The first part of the journey of the Rough Riders was over steep hills several hundred feet high.  The men carried 200 rounds of ammunition and heavy camp equipment.  Although this was done easily in the early morning, the weather became intensely hot, and the sun beat down upon the cowboys and Eastern athletes as they toiled up the grade with their heavy packs, and frequent rests were necessary.  The trail was so narrow that for the greater part of the way the men had to proceed single file.  Prickly cactus bushes lined both sides of the trail, and the underbrush was so thick that it was impossible to see ten feet on either side.  All the conditions were favorable for a murderous ambuscade, but the troopers kept a close watch, and made as little noise as possible.

The Rough Riders entered into the spirit of the occasion with the greatest enthusiasm.  It was their first opportunity for a fight, and every man was eager for it.  The weather grew swelteringly hot, and one by one the men threw away blankets and tent rolls, and emptied their canteens.

The first intimation had by Colonel Wood’s command that there were Spaniards in the vicinity was when they reached a point three or four miles back from the coast, when the low cuckoo calls of the Spanish soldiers were heard in the bush.

It was difficult to locate the exact point from which these sounds came, and the men were ordered to speak in low tones.

CHARGE THE ENEMY

As soon as the enemy could be located a charge was ordered, and the Americans rushed into the dense thicket regardless of danger.  The Spaniards fell back, but fired as they ran, and the battle lasted about an hour.

The Spaniards left many dead on the field, their loss in killed being not less than fifty.

The Spanish had carefully planned an ambush and intended to hold the Americans in check.  They became panic-stricken at the boldness of the rush made by the invading force.  The position gained was of great advantage.

Where the battle took place a path opens into a space covered with high grass on the right-hand side of the trail and the thickets.  A barbed wire fence runs along the left side.  The dead body of a Cuban was found on the side of the road, and at the same time Captain Capron’s troops covered the outposts the heads of several Spaniards were seen in the bushes for a moment.

It was not until then that the men were permitted to load their carbines.  When the order to load was given they acted on it with a will and displayed the greatest eagerness to make an attack.  At this time the sound of firing was heard a mile or two to the right, apparently coming from the hills beyond the thicket.  It was the regulars replying to the Spaniards who had opened on them from the thicket.  In addition to rapid rifle fire the boom of Hotchkiss guns could be heard.