The "Merrimac."The "Merrimac."
The men, having done their work, lie flat on deck to avoid the shots, and wait anxiously for the momentwhen the vessel shall go down. In a few minutes the Merrimac tosses low to one side, then to the other, then plunges, bow foremost, into the waves. Now the men are thrown into the whirling water. But see! they manage to swim to the life-raft, which had been fastened by a long rope to the Merrimac and is now floating on the waves. They cling to the raft, only heads and hands above water. They keep quiet, for the Spaniards are out in small boats now, looking to see what damage has been done. The Spaniards do not see our men clinging to the flat raft. So Lieutenant Hobson and his crew stay in the water, which is very chilly in the early morning; their teeth chatter, their limbs ache. Meanwhile day dawns beautifully over the hills of Santiago.
An hour passes in this way. Now a steam-launch is seen coming toward the raft. Lieutenant Hobson hails the launch, asks for the officer in charge, and surrenders himself and his men. They are helped into the launch, prisoners in the hands of the Spaniards. The officer is Admiral Cervera.
Naval Cadet Powell, of the New York, performed a feat in many respects as heroic as that of Hobson and his men. He volunteered to take the launch of the flagship and a small crew, patrol the mouth of the harbor and attempt to rescue Hobson and his plucky crew should any of them survive after the Merrimac had been blown up. This is his story:
"Lieutenant Hobson took a short sleep for a few hours,which was often interrupted. A quarter to two o'clock he came on deck and made a final inspection, giving his last instructions. Then we had a little lunch.
"Hobson was just as cool as a cucumber. About two-twenty I took the men who were not going on the trip into the launch and started for the Texas, which was the nearest ship, but had to go back for one of the assistant engineers, whom Hobson finally compelled to leave. I shook hands with Hobson the last of all. He said: 'Powell, watch the boat's crew when we pull out of the harbor. We will be cracks, rowing thirty strokes to the minute.'
Naval Cadet Jos. W. Powell.Naval Cadet Jos. W. Powell.
"After leaving the Texas, I saw the Merrimac steaming slowly in. It was only fairly dark then, and the shore was quite visible. We followed about three-quarters of a mile astern. The Merrimac stood about a mile to the westward of the harbor, and seemed a bit mixed, turning completely around; finally, heading to the east, she ran down, then turned in. We were thenchasing him, because I thought Hobson had lost his bearings. When Hobson was about two hundred yards from the harbor the first gun was fired from the eastern bluffs.
"We were then half a mile off shore, close under the batteries. The firing increased rapidly. We steamed in slowly and lost sight of the Merrimac in the smoke, which the wind carried off shore. It hung heavily. Before Hobson could have blown up the Merrimac the western battery picked up and commenced firing. They shot wild, and we only heard the shots. We ran in still closer to the shore, and the gunners lost sight of us. Then we heard the explosion of the torpedoes on the Merrimac. Until daylight we waited just outside the breakers, half a mile to the westward of Morro, keeping a bright lookout for the boat or for swimmers, but saw nothing. Hobson had arranged to meet us at that point, but, thinking that some one might have drifted out, we crossed in front of Morro and the mouth of the harbor to the eastward. About five o'clock we crossed the harbor again, within a quarter of a mile, and stood to the westward.
Hobson's Cell.Hobson's Cell.
"In passing we saw one spar of the Merrimac sticking out of the water. We hugged the shore just outside of the breakers for a mile, and then turned towards the Texas, when the batteries saw us and opened fire. It was then broad daylight. The first shot fired dropped thirty yards astern, but the other shots went wild. I drove the launch for all she was worth, finally making the New York. The men behaved splendidly."
How did our brave men fare as prisoners? They were taken to one of the Spanish warships, were fed and clothed, and treated as friends. Admiral Cervera sent a message to Admiral Sampson, saying that all the men were safe and would be well treated. But they were not allowed to stay long on the ship. After a few hours they were taken to Morro Castle, which they did not find a pleasant prison, though they were not badly treated. Lieutenant Hobson, by climbing up to the little window in his cell, could see our ships far out at sea. In a few days the prisoners were taken from Morro Castle to another prison in the city of Santiago. You shall hear of them again.
