The Boys of '98 Part 23

_June 14._ The American marines at Guantanamo Bay again attacked by the Spaniards.(8)

The heroes of Santiago Bay, who sank the _Merrimac_, rewarded by the Navy Department.(9)

First trial of the dynamite cruiser _Vesuvius_.(10)

The war tax on beer, ale, tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes went into effect on this date.

_June 14._ From Manila on June 14th much of interest was received. A severe engagement occurred, when one thousand insurgents attacked twice that number of Spaniards, inflicting heavy losses. The insurgents had drawn their lines closely around the landward side of the city, and Captain-General Augusti published a decree ordering all the male population under arms. Mr. E. W. Harden, correspondent of the New York _World_, thus summed up the situation:

"Terrific fighting has been going on for six days between the Philippine insurgents and the Spaniards. The rebels, under Aguinaldo, more than held their ground, while the Spaniards lost heavily. The insurgents now hold three thousand prisoners, mostly Spanish soldiers.

"I have been in the field with the rebels, and I was present at the taking of the garrisoned church at Old Cavite, June 7th, where three hundred insurgents captured a superior force of Spaniards after an eight days'

bombardment. The rebels are competent, courageous fighters. They have captured the entire provinces of Cavite and Bataan, and parts of the provinces of Pampagna, Bulucan, and Manila.

"Aguinaldo's troops, in three divisions, have now surrounded Manila. They have the Spaniards hemmed in, and could capture the city if they wanted to, but will await the arrival of the American troops before doing so.

"The rebels have captured Gov. Leopoldo Garcia Penas, of Cavite province, and Gov. Antonio Cardola, of Bataan province. Cardola tried to commit suicide before surrendering. He shot himself three times in the head, but will recover. The insurgents behaved gallantly in the fight for the possession of the stone convent in Old Cavite, June 1st. General Augusti sent two thousand Spanish regulars of the Manila force to attack Aguinaldo's forces at Cavite. The fight lasted all day. The Spaniards were repulsed, and the officers led in retreat. They took refuge in the old convent, a substantial building, with walls five feet thick, built for all time.

"Aguinaldo surrounded the convent, and his first plan was to starve out the beleaguered ones, but he found, June 6th, that provisions were being smuggled in to them, and so he attacked the building, beginning by opening fire with his mountain guns. Meantime, General Augusti, hearing of his soldiers' plight, sent four thousand regulars to relieve them.

"Aguinaldo led the attack on these four thousand. But after the first brush he adopted another method. He sent detachments of three hundred or four hundred men, armed with machetes, on the flanks of the Spaniards, who constantly hara.s.sed them. In the first attack of these detachments one hundred and fifty Spanish soldiers and a lieutenant-colonel were killed.

In the second onslaught four officers and sixty men were killed.

"Again and again these attacks were repeated until nine hundred Spaniards had been killed, the insurgents report. The convent, too, became untenable. The Spaniards retreated along the road to Manila, but made a stand at Bacoor.

"Aguinaldo and his men fought them fiercely there, and the Spanish fled again. The rebels pursued the enemy to within sight of Manila. Returning, Aguinaldo stormed the old convent, and of the Spaniards who remained there he killed ninety and captured 250."

[Ill.u.s.tration: GENERAL GARCIA.]

_June 15._ The second fleet of transports, comprised of the steamers _China_, _Colon_, _Senator_, and _Zealandia_, carrying 3,465 men, left San Francisco for Manila.

The war loan of two hundred million dollars subscribed for twice over.

Bombardment of the fortifications in Guantanamo Bay.(11)

The House of Representatives pa.s.sed the Hawaiian annexation resolution.

_June 16._ Third bombardment of the batteries near Santiago.(12)

The Spanish forces in and near Cardenas had repaired the damages inflicted by the American vessels when they bombarded the works, and on June 16th another lesson was given those who killed Ensign Bagley and his brave comrades. Five blockhouses were completely demolished, the enemy beating a hasty retreat without having fired a shot.

_June 17._ Fortifications in Guantanamo Bay sh.e.l.led by American naval force.(13)

Capture of the Spanish sloop _Chato_ in Guantanamo Bay.(14)

_June 18._ Bombardment of blockhouse in Guantanamo Bay.(15)

Battery at Cabanas sh.e.l.led by the U. S. S. _Texas_.(16)

_June 19._ First American troops landed on Cuban soil.(17)

_June 20._ General Shafter and Admiral Sampson visit General Garcia in his camp.(18)

_June 21._ Landing of General Shafter's army begun.(19)

Bombardment of all the fortifications near about Santiago.(20)

Captain-General Augusti cabled the Madrid government that he, having been forced to take refuge in the walled city,(21) would be unable to continue communication.

_June 22._ By a decision of the Attorney-General, the United States government will surrender to the amba.s.sadors of France and Germany, as the diplomatic representatives of Spain, the non-combatants and crews of the prize merchant vessels captured by ships of the American navy since the declaration of war.

Boats' crews from the U. S. S. _Marblehead_ and _Dolphin_ remove the mines from Guantanamo Bay.(22)

Bombardment of the Socapa battery near Santiago.(23)

Spaniards set fire to the town of Aguadores.(24)

The U. S. S. _Texas_ engages the west battery of Cabanas.(25)

Captain Sigsbee of the U. S. S. _St. Paul_, in reporting his cruise of twenty-three days, gave the following account of a meeting with the enemy off San Juan de Porto Rico on the 22d of June:

_June 22._ "We came off the port on the twenty-second. The weather was fair, the trade wind blowing fresh from the eastward and raising somewhat of a sea. At about 12.40 the third-cla.s.s cruiser _Isabel III._ came out, and, steaming under the Morro until she was abreast of the batteries, commenced edging out toward us, firing at such a long range that her shots were ineffective.

"As her purpose evidently was to put us within fire of the batteries, we took but little notice of her, lying still and occasionally sending in our largest sh.e.l.l at her to try the range.

"Soon afterward she dropped to the westward, and the torpedo-boat destroyer _Terror_, or it may have been her sister ship, the _Furor_, was sighted steaming along sh.o.r.e under the batteries.

"We watched her for awhile, and worked along with her, in order to separate her from the cruiser and keep her in trough if she came for us.

She then circled to get up speed, and headed for us, firing straight as far as direction went, but her shots fell short.

"When within range of our guns, the signal 'commence firing' was made, and for several minutes we let fly our starboard battery at her at from fifty-five hundred to six thousand yards, the sh.e.l.ls striking all around her.

"This stopped her. She turned her broadside to us and her fire soon ceased. She then headed insh.o.r.e, to the southward and westward, going slow, and it was evident to all on board that she was crippled. Off the Morro she flashed some signals to the sh.o.r.e, and afterward a tug came out and towed her into the harbour.

"All this time the cruiser was firing at us, and some of her shots and those of the _Terror_ fell pretty close. The cruiser followed the _Terror_ back toward the port and soon afterward was joined by a gunboat, and the two steamed under the batteries to the eastward; but when the _St. Paul_, making an insh.o.r.e turn, seemed to be going for them, they returned to the harbour, and we saw no more of them."

_June 23._ The U. S. monitor _Monadnock_ left San Francisco for Manila.

The U. S. dynamite cruiser _Vesuvius_ again sh.e.l.ls the Santiago fortifications.(26)

_June 24._ The Spanish Cortes suspended by royal decree. The Chamber of Deputies adjourned without the customary cheers for the throne.

Major-General Lawton advancing on Santiago.(27)

Action near Juragua.(28)

_June 25._ Skirmish near Sevilla.