Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1898 — DROVETHEMBACK [ARTICLE]

DROVETHEMBACK

Spaniards Forced to Retreal After a Serious Battle ! I Near Santiago. Our Troops Fight the Enemy Hidden in Thickets in Superior Numbers. Twelve or Thirteen Americans Arc Killed, and at Least Fifty Are Wounded. Several of the Latter Will Die—Bodiei Of Twelve Dead Spaniards Found— Their Loss Much Greater. Spy: I ■ The Army of Invasion Advances Hapidly on the Doomed City of Santiago. Playa del Este, Cuba, June 25. —Serious engagement Friday morning five miles from Santiago, on land. Less than 1,000 American cavalrymen and * rough riders fought 2,000 Spaniards in thickets, driving them back into the city. The American loss was 12 or 13 dead and at least 50 wounded, including six officers. Several of the wounded will die. Twelve Spaniards were found dead in the brush. Their loss is doubtless greater. The Spaniards had every advantage in numbers and positions. The Dead. The Americans engaged were foul troops of the First cavalry, four troops of the Tenth cavalry and eight troops oi Roosevelt's rough riders—less thar 1,000 men in all. \ The dead are: Bough Biders—Capt. Allyn K. Cap ; ron, of troop L; Sergt. Hamilton Fish Jr.; Privates Tilman and Dawson, bott of troop L; Private Dougherty, of trooj A; Private W. T. Erwin, of troop F. First Cavalry —Privates Dix, York Bejork, Kolbe, Berlin and Lenmark. Tenth Cavalry —Corp. White The Wounded. The following officers and men wert wounded: Maj. Brodie was shot through the rlgh' forearm. Capt. McClintock, troop B, shot through the right leg. Lieut. J. R. Thomas, troop L, shot through right leg. His condition is serious. All the foregoing officers are rough riders Other officers wounded are: Capt. Knox, whose condition is seriouß. Maj. Bell. Lieut. Bryan. These officers are of the First cavalry. The following are among the soldiers wounded: Rough Riders—Troop B—Privates E. M. Hill, Shelby F. Ishler, M. S. Newcomb, Fred N. Beale and Corporal J. D. Rhodes. Troop E —Corp. James F. Bearv Privates Frank B. Booth, Albert C. Ha/-tle, H. G. Bailey, H. Alvers, E. J. Atherton, Clifford Reed and Sergt. E. W. Arrlngo. Troop G—Sergeant Thomas F. Cavanaugh, Corp. L. L. Stewart, Privates George Rowland, H. J. Haefner, Michael Coyle, R. M. Reed and M. Russell. Troop L—Privates J. R. Kean, John P. Dernap, Thomas F. Meagher, Edwar.l Galborst and Nathaniel Poe. Tenth Cavalry—Privates Russell, Gaines, Miller, Cross, Braxton and Wheeler. Troop I—Privates Rldd and Maybury. Edward Marshall, correspondent of the New York Journal and Advertiser, was seriously -wounded in the small of the back. It Is probable that at least ten in tne list r of wounded will die. Flghl Lasts an Hoar. Gen. Young commanded the expedition and was with the regulars, while Col. Wood directed the operations of the .rough riders several miles west. Both parties struck the Spaniards about the same time and the fight lasted an noiir. The Spaniards opened fire from the thick brush, but the troops drove them back from the start, stormed the blockhouse around which they made the final stand and sent them scattering over the mountains. The cavalrymen were afterward reenforced by the Seventh, Twelfth Ad Seventeenth infantry, part of the Ninth cavalry, the Second Massachusetts and the Seventyfirst New York. At the Threahhold of Santligu. The Americans now hold the position at the threshold of Santiago de Cuba with more troops going forward constantly and they are preparing for a final assault upon the city. Something About the Vtrtlnm. Hamilton Fish, Jr., one of the killed, was one of the young New Yorkers of good position and family who went to the front with Roosevelt's rough riders. He was of distinguished ancestry, his family being one of the oldest in this state. Hi& father, Nicholas Fish, is the son of the late Hamilton Fish, w ho was 'secretary of state in Grant’s cabinet. He is a banker and lives in this city. Hamilton Fish was over six feet tall, of herculean build and rowed as No. 7 of the Columbia college crew in its winning race of 1894 over the Poughkeepsie course. Capt. Allyn K. Gapron, of troop L, Boosevelt's rough riders, who is among the killed, was a son of Capt. Allyn (’apron. of the First artillery, and was well known In Washington. He was a second lieutenant of the Seventh cavalry and was recently promoted to be a captain in the volunteer service and was given command of troop L, of the rough riders. He was a young and dashing officer and was regarded by his superiors as one of the most promising cavalry officers in the service. Maj. N. A. Brodie. who .was wouriMed tn the battle near Santiago, is a grad-