I have not told you all the brave deeds done by our Navy soon after our ships had reached Cuba, but I will go back, for a few minutes, to the 11th of May. A very sad affair took place at Cardenas, a port about twenty miles east of Matanzas, the place where the first shots were fired. Some of our smaller vessels blockading Cardenas were bold enough to go into the harbor to fight some Spanish gunboats. Though, our men gained a victory, it was dearly bought, for our torpedo-boat Winslow was nearly destroyed, and five of her men were killed. That same day, across the island, at Cienfuegos, on the south shore of Cuba, our men succeeded in cutting the cables under the water, the story of which I have told you.
Before the Cubans began to fight the Spaniards, in 1895, Cardenas was a very pleasant city in which to live. So many Americans who had business interests in Cuba lived there, that it was frequently spoken of as the American city. Like Matanzas, it was the shipping point for a great sugar-growing district, and one of the finest sugar plantations in Cuba was in the vicinity of the city.The bay used to be a famous resort for pirates, but they were exterminated a great many years ago by war vessels of the United States. Now I will tell you the story of the Winslow.
The blockading vessels off Cardenas were the Machias, the Wilmington and the Hudson. It was determined to enter the inner harbor and attack three small gunboats which were known to be there. While preparations for the attack were being made, the Winslow came in from off Matanzas, for coal, and was given a place in the attacking force. The Winslow, Wilmington and Hudson entered the inner harbor through a small channel to the eastward, near Blanco Cay. The Winslow went in closer than the others, and almost before her plucky commander knew it, the fire of the Spanish gunboats and of some shore batteries was concentrated on this frail craft.
The Winslow was a torpedo-boat, and this class of vessels do not have very thick sides or carry heavy guns. They are very fast and the powerful torpedoes they carry can destroy the largest and heaviest ship afloat.
The Winslow returned the Spanish fire splendidly, but at last a shot crashed into her bow and disabled her boiler. Another tore away her steering gear; and then she rolled helplessly while the Spaniards made her a target for every gun they could bring to bear. Seeing her helpless condition, the Hudson came to her assistance and tried to get a line on board. After awhile she succeeded, but when she attempted to tow her away the line parted.She made a second attempt, but just at the instant the little group on the Winslow caught the line, a shell burst in their very faces. Several of the crew, including the commander of the Winslow, were wounded, and Ensign Bagley and four seamen were instantly killed. There was scarcely a man left on the torpedo-boat to make the line fast, but it was done at last, and the Hudson towed the shattered Winslow out of danger. It was a very brave thing that the officers and men of the Hudson did, and later they were thanked by Congress, and a medal of honor was presented to each of them.
I think you will be pleased to learn that the next day the Wilmington went into the harbor again, and with her big guns tore the forts and batteries to atoms, sank two gunboats and two other vessels, and burned a blockhouse.
Ensign Worth Bagley.Ensign Worth Bagley.
Ensign Bagley, the first and the only line officer in the navy to fall in the war with Spain, was one of the most popular of young naval officers. While at theAcademy at Annapolis he became known as an all-round athlete, but his greatest triumphs were on the foot-ball field. His record throughout his naval career was stainless, and the news of his death was received with sorrow by the people of the United States.
Now I will tell you the story of how the United States flag was raised for the first time on the island of Cuba during the war; and I will tell it in the words of Ensign Willard, of the Machias, the officer who performed the deed. It was done while the fight was going on in Cardenas harbor.
"The Machias drew too much water for the channel to the eastward, and moved up the main channel to within one mile of its narrowest part abreast of Diana Cay. This channel was supposed to be mined and the mines operated from the blockhouse and signal station on Diana Cay. This place was shelled, and, under cover of this fire, a boat's crew of nineteen sailors and marines, under my command, made a landing on the opposite side of the Cay.
