These
men advanced on the stone fort with our line, fighting gallantly,
during which Lieutenant Nicholas Franco was mortally wounded and died
soon afterwards." (Col. Miles' report.)
From the soldier's story, as well as from the official report of the
brigade commander, it is conclusive that the real objective of the
Second Brigade was the stone fort, and that the Twenty-fifth Infantry,
which occupied the right of the line, had no other objective
whatever.* [Transcriber's Note: No footnote text present for this
footnote anchor.] It also appears that Bates' brigade, although
somewhere on the right, was not so near but that the commanding
officer of the Twenty-fifth could see the need of troops at his right;
and to meet this need the brigade commander "sent forward 40 Cubans,
who advanced on the stone fort with our lines." The fire from this
fort continued severe during the whole of the advance, and until the
last halt made by the Twenty-fifth. At the first fence met by the
Twenty-fifth Lieutenant McCorkle was killed; and, to use the words of
a soldier, "as the regiment swept toward the Spanish stronghold" to
reach the slope of a little mound for cover, many more fell. Behind
this little mound, after resting about five minutes, they began their
last fire upon the enemy.
Pages:
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237