The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-29

little away from the beach and they got up anc
walked about the top OF the parapet. All who
did that were In uniform and carried guns
IL was the coolest work they had ever beer
known 10 do. Apparently the Chinese meztlzo
Pan-an. who was their commanding General
meant to be as good as his name, The Nash
vile ranged alongside and from the bridge a
hoarse voice roared through a meeaphone:
Venus therel Gen. Kobbe directs that
you go In 10 the first pier and land the troops
at oncel"
Every man on the Venus heard the order
and heard II acknowledged. Still the Venus
did not go In. Every man almost had seen the
piers when We were close In AZ first, and knew
that the p~lsnking had been removed Still
we wondered why We waited. Finally a boat
came over from the Venus with Capt. Bradley
one Of the Generals aides. He is the transport
quartermaster Of the Hancock. which took the
Forty-seventh on the expedition. and had vol
unteered as aide for the day. lie wanted to
know In very vigorous and true language,
why the Venus had not obeyed orders. Major
ShiptOn answered In n voice heavy with anger
that he couldn't go In because the Spanish
captain Of ths ship refused to take her to the
pier. The Spanish captain admitted that that
was SO. Capt Bradley suggested taking the cap
tain on the bridge and having one Of the other
officers command the ship, Each man In turn re-
fused. The ship was not a war vessel and no man
OF them was engaxedin war service. They would
not risk their ship. nor did they care 10 risk
themselves. The Americans called them
towards and made them angry, but didn't
accomplish anything else. The captain OF
the Venus desired to know how the stern lines
were to be taken ashore. and who was 10 make
tla,n f,.t 10 th, ganA n,hhArp n had No
right to send the natives in his crew on such
perilous work. They were shipped as seamen
and not to fight. So 1t went.
Finally Bradley went back to the Nashville
and reported that It could not be done "a in
tended So Gen Kobbe decided to land a part
of his force on the beach to the north and turn
the insurgent left flank. lie had figured that the
men on the Venus would be able to keep down
the fire from one side of the pier and that the
Nashville could attend TO the other, and he
was disguised at being compelled TO change
the plan. The Venus had three boats and
Commander Rodgers sent two from the Nash
vile. all he could spare and keep his batteries
manned. The Castellano had two also. The
order was to send twenty picked men from
each company, but when the choosing was
finished one company had forty and each cap
tHln Hdu eNCeeueu MS UNIT. All lle tTlCtTS
were eager TO GO, and ten Of the Forty-third
who had remained on the Venus to look after
their regimental property were pleased
as boys when Major Shipton let them go along,
The insurgents hum around their breast
works and noticed the preparations for land
ing. taking intervals and getting ready for
business every time the ships drifted I. fairly
close to the beach. II drizzed all the morn
ing. and when about II O'Clock The last boat
pulled away from the Venus 1t was raining
hard. Major Shipton went in command OF
the boats. The Nashville came alongside
again and the hoarse-voiced megaphone re-
marked:
Venus, there! Gen. Kobbe directs that
as soon as the boats have landed their men
on the beach you go in to the pier immedi-
ately and land the rest Of the troops"
"Ay! Ay, sir" was the answer. Then the
men lay Town again on the deck and got ready
to shoot. The boats pulled by the Nashville
became little black specks In the rain far up
the beach. The insurgents got down behind
their parapet and only a row Of hats at regular
intervals showed that they were ready. They
had been waiting about four hours In sight OF
their enemy.
At a quarter past IL the boats were half a
mile up the beach on the insurgent left and close
to shore. Crowds Of insurgents could be seen
plainly from the Venus. leaving their trenches
at their right and running down the line to re-
enforce the left. The Nashville's starboard
battery was manned. She sent us a last hail.
BE careful not 10 blanket our fire.. and ranged
up close to the beach, not more than 500 yards
of shore. At their extreme left the insurgent
trench was prepared TO prevent q flank attack.
II extended back from the beach a hundred
yards or more. Here the insurgents crowded
thickly to meet our land rush. The Nashville
took position where she could fire straight
down the line.
II was Just 1925 when the first boat struck
the beach. There was a little puff Of smoke
from the top of the insurgent parapet. The
first shot had been fred at our men. Then
there was a volley. In the instant the Colt
automatic gun on the Nashville began its fear
full tattoo and the whole starboard battery
cut loose. The t-nch shrapnel burst
over and behind the insurgent parapet at the
angle where the men were thiokest. The Colt
bullets played along the top Of the breastwork.
1t lasted about two minutes and there wasn't
an insurgent behind that 'ortinca.!on. From
far up the beach noatei the cheer that said
our fellows we're coming The fight was on in
earnest now,
The men on the Venus opened with a will
and peppered the town with Krag bullets.
The Nashville moved slowly along the beach
ahead Of the men on shore and fred az rapidly
as she could. But the train held the back
smoke in clouds about her and it was several
minutes after each round from the battery
before her gunners could see their target again.
It was another great demonstration of the value
OF smokeless powder that does not smoke.
Still there was no effort on the part of tho
Venus to go into the pier. The signal futtered
from the signalyard Of the Nashville. and Capt.
Belts. the senior officer Of the command left
on the transport, did his best at persuasion.
entreaty and direction. but the ships officers
steadily refused to obey. The Venus got in
very close to the shore. and once anne near
blanketing the Nashville. but she moved back
in time and the sunboat passed her.
The men of the landing party were now COM
ing rapidly along the beach. They deployed
straight out from the beach on landing, and
then changing direction by the left. swung
straight down along the insurgent trench.
Part Of them took the road behind the huge
parapet, part ran along the top Of the breast
work and part kept to the beach. The insur-
gents were utterly unprepared to resist such
an attack and fed precipitately across the road
and into a nipa swamp. There they halted
and under cover of the thick palms began
firing back ut the Americans. Part Of our