"The Spanish hastily left the place, disappearing completely. A Spanish flag, signal flags, etc., and a quantity of ammunition, were captured, and the United States flag raised. Then search was made for mines and the channel dragged for two hours. Before leaving, everything at the station was burned or destroyed, including nine large row-boats. For the raising of this flag I was later awarded, through the New York 'Herald,' a prize of onehundred dollars, which was divided pro rata by me among the men who accompanied me on the expedition."
Early in June, brave work was done by our sailors at Guantanamo, a short distance east of Santiago. They took the harbor and destroyed the forts there, in order that our ships might have a place where they could get coal without going far from Santiago. The coal steamers could not supply the whole fleet, so our vessels had been going for coal all the way back to Key West, south of Florida. It was a great help to have a coaling place at Guantanamo, but our sailors had much hard work to take the place. Now I will tell you about some of this hard work, and something about two men who made it possible to land the marines and establish a coaling station in Guantanamo Bay. The men were Commander McCalla, of the Marblehead, and Captain Brownson, of the Yankee.
Commander B.H. McCalla.Commander B.H. McCalla.
Long before the Spanish fleet put into the harbor of Santiago, the Marblehead was along the southern coastof Cuba, poking her nose into every inlet, cutting cables, and communicating with the Cubans. McCalla had her stripped of everything but her guns and her steering gear, and everywhere she went she became a terror to the Spaniards. She dared to go anywhere and do anything. Every man on the ship was devoted to McCalla, and every gunner on board was a crack shot, because they were kept shooting at something all the time. If they couldn't find a Spanish gunboat to shoot at, they fired at floating targets.
When it was decided to clear everything Spanish out of the bay, so our ships could use it, McCalla and Brownson were sent down there to do the work; but first I will tell you a story about Brownson, so you can see that he was just the right kind of a man to go along with McCalla.
In the early part of 1894 there was a civil war in Brazil. The entire Brazilian navy had taken sides with the insurgents and completely blockaded the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. Ships of all nations were there, waiting to enter the harbor, but the insurgents would not let them. Admiral Benham was sent there to look after American interests, with his flagship, the San Francisco; and Captain, then Commander, Brownson, was there with his ship, the Detroit. The blockade had to be broken, and Brownson was selected as the man to do it.
One morning there was a stir on board the Detroit. The awnings came down, her flag was sent aloft and herguns were shotted. Brownson ordered the anchor hoisted, and, with the men at the guns, the cruiser headed towards the city. The flags of the English, German and Italian ships were dipped in salute as she moved ahead. Two American ships, the Amy and the Good News, were anchored under the guns of two of the insurgent fleet. As the Detroit passed close by the Trajano, a marine on that ship raised a musket and fired a bullet over the heads of the sailors on the Amy, which was following close behind the Detroit.
Capt. Willard H. Brownson.Capt. Willard H. Brownson.
When the shot was fired Brownson turned to a gunner and ordered him to shoot into the Trajano at the water line and about six feet from the stern. The order was misunderstood and was sent across the Trajano's bow instead.
"Trajano, ahoy!" hailed Brownson. "If you fire again I will sink you." Not a shot was fired.
"You go ahead," shouted Brownson to the Amy, "and I'll protect you"; and although there were insurgent ships all about, the Amy passed into the harborunmolested, with the ships of other nations closely following her. Then the Detroit returned to her anchorage. Brownson had raised the blockade.
Guantanamo Bay is one of the most famous harbors on the southern coast of Cuba. It is deep, wide and smooth as a mill pond. At the entrance the harbor is broad and open, but afterwards it is narrower, and in this place the Spaniards had placed a lot of mines and two little gunboats.
A Marine.A Marine.
When the Marblehead and the Yankee steamed into the bay they began to make trouble for the Spaniards at once. There was a blockhouse on a hill, but they quickly knocked that to pieces. Then they silenced the fire of the fort and chased the gunboats as far as they could go. Next they shelled the woods, and, having made a general cleaning out, they sent word to the fleet that they could land the marines at any time.
