Both he and the
officers and men commanded by him received both from General Young
and from the division commander the most generous praise. The advance
of Wood's column was made with great difficulty owing to the nature of
the ground, and according to General Young's belief, he was in the
rear when at 7.20 in the morning Captain Mills discovered the enemy,
and a Cuban guide was dispatched to warn Wood, and a delay made to
allow time for him to come up. Colonel Wood, on the other hand, claims
to have discovered the enemy at 7.10 and to have begun action almost
immediately, so that it turned out as Young had planned, and "the
attack of both wings was simultaneous." The Spaniards were posted on a
range of high hills in the form of a "V," the opening being toward
Siboney, from which direction the attack came.
From Colonel Wood's report it appears that soon after the firing began
he found it necessary to deploy five troops to the right, and left,
leaving three troops in reserve. The enemy's lines being still beyond
his, both on the right and on the left, he hastily deployed two more
troops, which made the lines now about equal in length. The firing was
now "exceedingly heavy," and much of it at short range, but on account
of the thick underbrush it was not very effective; "comparatively few
of our men were injured.
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