The Boys of '98 Part 17

[Ill.u.s.tration: U. S. S. MIANTONOMAH.]

"After dark last evening the old-fashioned sidewheel steamer _Gussie_ of the Morgan line, with troops and cargo mentioned, was near the Cuban coast. At sunrise she fell in with the gunboat _Vicksburg_ on the blockade off Havana. Other blockading vessels came up also. The converted revenue cutter _Manning_, Captain Munger, was detailed to convoy the _Gussie_, and, three abreast, the steamers moved along the coast.

"The Cuban guides on the _Gussie_ took their machetes to a grindstone on the hurricane-deck. Our soldiers gathered around to see them sharpen their long knives, but only one could be induced to test the edge of these barbarous instruments with his thumb.

"By the ruined walls of an old stone house Spanish troops were gathered.

Several shots were fired by the gunboat _Manning_, and presently no troops were visible. It had been decided to land near here, but the depth of water was not favourable.

"Just west of Port Cabanas Harbour the _Gussie_ anch.o.r.ed, the _Manning_ covering the landing-place with her guns, and the torpedo-boat _Wasp_ came up eager to a.s.sist. The first American soldier to step on the Cuban sh.o.r.e from this expedition was Lieutenant Crofton, Captain O'Connor with the first boatload having gone a longer route. A reef near the beach threw the men out, and they stumbled through the water up to their b.r.e.a.s.t.s. When they reached dry land they immediately went into the bush to form a picket-line. Two horses had been forced to swim ash.o.r.e, when suddenly a rifle-shot, followed by continuous sharp firing, warned the men that the enemy had been in waiting.

"The captain of the transport signalled the war-ships, and the _Manning_ fired into the woods beyond our picket-line. Shrapnel hissed through the air like hot iron plunged in water. The _Wasp_ opened with her small guns.

The cannonade began at 3.15 and lasted a quarter of an hour; then our pickets appeared, the ships circled around, and, being told by Captain O'Connor, who had come from sh.o.r.e with the clothing torn from one leg, where the Spaniards were, a hundred shots more were fired in that direction.

"'Anybody hurt, captain?' some one asked.

"'None of our men, but we shot twelve Spaniards,' he shouted back.

"The soldiers on board the _Gussie_ heard the news without a word, but learning where the enemy were situated, gathered aft on the upper deck, and sent volleys toward the spot.

"The pickets returned to the bush. Several crept along the beach, but the Spaniards had drawn back. It was decided that the soldiers should reembark on the _Gussie_, and that the guides take the horses, seek the insurgents, and make a new appointment. They rode off to the westward, and disappeared around a point.

"'Say,' shouted a man from Company G after them, 'you forgot your grindstone.'"

_May 12._ On Thursday morning, May 12th, the gunboat _Wilmington_ stood in close to the coast, off the town of Cardenas, with her crew at quarters.

She had come for a specific purpose, which was to avenge the _Winslow_, and not until she was within range of the gunboats that had decoyed the _Winslow_ did she slacken speed. Then the masked battery, which had opened on the American boat with such deadly effect, was covered by the _Wilmington's_ guns.

There were no preliminaries. The war-vessel was there to teach the Spaniards of Cardenas a lesson, and set about the task without delay.

The town is three miles distant from the gulf entrance to the harbour, therefore no time need be wasted in warning non-combatants, for they were in little or no danger.

During two weeks troops had been gathering near about Cardenas to protect it against American invasion; masked batteries were being planted, earthworks thrown up, and blockhouses erected. There was no lack of targets.

Carefully, precisely, as if at practice, the _Wilmington_ opened fire from her 4-inch guns, throwing sh.e.l.ls here, there, everywhere; but more particularly in the direction of that masked battery which had trained its guns on the _Winslow_, and as the Spaniards, panic-stricken, hearing a death-knell in the sighing, whistling missiles, fled in mad terror, the gunboats' machine guns were called into play.

It is safe to a.s.sert that the one especial object of the American sailors'

vengeance was completely destroyed. Not a gun remained mounted, not a man was alive, save those whose wounds were mortal. The punishment was terrible, but complete.

Until this moment the Spaniards at Cardenas had believed they might with impunity open fire on any craft flying the American flag; but now they began to understand that such sport was in the highest degree dangerous.

During a full hour-and in that time nearly three hundred sh.e.l.ls had been sent on errands of destruction-the _Wilmington_ continued her bombardment of the defences.

When the work was completed two gunboats had been sunk so quickly that their crews had no more than sufficient time to escape. Two schooners were converted into wrecks at their moorings. One blockhouse was consumed by flames, and signal-stations, masked batteries, and forts were in ruins.

While this lesson was in progress the Spaniards did their best to bring it to a close; but despite all efforts the _Wilmington_ was unharmed. There was absolutely no evidence of conflict about her when she finally steamed away, save such as might have been read on the smoke-begrimed faces of the hard-worked but triumphant and satisfied crew.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ADMIRAL SCHLEY.]

_May 13._ An English correspondent, cabling from Hongkong regarding the Spaniards in the Philippine Islands, made the following statement:

"They are in a position to give the Americans a deal of trouble. There are twenty-five thousand Spanish soldiers in the garrison at Manila, and one hundred thousand volunteers enrolled. Scores of coasting steamers are imprisoned on the river Pasig, which is blocked at the mouth by some sunken schooners.

"Mr. Wildman, the American consul here, tells me that, according to his despatches, a flag of truce is flying over Manila, and the people are allowed to proceed freely to and from the ships in the harbour.

