Reconnaissance had developed the fact that the enemy occupied the
village of El Caney, and that their first line of works surrounded the
city of Santiago at a distance of about a mile, crowning a
semicircular ridge. Between the position occupied by the general's
camp and this ridge, a distance of about two and one-half miles,
flowed the Aguadores and San Juan rivers, and about one mile from the
San Juan River, on the east side, was a ruined plantation and mission
house, called El Poso. Midway between El Caney and the Spanish
position was a large handsome mansion, called the Du Cuorot house,
standing in the midst of a large plantation and owned by a Frenchman,
which both sides had agreed to respect as neutral property. The
general plan of the battle as given to these officers on the 30th of
June was for one division of the army (Lawton's), assisted by one
battery of artillery (Capron's), to make an attack at daybreak upon
the village of El Caney, and drive the enemy out of it. Another
division (Kent's) was to make an attack upon the semicircular ridge of
hills south of El Caney as soon as Lawton was well committed to the
fight, both for the purpose of preventing reinforcements from going to
El Caney and to develop the enemy's strength.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110