On June 10, a detachment of marines from the Oregon landed, and soon afterwards six hundred more were landed from the troop-ship Panther. They found plentyof evidence that the Marblehead's shells had induced the Spaniards to depart in a hurry. Watches, hammocks, two field guns, and a lot of ammunition, were lying around. There were a few buildings left, but the marines soon set fire to them. They then drove off a few Spaniards who were about, and then pitched their tents. Pretty soon they were attacked by a large body of Spaniards, but they drove them off after having several men killed and quite a number wounded. The place of encampment was named Camp McCalla, in honor of the gallant commander of the Marblehead.
Before the marines were reinforced they were fighting nearly all the time. It was the first time that most of them had been in battle, but they fought like veterans. The Spaniards were very cunning and constantly planned surprises for them, but the marines finally drove them away and held their position until reinforcements came. One of the marines, in writing home, said:
"They fight Indian fashion, and the guerillas strip off all their clothing and dress themselves with leaves and crawl along the ground like snakes, and at night it is very hard to see or hear them. Then, again, they dig holes in the ground and cover them over with brush and conceal themselves there until their prey comes along. Their signals are very hard to understand, and they sound like birds and are very deceiving.
A Spanish Guerilla.A Spanish Guerilla.
"We have to carry our rifles and ammunition with us wherever we go. Yesterday morning, while we wereeating our breakfast, they fired upon us, and we immediately pursued them. We had quite a battle and came out victorious by a big score. We killed sixty and left about fifteen or twenty badly wounded. We had a lucky escape, only two men being wounded. We stayed out all night, and were relieved by another company this morning, and we had nothing to eat for forty-eight hours; but this is not the first time that we have missed our meals—it is an every-day occurrence. We had four hardtacks, a little piece of butter and a cup of coffee.
"We were reinforced by sixty Cuban insurgents last night. They were fitted out with uniforms and rifles by the Marblehead, and they all carry that deadly-looking weapon, the machete."
The machete is the national weapon of Cuba. It looks somewhat like a sword, but instead of being pointed like that weapon, it is broader at the part farthest from the hilt. A strong man can strike a terrible blow with it. It is used all over the island as an agricultural tool as well, for it serves the purpose of a scythe or an axe.
In the Trenches at Guantanamo.In the Trenches at Guantanamo.
A brave deed was done by a young officer of the Navy all by himself—a deed as brave as that done by Lieutenant Hobson. It was not really known how many Spanish ships were in the harbor of Santiago. I have told you that they could not be seen by our ships on account of the narrow entrance and high cliffs. It was very important to know how many Spanish ships there were. So Lieutenant Blue went ashore at some safe point, andclimbed round the hilltops of Santiago at night, looked at the harbor, and counted the ships twice, in order to make no mistake. It was a long journey and full of danger. Lieutenant Blue might have been taken as a spy, but he reached our ships again, and made his report to Admiral Sampson.
Early in June our blockading ships made efforts to destroy the forts at the harbor of Santiago, but did not succeed, though the shells from our ships did a good deal of harm. It was on account of these attacks that Lieutenant Hobson and his crew were removed from their cells in Morro Castle and taken to another prison, as I have told you. The English Consul at Santiago, a wise and good man, told the Spanish general that Lieutenant Hobson and his men could not, in honor, be kept where they might be killed by shells from their own ships. So the prisoners were removed.
Lieutenant Victor Blue.Lieutenant Victor Blue.
The forts at Santiago received a terrible punishment,if they were not destroyed, and one of Admiral Cervera's ships, the Maria Teresa, was considerably damaged by shells that went over the forts into the harbor. There were several other warships in the harbor besides those that came with Admiral Cervera. The Reina Mercedes was nearly destroyed by the shells from our ships. Our old friend, the Oregon, sent a big shell over the hills that swept nearly everything off her decks. Other shots riddled her hull and sank her.
The Santiago fortifications were bombarded a number of times and some splendid shots were made. There was a battery to the west of the harbor that fired more accurately than the others, and so the Texas got the range and dropped a shell into the powder magazine one day. Everything about that battery seemed to be in the air at once when that shell exploded. Nothing was left of it but a pile of ruins and a big hole in the ground.
