Show lira FIT Last Engagement of the War In1 Porto Rieo FOUGHT BY GEN WILSON ENEMY OCCUPIED STRONG POSITION POSI-TION NEAR COAI0 Ou Battery Wet Into Action at a Gallop adI the Face of a Terrific Ter-rific Fire Prom the Spaniards One Soldier Killed and Several Wounded Beyond Coamo Porto Rico Aug 1 Delayed in transmission General Wil son moved one Lancaster battery out to tho front this afternoon for the purpose ot shelling the Spanish position on the crest of tho mountain at the head of the pass through which tho road winds The enemy occupied a position of great natural strength protected by several lines of entrenchments en-trenchments and a battery of two Howitzers I How-itzers The Spaniards were eager for the fray and earlier in the day had fired upon Colonel Biddlo of the engineer corps who I with a platoon of Troop C of New York was reconnoitering on their right flank I As our battery rounded a curve in the road 2000 yards away the enemy opened an artillery and infantry fire Four companies com-panies of the Third Wisconsin which were posted on the bluffs to the right of the road were not permitted to respond to the infantry lire The guns advanced at a gallop In the face of a terrific fire were unllmbered and were soon hurling shell and shrapnCl at the enemy at a lively rate striking the emplacements batteries and entrenchments entrench-ments with the rythmatlc regularity of a triphammer The enemy soon abandoned aban-doned one gun but continued to serve he II other at intervals for over an hour They had our range and their shrapnel burst I repeatedly over our men One shell burst I the fragments killing Corporal Swanson I Company L and seriously wounding i Corporal Cor-poral Yanke 3e Privates BUnce and Vought Captain Paget the British army officer who Is with the American forces for tho purpose of observing the operations In the fJo distinguished himself by aiding Dr Woodbury Captain Lee endw Private Si ser of Company F were wounded by Mauser bullets In about two ho > fc the enemy abandoned I abandon-ed the old gun anu he men began to flee from tho entrenchments toward a banana grove Our guns shelled them a they ran rn ranBATTERY RETREATED One gun was now ordered to advance to gn of mile further a position a quarter a on It had just reached the new position who nthe Spanish infantry reinforcements filed Into the trenches and fired down a deadly fire on our men compelling the battery to retire at a gallop Then both the enemys Howitzers reopened and shrapnel screamed and Mausers sang Another An-other gun galloped from the rear but our ammunition was exhausted Lieutenant Haynes was shot In the body by a Mauser just before his gun retired the ball following fol-lowing a rib The orders issued for two companies to advance were countermanded and the firlntr oon ceased Colonel Bliss of General Wilsons staff went forward to the enemys line with a flag of truce and explained that pace ne gotlatloYiS werealmost concluded and that their position was untenable and demanded demand-ed their surender The Spanish have no communication with the outside world and the commander asked till tomorrow that he might communicate with Governor Gov-ernor Macias General Vvilson and his staff viewed to days action from a hill at the right The enemys guns were fired from a high elevation ele-vation with low velocity The Spaniards had the ranges as accurately as they had at Santiago Their position from the front Is almost impregnable Estimates of the strength of the enemy range from 500 to Aibonlto 1000 Their position Is five miles from Hostilities Suspended Headquarters of General Wilson at Coa mo Aug 13 Delayed In transmission The orders to advance given t Gereral Ernests brigade were countermanded I upon receipt of the presidents order to suspend hostilities General Wilson this morning sent 3 I party with a flag of truce to notify the I Spaniards of the suspension of hostlli t l 1 ties but hf was rs respected This was by order of Governor General Macias I As General Macias had no comunlcatlon with Madrid he may thus cut himself off from official notification of the situation although natives have been sent through ISaU the Spanish lines to spread the news that I a cessation of hostilities had been ordered The soldiers of the American army generally I gen-erally receive the news of peace with delight de-light although some are disappointed that there is to be no further fighting and many officers express regret at the suspension sus-pension of hostilities in the midst of the campaign campagn Ponce Porto Rico Aug 13The peace news has stopped all forward movement qf the American army In Porto Rico General Gen-eral Wilson at Coamo and General Bcmvan at Mayaguez will remain at those places General rienry who is at Utuado wi return to Adjuntas and General Brooke wno had advanced beyond Guay ama will return to that town General Miles expects to do nothing pending the arrival at San Juan of the peace commissioners |