The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-03-31
Officer Did Not, Disobey
Orders.
Entered River To Protect York
towns Men.


by Lisut. Gilmore. Of the circumstances
attending the ambuscade and CAPTURE Of
the Yerktown's beat commanded BY him
at Baler, April -. last. 1t appears for
the first time from this report that Lieut..
Gilmore did not violats his orders In en-
tering the river, bat did 50 for the sole
purposa of protesting two Of the York
towns officers whom be had been d.
rectsd to land. In the course Of his re-
port, Lieut.. Gilmore says:
ION the evening CT April II, the DOM :
manding officer Of the Yorktown said be
wished me, the following morning, to
take charge Of N beat, to land Ensign W..
IL. STANDBY and quartermaster, who
we're 60 make a reoonuoisaIoe to discover
the whereabouts OF the church defended
by the spanish prisoners In Baler. The
commanding officer directed me not to
land, but to sound at the mouth OF the
river and ascertain the diItance OF the
ship from the mouth. II necessary. / WAY
to make q demonstration to call the
enemy's attention from the people
landed. About 4. 90 a. m. Of April IL, j
left the ship with the second outter. kn-
sign STANDBY and qusrtermastsr as
passengers The boat was armed with q
Colt automatic gun in the bow and the
crew with Lse rides and belts files with
ammunition and had crew Of fourteen.
We pulled In under muflled osrs and
landed MIR. Standby and the quarter
master. l knew that we would have to
sustain the fire OF the enemy as we came
out. The left bank. the side toward tho
ensmy, was covered BY high marsh grass
and swamp land, and knew that no
outpotts could be there; the right hank
was steep aud covered with dense
growth. As we neared the end OF the
swamp land, 1 Was about to give orders
to return when We rounded the bend and
came full on an outpost on solid ground.
He hailed us and fired q rife ne q signal.
Before could answer the hail, vollsy
was fired into us at close range. The
effect OF this vollsy was terrible. Norris
sey was killed instantly, his brains being
scattered over the boat and crew, and
Dillon was moFtally wounded, never re.
covering con soiousness and dying shortly
afterwards In the boat. Seaman Ryn-
ders had his fingers out of the hand,
but kept bravely to mis- starboard stroke
oar. the stRrboard oars were riddled and
most OF them shattered; besides the boat
was pierced by the Remington balls and
made water fast.
As soon as possible after recovering
from the first shook, We opened fire with
Colt and rifles The ambush was so COM
plete that we could not see as what to
trs, not even the smoke. The Colt was
thrown out of action before the second
volley, shatterinR the ammunition box,
ana cutting the leading taps. The order
was given to back oars but as only few
could be used, the others being shattered,
the tide driftsd Us on y sand bank. ELS
worth, Edwards and Woodbury. tried to
swim the boat out but did not succeed.
The vollsys were poured in on US on the
left hank In quick succession. wourdlng
MORALLY Mcdonald and Nygard. At this
time, was under the impression that
most of the crew were either wounded or
killed. The bodies OF the men who had
heen killed had fallen on the slighter
men, who were struggling in the bottom
If the beat. The boat WAS covered with
blood and presented fearful sight. Ibe
cries of the mortnlIy wounded In the
stern of the boat asking me to shoe
them and not allow them to fall into ths
hands Of the savages. were heart rending
Al the same time corld be Eesn coming
down the right bank of the river, ban
Of men armed with Reminstons. bows
and arrows, holas and spears. gave the
order to hoist the white flag, which WAS
done by Ryndsrs, who received a shot In
the right wrist and dropped the flag.
al though the enemy intsndsd to mas
sacrs all Of us, 20 continued TO fire, the
fire of the enemy com ing faster. We were
now hailed from the lsft bank In Spanish
the ofnSer saying that II We did not cease
nring and surrender, he would kill US.
then surrendered. Before the ofiiosr on
the lsft bank could get aeroFs the sAvages
on the right bank came up. took rs on
the boat, Eobtsd us of rings. watches.