There is a ship in the United States navy that is unlike any other in the world. She has three long guns which are built into the ship and do not turn to one side or the other. The whole ship has to be pointed at the object which the gunners wish to hit. She does not fire shells loaded with powder, as other warships do, but uses a long shell filled with gun-cotton, or dynamite, both of which are deadly explosives. When one of these shells strikes anything the effect is terrible. The Vesuvius, for that is the name of this ship, fired several of these shells over the fortifications at Santiago, in the direction wherethe Spanish fleet was lying. She did not hit any of them, but she tore great holes in the sand and rocks near by. It is said that the Spaniards called the Vesuvius "The Hurler of Earthquakes" because of the damage her shells did. The guns of the Vesuvius are really firing tubes. No powder is used in them, compressed air being the power that expels the shells. Very little noise is made, and there is no smoke.
Forward Deck and Guns of the Vesuvius.Forward Deck and Guns of the Vesuvius.
If one small shell should strike the Vesuvius it would send men and boat to the bottom at once, because she has so much deadly gun-cotton on board. Her crew is almost afraid to move.
"Why, I'm afraid to even snore in my sleep," said one of them, "for fear I'll discharge the gun-cotton; and as for kicking in my sleep—why, I'm as quiet as a drugged snake."
A Jacky.A Jacky.
"We slide along," said another; "we're afraid to walk at first. I went on tiptoe for the first three days."
"Well, I went on my hands and knees the day it was so rough," said a third. "A fellow has to learn to walk on any part of his anatomy in this ship when the sea is rough."
The Vesuvius has been described as a ship which fights and then runs away. That is, she fires three shells and then takes herself out of the range of an enemy's fire.
I think this is a good place to tell you about a few more of the odd ships that belong to Uncle Sam's navy, for no nation beside ours has anything like them.
The Katahdin is an armored ram which relies upon her sharp prow to disable an adversary. Her armament is only four six-pounder rapid-fire guns.
Then there is a fleet of vessels whose duty it is to repair the damages that ships receive in battle, supply fuel and water to fighting ships, and to care for the wounded. All of these are novel additions to the navy, but are practical auxiliaries in modern naval operations.
The Vulcan is one of the repair ships. It is, in fact, a navigable machine shop, fitted with steam tools for executing any work in metal. It carries duplicates of nearly every article belonging to a modern warship; and when you understand that some of these contain nearly seventy sets of engines, you can easily see the advantage of having a repair ship attached to a fleet.
Then there are the refrigerating ships, or "pantries," as the sailors call them. Their mission is to assist in feeding the navy. They are most valuable additions to a fleet, for they supply fresh meat and vegetables to improve "Jack's" diet of "salt horse."
Next come the ships that supply fresh water to the crews of our warships. These are fitted up with distilling apparatus, which converts salt water into fresh. The Iris, as one of these is named, belongs to the "sweet water squadron." The water consumption of a vessel is enormous. A battleship will use seven thousand gallons every day, which gives you an idea of the work such vessels as the Iris have to perform.
Now we come to such ships as the Solace and the Relief. These are hospital ships, and are provided with every appliance and convenience to be found in a modern hospital, including X-ray outfits to aid in locating bullets, a microscopic department, and a carbonator for supplying mineral waters. The hull of the Solace is painted white, with a wide stripe of green along the sides, and, as befits her mission, carries no guns or weapons of any kind. Hospital ships fly the "Red Cross" flag from their mastheads.
(Ships at sea)
Our ships could guard Santiago and fire at the forts, but our naval officers had good reasons for thinking that they could not take the city unless our soldiers were on shore to help in different ways. Our ships could not go safely into the harbor till the "mines" under the water had been removed; the "mines" could not be removed till the forts on the cliffs had been taken. So now the time had come for our soldiers to go to Cuba.
Our soldiers—thousands of "Regulars" and thousands and thousands of "Volunteers"—were waiting in camps in the eastern and southern parts of the United States, in order to be ready to start for Cuba at short notice. Thousands of them were never ordered to go, but stayed in camp during all the war. Still, they were ready to go if needed.