uate of We*t Point, and a noted Indian fighter. Lieut. J. K. Thomas, of the 1 Indian territory, is a son of Federal I Judge Thomas. Capt. J. S. McClintock, of Phoenix, A. T., is a newspaper man formerly reporter for the Associated Press for several western states. Corp J. D. Bhodes is a noted scout and “trailer” of Arizona. MtTemnti of the Army. On Board the Dispatch Boat Dauntless off Jaragua, Province of Santiago de Cuba, via Port Antonio, Jamaica. June 25. —The advaDce of the American army has reached the edge of the tableland in which the harbor of Santiago ds Cuba lies. Here, seven miles from Morro castle, as the crow flies, the main body of the troops has united and the Spaniards are in full retreat toward Santiago de Cuba. They may attempts surprise, but a decisive engagement is not expected for several days. Gen. Lawton’s brigade, which rested last night at Demajayabo, four miles west of Baiquiri, resumed its march at j daylight. Before noon his brigade, consisting of the Twenty-second infantry, the First infantry, the Second Massachusetts volunteers, with companies of the Eighth cavalry, half of the Fourth cavalry and several companies of the •Twenty-fifth colored cavalry, occupied Juragua, five miles beyond, and the American flag was hoisted there. The Spaniards retired before the advance, which was covered by Cuban skirmishers, burning the blockhouses as they went. Col. Wagner, with a small recon- j naisance party of about 40 men, ! brushed against the flank of a retreating Spanish column, 200 strong, at 1 Firmezas. A dozen shots were fired by j the Spaniards as Col. Wagner fell back, j Before Gen. Law-ton could bring up the Twenty-second, the van regiment, the Spaniards had decamped westward.

Juragua was abandoned by Gen. Linares and 1,200 Spanish troops with such haste that they had 'no time to burn the tdVn. though an ineffectual attempt was made to destroy the locomotives of the railroad and the rolling stock. Gen. Linares retreated to Seville, six miles west of Juragua by * road, and nine miles from Santiago de Cuba. A detachment o* 170 Cubans, under Col. Agirra, collided with the Spanish rear guard. The Cubans lost two men killed and had seven men wounded. The Spanish loss is not known. One Spaniard was macheted. Gen. Chaffee, wiih the Ninth cavalry, remainder of the Eighth and Fourth, Seventh, Twelfth and Seventeenth infantry. reached Juragua at dark. Whereabouts of Merrlmac Prisoners. Off Santiago de Cuba, via Kingston, Jamaica, June 25.—Friday morning a flag of truce was taken in by Assistant Chief of Staff Stanton to ascertain the whereabouts of the Merrimac prisoners. Lieut. Hobson and his daring companions. The Colon, a Spanish tug. with Capt. Concas, formerly commander of the caravel Santa Junta, oh beard,came out to meet him. Capt. Concas stated that Lieut. Hobson and his men were confined in Santiago town. They were > all well, and’he (Capt. Concas) said he felt sorry they could not be given their liberty, but the authorities thought It Inadvisable. Assistant Chief of Staff Stanton then returned to'the ship. Hia mission w-as caused by the refusal of Spain to exchange the prisoners. Had they atill been In El. Morro Admiral j Sampson was to notify the Spaniards that Spain would be held responsible | should any harm befall them. This j ultimatum was rendered unnecessary.