He was told
that his proposition was absurd, and so it may have been from one
standpoint; and yet there may be a ground upon which the captain's
claim was fair and just.
That the Twelfth Infantry arrived on the ground first is not disputed;
but it is questioned whether the fort was belligerent at that time.
General Chaffee says the resistance had been greatly reduced by the
artillery; General Lawton says the action had been finished by
Capron's shots and the garrison was trying to escape; a soldier from
the Twenty-fifth says the Spaniards flew out of the fort to the town;
Bonsal says, they stoutly resisted "for a moment and then fled
precipitately down the ravine and up the other side, and into the
town." If first occupancy is the only ground upon which the capture of
a place can be claimed, then the title to the honor of capturing the
stone fort lies, according to official report as so far presented,
with the Twelfth Infantry. But even upon this ground it will be shown
that the Twenty-fifth's action will relieve the claim of its captain
from absurdity. We are now prepared to read the official report of the
commanding officer of the Twenty-fifth Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel
Daggett, who was with the regiment all through the fight, and who bore
himself so well that the division commander said: "Lieutenant-Colonel
Daggett deserves special mention for skillful handling of his
regiment, and would have received it before had the fact been reported
by his brigade commander.
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