About the middle of June more than 16,000 soldiers, under General Shafter, sailed from Tampa, on the west coast of Florida, for the southeastern shore of Cuba. It was hard work to ship so many men, and 2,000 horses and mules, and food, and all the things needed for war. It took one week to load the ships. How many ships were needed for this big "excursion party"? Thirty-four. Do you think our soldiers had a pleasant voyage? They had not. They were crowded together, the weather was very hot, some of the vessels were old and slow, and it was six days before our Army drew near our Navy at Santiago, and waited till plans were made for further movements.
Perhaps you are wondering where the Cubans wereall this time, and what they were doing. As our country was trying to help them, did not the Cubans now come forward to join our forces? Yes. Several times brave Americans had made their way in secret to distant parts of Cuba, had met the Cuban generals, had talked with them, and brought back messages. And now Admiral Sampson came out in a small boat to meet our soldiers, and he took General Shafter on shore, a few miles west of Santiago, to hold an important council with a number of Cuban generals. The Cuban generals, chief of whom were General Garcia and General Rabi, told our officers a good deal about the country, the roads, etc., and planned to unite the Cuban troops with ours.
A Volunteer.A Volunteer.
When General Shafter returned, he ordered the soldiers to sail on fifteen miles beyond Santiago, to a point called Daiquiri. This was their landing-place. It was harder to land in Cuba than it had been to leave Florida. Admiral Sampson sent some of his ships to fire upon theshore and drive away the Spaniards, and he also sent small boats to take our soldiers from the ships to the land. There were not boats enough, so the landing was slow work. There was great trouble in getting the horses and mules to swim ashore. But it takes less time to unpack than to pack, and after four days our Army was on shore.
Our men were in a rough part of the country. Steep hills were everywhere, the valleys were narrow, the roads were more like ditches. Thick underbrush, prickly bushes and tall grasses grew in many places. A number of men were set to work making roads, so that the wagons with the army supplies could push on. It was the wet season, and rain fell every day. Sometimes the streams would rise quickly and flood the new roads. When the rain was not falling the air was hot, and a steam seemed to rise from the ground. It seemed as if our men had no chance at all.
Spanish soldiers had been sent out from Santiago, and were now busy building log forts on hills a few miles from our camps, and piling up stones and branches of trees to make mounds, and putting up fences of barbed wire. In such places of shelter the Spaniards waited for our troops to march forward.
You must understand that the city that our troops wanted to reach was Santiago, but between them and it lay this rough country, where marching would be so hard, and where the Spaniards had forts on some of the hilltops.
Landing Troops at Daiquiri.Landing Troops at Daiquiri.
A Number of our officers thought it would be best not to go forward till some roads had been made, so that the army wagons could be sent on; but General Shafter thought it would be best to march on at once. He feared that after a week or ten days in that climate many of our men might have fever and be unfit for service. So, even before all the men had landed, General Shafter ordered the first ones to go forward and drive the Spaniards from a place near Siboney. Thus, some of our troops began their march just after landing from the boats. About two hundred Cuban soldiers went with them, to lead the way and watch for the hiding places of the Spaniards.
The troops reached the place in the evening, but found that the Spaniards had left it and gone about three miles further westward to a stronger fort. Our men rested all night, and before daylight the next morning—Friday, June 24th—they marched on to hunt the enemy.
Now I must tell you something about these soldiers who were going to fight their first battle in Cuba. Therewere nearly a thousand men; some were "Regulars," others were "Volunteers." They belonged to the Cavalry division of the Army—the soldiers who go on horses. But for this first work in Cuba they had to go on foot, without their horses.
The "Volunteers" numbered about five hundred. They belonged to a regiment called the "Rough Riders," and a strange regiment it was. Most of these men were from the prairies and cattle-ranches in the West; some were "cowboys," some were Indians. The others in the regiment were young men from the East—business men, college men, sons of rich men; all were brave, hardy fellows, fond of out-door life, fond of excitement, not afraid of work. These young men had been trained for the war by a man who was now one of their officers, Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt. He had given up a high position in order to serve his country in this way. People in the United States laughed when this company of "Rough Riders" was formed, and said that the "cowboys" and Indians would not obey orders, and that the others would not stand the hardships of war. But the people in the United States did not laugh after the battle of Las Guasimas.
