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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

North Atlantic Fleet Squadron Bulletin No. 10

Squadron Bulletin.

U. S. Flagship New York.         Off Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1898.

THE arrangements for landing the troops, as mentioned in the Order of Battle for the day, were successfully carried out, and some 3500 men were ashore by 3 p. m.1

When the boats were ready to move in, which was not until about 9 a .m., an animated fire was begun and kept up for some minutes by the New Orleans, Detroit, Suwanee and Wasp. There was no reply, so far as known, by the enemy. The difficulties of landing were very great on account of the unusually heavy swell, setting in from the South-East.

It was found, very fortunately, that the water-pipes had not been disturbed, thus insuring troops and ships an excellent supply of water.

  The only reply anywhere along the line of 18 miles, several points of which were bombarded as laid down in the instructions, was at Cabanas.2 The Texas, at this point, had a long continued engagement with the West battery, and did most excellent firing.3 She was, unfortunately, struck by one shell and one man was killed and eight wounded. The names of killed and wounded are as follows:

Frank J. Blakeley, apprentice first class; killed.

Rudolph Earl Engel, seaman; cut in front of right ear.

Hugh Amos Lee, apprentice second class; wound right thigh and left leg.

John Emory Lindy, landsman; piece of shell left face, contusion in back.

George Francis Mullin, apprentice second class; wound over left hip.

John Edmund Nelson, app., second class; slight wound right great toe.

John J. Simonsen, seaman; burns in face.

Aroid Sjoquist, ordinary seaman; superficial wound back right ear.

Raymond Russell, apprentice, second class; numerous wounds right thigh, left leg, left ankle, etc.

Three gun-cotton shells were successfully thrown by the Vesuvius during the night against the Eastern battery; no reply was made.4

The Indiana has taken up position in the blockading line; the Annapolis and Hornet are at Daiquiri; the Detroit, Castine and Eagle are to accompany the advance of the army; the Helena and Osceola are to go on blockade duty, South coast; the remaining vessels of the Convoy (excepting torpedo-boats,) are to return to the North side of Cuba.

Source Note: Printed, DLC-MSS, Papers of William F. Fullam. This bulletin was produced on a printing press on New York (the flagship of RAdm. William T. Sampson’s North Atlantic Fleet) and was distributed to the vessels. It is listed as number 10 in Squadron Bulletins, 23-15.

Footnote 1: For the Order of Battle, see: Orders for the Landing of the Troops, June 21, 1898.  For more details about this operation, see: Joint Operations at Santiago.

Footnote 2: The Spanish soldiers did not offer much resistance to thwart American troop landings.

Footnote 3: Capt. John W. Philip of Texas wrote a personal account of this action to his wife. See: Philip to Josefa Philip, 22 June 1898.

Footnote 4: Vesuvius, launched in 1888, was the U.S. Navy’s only dynamite cruiser and carried three “dynamite” or “pneumatic” guns. It was under the command of Lt. Cmdr. John E. Pillsbury. DANFS.

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