Vara del Rey, was de-
Tended by three companies of the battalion
| Constitution" (the twenty -ninth), one COM
pany of guerillas on foot, in all 4SO men,
forty soldiers of the Santiago regiment and
fifty of the modified troops, being a total
of $40 men,
'The line of the precinct (nine kilometers)
extending from Dos Caminos del Cobre,
west of the city, to the Fort of Punta Blan-
ca, to the east. on the seashore, was de-
Tended by the following forces:
Corps of sailors from the fleet (four
Four companies Of the provisional bat 100
| TALON of Porto oRco.....4............ $50
Talavera battalion No; peninsular).... $50
| -Four companies of the San Fernando
| battalion, No. u,.......................... 440
Total army ............................
Three companies of mobiiized troops. $50
volunteers ...,............. ................ 440
Total .................. ....................29sS
'Also small number of gunners, for
there was not sufficient number to serve
the guns installed, the number and place Of
which has been mentioned. 1t may there
fore be said that there were, in round num-
bers, 1900 men.
This the fighting force Within the
city was the cavalry force, for which the
| ground. being hilly and cut up by trenches
was not adapted, and small force Of the
| civil guard assigned TO duty in the city and
the hremen with their engines in readiness
This line is divided into sections in COM
| mand of colonels. OF the 5000 men defend
! ing it two companies, one of the provisional
| battalion of Porto Rico and the other Of the
Talayera battalion, defended the advance
a ana Hfafra
the right, the other to the left side of the
Finally at the socapa-that is. at points
| IN an opposite direction from that line
| there We're 400 men, i50 at the Morro and
- ~ az ulItd GoFoa. IL must De remembered
| that these three positions overlook the en-
| trance of the harbor and are its key, and
must Tor that reason be maintained at any
cost; and these forces were Indispensable
| there as the enemy might attack them as
| indeed, we did attack them the next day
OPENING THE FIGHT.
OF the battle Of FL Caney and San Juan
Lieutenant Miller's account is as follows:
| "On July 1 at a. m. the nucleus Of the
hostile army under command Of General
| Shafter, and which must have consisted Of
at least 5000 men, with many modern guns,
without including the insurgent parties, at
tackled the lines of the precinct east and
east-northeast of the city-that is, El Caney
defended by General Vara del Rey with $40
men and two Placencia guns, and the posi-
| ton OF San Juan, occupied by two COM
| panies, comprising 80 soldiers.
! The attack which the Americans made
! with lZ,OV0 men, as stated by themselves,
was commanded by General Wheeler Sec
| ond IN command of the army
| "A brigade of $500 men, also under the
| orders of said General Wheeler and sup
| ported by another, directed its efforts upon
| III Caney, while Colonel Chaffee. with 2.O00
men, attacked the hill and fort of San Juan.
| The Americans, 1t must be acknowledged,
| fought that day With truly admirable cOur-
| age and spirit. The houses of Ell Caney
which General Vara with his $40 men con-
! Verted into as many fortresses, threw forth
| hail Of prOjectes upon the enemy. while
| one company after another, without any
| protection. rushed with Veritable fury upon
I the city. The first company having been
| declmated, another appeared, then third,
| and still another, and those soldiers resem-
| that expression for want Of a better rather
| than men; but they met heroes and al
| bullets by the artillery and musketry, and
| although the streets were obstructed with
| dead and wounded FL Caney had been con-
! yerted into veritable volcano, vomiting
near it.
Both sides being short Of forces and out
! Of breath. almost without having stirred
| from their relative positions the battle
! ceased for some time, and General Vara del
| Rey took advantage of this circumstance to
| have his soldiers reform the lines and again
| get ready for the battle.
General Linares, who was repulsing the
! attacks at the position of San Juan, upon
! ly congratulated the handful Of lions in
| these words: When the American army at
! tackled FL Caney they had not counted on
| general of Vara del Rey's stamp and on
troops fiery and Injured 10 warfare as
| those he had under his command
| THE fight commenced once more and the
enemy attacked again and again. being al
| ways repulsed but as we had no reserve
| forces. and the Americans, on the contrary.
| had great many, the battle was no longer
| possible under these circumstances. The
| general was wounded almost simultaneously
| in both legs by two musket balls and as
he was being carried away on a stretcher
the bullets falling around him like hail he
| was killed by a third one at the same mo-
ment two of the men who We're carrying
him. The greater part of the commanders
and officers (among them two relatives Of
the generaD were dead and wounded, as
also the majority of the soldiers. Finally.
at Z D. m, the commander being dead and
those $40 men having been reduced 10 less
than one hundred. and most Of these slightly
| wounded and bruised, that handful of he
rCes, for want of forces and a commander
| retreated from the site which for ten hours
they had been defending without being able
to get any reinforcements. for there were
none to be had, and the enemy occupied the
llposition of which ne, in his turn made such
| a bold attack.
HEAVY LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES.
"Of the $40 defenders of EI Caney only