That June morning it was thought best to separate and march by two roads, meeting near the Spanish fort. The way of the "Rough Riders" led them up steep hills. Thick bushes grew all around, so that the men could hardly see how to go; the sun rose, and the heat was soawful that some of the men dropped down, faint and sick. Suddenly, from among the trees and bushes came bullets, and the men began to fall, wounded and dead. The Spaniards could not be seen at all, and they were using smokeless powder that left no trace in the air. But our men heard the whizz of the bullets, and felt their sting. The "Rough Riders," as they pressed on quickly toward the fort, fired again and again into the bushes. At last they met their comrades, who had come by the other road and who had also had a hard fight, and all now toiled up the hill, firing as they went. The Spaniards had to retreat, and could now be seen by our men. The top of the hill was reached at last, the fort was taken, and the Spaniards fled toward Santiago.
This hard fight, which lasted less than two hours, is called the Battle of Las Guasimas, from the name of the poisonous kind of trees in the thicket where the "Rough Riders" were shot down.
Last Stand of the Spaniards at Las Guasimas.Last Stand of the Spaniards at Las Guasimas.
It would require volumes to tell the bravery and heroism of the men who fought the Spaniards at Las Guasimas. Every one entered into it with enthusiasm. All stood their ground while the Spanish bullets were singing around them, and then, when they were allowed to do so, poured volley after volley into the brush in the direction from which the shots came. Colonel Wood walked along his lines as coolly as though on parade. Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt led his men through the brush when the air seemed full of bullets. CaptainCapron, the fifth from father to son in the United States army, fell early in the fight, but before he was hit by a Spanish bullet he used his revolver whenever he saw a Spanish head.
Captain Allyn K. Capron.Captain Allyn K. Capron.
Everybody had confidence in their officers and in themselves. If they were hit they fought on if the hurt was not mortal. If they could not stand, they propped themselves against trees, and kept on firing as the line went forward. Men fought with their arms in slings and with bandaged heads.
Lieutenant Thomas, of Captain Capron's troop, and who was wounded himself during that sweltering June day, tells some interesting stories of the battle. He comes of a fighting family. His father fought in the Civil War, his grandfather was killed in the Mexican War, and three ancestors fell in the war of the Revolution.
"I am sorry that I did not have a chance to see more of the fighting, but what I saw was of the warmest kind.On the 24th of June I was with Troop L, under Captain Capron. We formed the advance guard, and went out on a narrow trail toward Siboney. On the way we met some of the men of the Twenty-second Infantry, who told us we were close to the enemy, as they had heard them at work during the night. Captain Capron, with six men, had gone on ahead of us and had come across the body of a dead Cuban. Ten or fifteen minutes later Private Isbell saw a Spaniard in the brush ahead of him and fired. This was the first shot from our troop, and the Spaniard fell dead. Isbell himself was shot seven times that day, but managed to walk back to our field hospital, which was fully four miles in the rear.
"It has been said that we were ambushed, but this is not so. Poor Captain Capron received his death wound early in the fight, and while he was lying on the ground dying, he said: 'Let me see it out; I want to see it all.' He lived an hour and fifteen minutes after the bullet struck him, and up to the moment he fell had acted fearlessly, and had exposed himself all the time to the enemy's fire.
"I was then next in command of the troop, and I noticed that some of our men lay too closely together as they were deploying. I went down the line ordering them to their proper distances, and as I passed along, poor Hamilton Fish was lying, mortally wounded, a few feet from me. When he heard my voice, Fish raised himself on his elbow and said: 'I am wounded; I amwounded.' That was the last I saw of him in life. He was very brave and was very popular among the men of the troops.
