America's war for humanity, related in story and picture, embracing a complete history of Cuba's struggle for liberty... (1898) (14577931758)

Identifier: americaswarforhu00inga (find matches)
Title: America's war for humanity, related in story and picture, embracing a complete history of Cuba's struggle for liberty...
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Ingalls, John James, 1833-1900
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Thompson
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center



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y had heaped up made fair breast-works. The eight-inch guns they mounted appeared, also, to mark arenewed degree of Castilian confidence. They regarded themselves asorganized to somewhat embitter life to the Yankee hog, at least on dayswhen he came to be no more numerously represented than on Friday, whenthe only Yankee things in sight were the Hornet and the Dupont. Thus it 19 290 AMERICAS WAR FOR HUMANITY. befell that on that day, when the Diipont came poking up there to recon-noiter Matanzas, the Spanish opened their batteries wildly in her direction.As already recounted, they hit nothing but the alarmed waters of MatanzasBay. With the first puff of Spanish smoke and the first roar of the Spanishgun, the Dupont opened fiercely with her rapid-fire guns and began runningup to the enemy. The Hornet was standing off on the outside. With thefirst instant of firing, Lieutenant Sutherland set her head between the bat-teries and called for all speed. It was only a question of a few moments
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AMERICAN TORPEDO BOAT. when the Hornet was abreast of the Diipont^ claiming her place and gettingin the brisk war dance so suddenly inaugurated. The Hornet has four six-pounders, backed by small rapid-fire guns. TheDiipont gun armament is also of the rapid-fire sort, but lighter than theHornef s. The Diipont could not, of course, in such an engagement, betakeherself to her star role of torpedoes. It was a gun fight—the small, new guns of the Hornet and Diipontagainst the four-inch and the many smaller guns which made up the Spanishartillery. It was the shifty, uneasy decks of boats against the firm fotu^da- THE FIRST BATTLE—MATANZAS LEARNS A LESSON. 291 tions of the land. It was deep, safe breastworks of sand against sheet-ironsides as frail as paper ; for neither the Dupont nor the Hornet boast armor. In guns, in numbers, in works of defense, the Spaniards had much thebetter of the count. But in one matter they failed, and with that failurethey lost the fight. They were not, as m