The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-18
GIVES GRAPHIC ACCOUNT
OF VERA CRUZ BATTLE
+. c. Gillian, of Cruiser sam Francisco,
Writes 10 Richmond
Relatives.
TOOK PART IN LANDING PARTY
Describes Scene When DiE Guns Were
Firing and Rinc-I,aiIs Flying ON All
Sides.

/ An Interesting account OF the fighting
around Vera Cruz has been received in
Richmond in Il letter TO relatives from
/ +. {. Gillian, who WAS on board the
United states cruiser san Francisco
Mr.. Gillian writes:
! IhinES looked very Wnriiko a few
weeks ago on our arrival. April II.
from Tampico, Mexico. l2n route we
received a wireless telling us to make
all possible speed TO Vera Cruz and to
enter the inner harbor. I was In tho
inre-rooin wien the chief engineer came
through and said that they were fight
ing In the streets of Vera CRUZ. and
we're iring al our men from the house
I tops and windows.
I'VE had six boilers at tho time We
started the fir" in tho other two. which
was eight In all. and that is all OF the
boilers on the ship. We also put on
forced drauGht.
we left Tanpico abou, 2:3o Monday.
April y. and arrived - Vera Cruz
about $50 the Same day We steamed
lin the inner harbor with a dark shin.
ana the ship cleared for action as soon
rs We dropped anchor. | went up on
the top stde-in fact. all Of tho sailors
peat 1t TO the top side TO SEQ what
they could see. could hear the crack!
crack. OF the rifles ana the machine
! guns splitting out 800 steel bullets .
minute. We could hear them 'whiz by'
''ciE once III Z; while. Melody seemed
TO be Il bit afraid. All the bows wer..
GOOD -natured ANA full or fun. even joi-
ing with one another, saying. Now
inns Is real war, IS It not?' We didn.,
get much sleep that night About
CLOCK In the morning I went down
oelo" 10 lie down and rest a little.
a"oke about three hours later aud
could hear the booming of the big guns
on one or the other ships | ran nm
on deck ana learned that the Chester
was hr'ng on ono of tho buildings
learned later that 1t was the Military
Ncadehy tMe%ican). Fifteen hundred
NcA!cans were In there firing al our
men 70 Keep them from landing.
iittle later our captain rot orders ia
hrc on the same building The first
shot mt the corner of the buildin,
anu You ought to have heard the san
sr .n,'c, ,, boys cheer The sunners
hrcd thirteen 5-inch sholls Some OF
lhem were shrapncl, and maybe all or
/ tichi were. J assisted in carving the
ammunition 10 the guns, as We did no,
snow now many times we would have
10 hre. The landing party left the
snip at T. NJ ] was not In tho. land
ing party. They had to clear the dock
WIN machine guns. mounted on both
steamers, before they could land Sharp
shooters were firing on them. but th,
boys got busy ana captured about
forty Of them and brought them bacI
were. too. SCI 'neS
There were 400 or 800 CAPTURED bv
az OF the ships and about that MANY
Killed and wounded One that orr
boys captured was shot on the bottom
OF the loot; he must have been run
ming. The list OF tho wounded ma
rines were twenty-five or thirty In
number. There were seven or eight
Killed. None of the San Francisco bows
were Killed or wounded. and they wero
among the first to land
After they had gotten the Mcxicans
somewhat subdued, or driven back.
they would hear Il shot from the side
liiSht or ten men would be sent tn
look up OF course. we captured and
killed great many. but on one oc-
casion the Frisco boys killed Mex
lean. and when they got up TO him
they saw that he was lying down he
hind some rocks ana had 900 rounds
OF ammunition. They SAID that thov
shot him go full OF holes the ants
wouldn't eat him. He reseinbled a
sitter. I suppose.
The San Francisco is anchored In
the inner harbor, as ] already told
you. About 100 yards from the shin
Is an old fort and prison, built by
CorteZ in 1902. over 200 years old.
| There are 1000 MeXiCans In there ana
800 or COO prisoners. Some or the
villa men in there were made prisoners
! sent word to them If they fred one
single shot from tho fort that he
would blow II to "smithereens." or
words to that effect. No shots have
been fred from the fort vet
This old fort is on the island and
the hreakwater runs out to II. So
YOU see you can go from the fort 10
tho mainland over the breakwater. All
las' week we had to guard tho break
water TO keep those Mcxicans from
escaping from the fort. They tried
1t several times. but were shot and
driven back each time. I stood guard
duty myself, and had orders to shoot
anybody that tried TO cross that
brcallwater. I had no occasion to
shoot. nut II the Mexicans in tho
for: had known what crack shot
was they would surely havo tried 10
make their escape while was on
guard.
We'll. if want to get this in the
mall. Will have TO stop. Don't worry,
everything Will come ont all right
Our boys returned to the ship to-day.
General Funston takes charge to-day
with the army boys
Vera Cruz is in the hands OF the
Americans. 7 don't know what next.
Time alone will tell.
Yours sincerely,
ct. c. GILLIAN,
~ c..