"The Americans are on duty night and day on the lookout for boats which endeavour to run the blockade with food supplies. The hospital is supported by the Americans. The Spaniards are boasting that their big battle-ship _Pelayo_ is coming, and will demolish the Americans in ten minutes."

On the afternoon of May 13th the flying squadron, Commodore W. S. Schley commanding, set sail from Old Point Comfort, heading southeast. The following vessels comprised the fleet. The cruiser _Brooklyn_, the flag-ship, the battle-ships _Ma.s.sachusetts_ and _Texas_, and the torpedo-boat destroyer _Scorpion_. The _Sterling_, with 4,000 tons of coal, was the collier of the squadron. At eight o'clock in the evening the _Minneapolis_ followed, and Captain Sigsbee of the _St. Paul_ received orders to get under way at midnight.

_May 14._ Eleven steamers, chartered by the government as troop-ships, sailed from New York for Key West. At San Francisco, the cruiser _Charleston_, with supplies and reinforcements for Admiral Dewey's fleet at Manila, had been made ready for sea.

At Havana General Blanco had shown great energy in preparing for the expected siege by American forces. The city and forts were reported as being provisioned sufficiently for three or four months, and Havana was surrounded by entrenchments for a distance of thirty miles. The troops in the garrison numbered seventy thousand, and a like number were in the interior fighting the insurgents.

The condition of the reconcentrados in Havana had grown steadily worse.

The mortality increased among this wretched cla.s.s, who had taken to begging morsels of food.

n.o.body in Havana except a few higher officers knew that the Spanish fleet was annihilated at Manila, and the story was believed that the Americans were beaten there.

At Madrid in the Chamber of Deputies Senor Bores asked the government to inform the house of the condition of the Philippines. After the pacification of the islands, he said, outbreaks had occurred at Pansy and Cebu and even in Manila. Was this a new rebellion, he asked, or a continuation of the old one? If it was a continuation of the old rebellion, then General Prima de Rivera's pacification of the islands had been a perfect fraud. General Correa, Minister of War, replied that the old insurrection was absolutely over. The present one, he said, arose from the incitements of the Americans.

Senor Bores retorted that he had received a private letter from the Philippines, dated April 10th, prior to the arising of any fear of war with the United States, giving pessimistic accounts of the risings there, and pa.s.sengers arriving by the steamer _Leon III._ had told similar stories. Now, he declared, the Spanish troops in the Philippines were in a terrible condition, being between two fires, the natives and the Americans. Senor Bores's remarks created a profound sensation.

The cruiser _Charleston_ was reported as being ready to sail from San Francisco for Manila. Three hundred sailors and marines to reinforce Admiral Dewey's fleet were to be sent on the cruiser.

The U. S. S. _Oregon_, _Marietta_, and _Nictheroy_ arrived at Bahia, Brazil.

The Spanish torpedo-boat _Terror_, of the Cape Verde fleet, reported as yet remaining at Port de France, Martinique.

A press correspondent gives the following spirited account, under the date of May 14th, of a second attempt to entice the American blockading squadron within range of the Santa Clara battery guns:

"Captain-General Blanco, two hours before sunset to-night, attempted to execute a ruse, which, if successful, would have cleared the front of Havana of six ships on that blockading station.

"Unable to come out to do battle, he adopted the tactics of the spider, and cunningly planned to draw the prey into his net, but, though a clever and pretty scheme as an original proposition, it was practically a repet.i.tion of the trick by which the gunboat _Vicksburg_ and the little converted revenue cutter _Morrill_ were last week decoyed by a fishing-smack under the big Krupp guns of Santa Clara batteries.

"Thanks to bad gunnery, both ships on that occasion managed to get out of range without being sunk, though some of the sh.e.l.ls burst close aboard, and the _Vicksburg's_ Jacob's-ladder was cut adrift.

"Late this afternoon the ships on the Havana station were dumfounded to see two vessels steam out of Havana Harbour and head east. Dense smoke was streaming like black ribbons from their stacks, and a glance showed that they were under full head of steam.

"By aid of gla.s.ses Commander Lilly of the _Mayflower_, which was flying the pennant, made out the larger vessel of the two, which was two hundred feet long and about forty-five hundred tons displacement, to be the cruiser _Alphonso XII._, and the small one to be the gunboat _Legaspi_, both of which were known to be bottled up in Havana Harbour.

"At first he supposed that they were taking advantage of the absence of the heavy fighting-ships, and were making a bona-fide run for the open sea.

"As superior officer, he immediately signalled the other war-ships on the station, the _Vicksburg_, _Annapolis_, _Wasp_, _Tec.u.mseh_, and _Osceola_.

The little squadron gave chase to the flying Spaniards, keeping up a running fire as they advanced. The _Alphonso_ and her consort circled insh.o.r.e about five miles below Havana, and headed back for Morro Castle.

"Our gunboats and the vessels of the mosquito fleet did not follow them in. Commander Lilly saw that the wily Spanish ruse was to draw them in under the guns of the heavy batteries, where Spanish artillery officers could plot out the exact range with their telemeters. So the return was made in line ahead, parallel with the sh.o.r.e.

"Commander Lilly had not been mistaken. As his ships came abreast of Santa Clara battery the big guns opened, and fired thirteen sh.e.l.ls at a distance of about five miles. The range was badly judged, as more than half the missiles overshot the mark, and others fell short, some as much as a mile.