The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-01-13
Z. s, NAVAL RESERVATION
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA
CONTINUED from page 4, column 3D.

fantry and cavalry. At Toro it was
always the same. The entire coun-
try for miles around was completely
overrun by the "patriots" many Of
whom spoused the cause to escape
work and to pillage-but Toro flew
the red and yellow of Spain until the
stars and stripes appeared in the
ofing "hay diez y siete anos'-seven-
teen years ago, as the old Guadia Civ
lie said.l .,..
The Coming of the Boys in Blue.
Yes, Toro knew no fear until early
in June, 1898, the lookout reported
great squadron off the entrance to
the bay. 1t was Capt. McCalla S
force of American seamen and MA
rines sent to cooperate with the Gu
ban army to compel the surrender of
Fort Toro. The fort was doomed.
It's brave defenders in gray knew it.
Her guns were smoothbores and
would carry at best only two miles,
while the gunners aboard the gray
hulls, headed by the afterwards ia
NOUS Texas, could pour in a devasta-
ting hail of shells at six miles. But
a soldiers life is nothing. 1t is
honor, not life, to which he clings.
And so they blew up the fort: The
old walls twenty feet thick that had
braved the Cuban attacks for nearly
two undred years, crumbled over
night, the spiked guns were dumped
unceremoniously in the moat, the
cisterns and cuartels were demollsh-
ed; but the flag was left flying nail
ed to the mast-and the little, COM
pany charging a band of Cuban que
rillas cut it's way to the high hill
overlooking the entrance to the bay.
Here they were destined to make
their last stand.
The Battle of Guantanamo.
Against intrenchments, protected
by hills, naval ordnance was of little
avail, and to dislodge the defenders
became question of cold steel ver-
sus cold steel. Literally dug in on
the top of the hill-afterwards named
McCalla hill in honor of the Ameri-
can commander-the Spaniafds
awaited their foe.
On June IA, 1898, the foe arrived.
marines under command OF
Lieut.. COL. R. w. Huntingdon-the
first American troops to land in Gu
ba-beached their boats on the glis-
tening playa and, under the blister
ing rays of tropical sun and a hail
of Mauser bullets, commenced their
famous climb ups the sides of the
100-foot hill. A surgeon fell. a SER
geant-major, then coxswain, prl-
vate. but ever onward they pressed
until, with wild yell, they swept
over the crest and the hill was theirs.
On the slope and the beach behind
them nearly one half of their COM
rades lay dead and wounded, while
the mass of Spanish dead jammed in
the main defensive works on the hill,
attested to the tenacity with which
the enemy held their position,
Backward the Spaniards were
pushed, but, profting by the shelter
of every knoll and valley, they halted
long enough to take toll from their
pursuers, who were finally forced to
abandon the chase and return to the
captured hill without prisoners. Thus
fought the Spanish army when face
to face with civilized foe.
The Death of/Busbee and McColgan.
Today bullets and shells of all cali
bre may be picked from the ground
where Spaniards and marines swayed
back and forward in their mad rushes
to conquer. A few days ago, I
paused before the monument of Bus
bee and McColgan-have you ever
heard of them?- and looked at the
she'll that had never exploded, which
is on top of the little shaft: I won
der if this shell had done it's duty
would the tragedy have been enacted.
Busbee and McColgan were, two
youngsters about twenty-three be-
longing to a company of marines.
They had been with the detachment
in the attack on McCalla hill and had
taken part in the pursuit of the re-
treating Spaniards. They were
thoughtless, inadept boys-that's all.
So, when they were posted on outpost
duty in what is now known as Thor
oughfare Gap, they chose the easiest
spot to watch. 1t was in the middle
of the bed of an ancient stream, and,
on all sides, hills covered with dense
underbrush rose high above them.
"But there were fewer mosquitoes
there, and the sand flies didn't bite
MANLY oc bod and ANYWAY there