"Sergeant Joe Kline, of Troop L, was wounded early that day, and was ordered to the rear with several other wounded men. On his way to the rear, Kline discovered a Spanish sharpshooter in a tree and shot at him. The Spaniard fell dead, and Kline picked up a silver-mounted revolver, which fell from the man's clothes, as a souvenir, which he highly prizes. Several of the Spanish sharpshooters had picked up cast-off clothing of the American soldiers, and wore them while they were at their deadly work.
"Sergeant Bell, of our troop, was badly injured from an exploding shell while on the firing line. He was ordered to the rear, but quickly came back again. He was ordered away a second time, but a few minutes later he was at the front again, firing away. For a third time he was sent back, and once more he insisted on going to the front, and when the other men saw him they greeted him with rousing cheers, and he fought till the end of the day, although painfully wounded in the back.
Col. Theodore Roosevelt.Col. Theodore Roosevelt.
"While lying in the hospital, I heard a young man named Hall, who belonged to the Twenty-second Infantry, tell a story which will illustrate better than anything else the accuracy of the American shooters. He and five other men had crossed a bend in a road to get some water in their canteens. As they got into the open they wereattacked by thirty-two Spanish cavalrymen, who cut them up badly with their sabres. Hall was the only one who was not killed. He was badly trampled by the horses, and had some sabre wounds on his body. Later on, Hall was picked up by some comrades to whom he told his story. These men located the Spaniards who had done the work and opened fire on them. When they had ceased firing there were thirty live horses, two dead ones, and thirty-two dead Spaniards. This was pretty good shooting, wasn't it?"
Many heroic deeds were done in the Battle of Las Guasimas, by the "Regulars" as well as by the "Hough Eiders." Suffering was bravely borne. Sixteen of our men were killed, and more than fifty wounded. Yet all our troops took heart from the victory of that day, and began to think it would be easy to go on driving the Spaniards back to Santiago, and then to take that city. But it did not prove to be easy.
There is a little railroad which runs from some mines near Santiago to the pier at Daiquiri. Before the landing was made, the Spaniards were driven from the coast by the shells of the American fleet. Before they hurried away they attempted to disable a locomotive which had steam up. They took off the connecting rods, throttle gear and other important parts of the machinery and hid them behind fences and other places where they thought they would not be found. Then they blocked the piston guides and ran off. But there were plenty of engineersand mechanics among the American soldiers, and when they saw the condition the locomotive was in they started to search for the missing parts. Most of these were found and the machinery was cleverly patched up. Then they knocked the blocks of wood out of the slides and threw fresh coal into the firebox, and in a very short time the locomotive was pulling a train of ore cars loaded with soldiers.
(Soldiers at rest)
For a few days after the battle of Las Guasimas no great event took place. There was no fighting. The other troops were making their way up from the coast, but the roads were so narrow and so bad that progress was slow. The army wagons had great trouble to get on, and many supplies were left at the coast or on the boats, because there was no proper way of taking them forward. The heavy cannon were hauled a few miles from the coast and then most of them were left, though they would have been a great help to our Army, and should have been taken to the front. It was soon found that many of the doctors' supplies—the things needed in taking care of the sick and wounded—had not been taken off the ships that brought the men from Florida. It was thought by some of our men that now more effort should be made to clear roads through the woods and thick bushes, but not much was done. A great deal of fault has been found with the way things were managed at this time. It seems as if some of the officers were very much to blame. There need not have been so many men killed in the battles that followed, or so much suffering and sickness in our Army, if all our officers haddone their duty. Meanwhile, the Spaniards went on improving their forts on the hills a few miles away.
Nearly two thousand more of our soldiers landed in Cuba about this time, and more were expected soon.
But I must tell you about another Army that arrived in this part of Cuba during these days—a very small one beside General Shafter's Army, but one that did mighty work. Have you ever heard of the Red Cross Society? This is a society that nurses the sick and wounded. It has members in all parts of the world. Its chief officer is Miss Clara Barton, whose work has been so great and noble that it has made the whole world better. The badge, or flag of the Red Cross Army is a red cross on a white ground.