Note: See Lieutenant Muller y Tejeiro, "Combates y Capitulacion
de Santiago de Cuba," page 136. The Lieutenant speaks as if only one
echelon, of seven companies and two guns, was engaged on the 24th.
The official report says distinctly, "General Rubin's column," which
consisted of the companies detailed. By turning to page 146, where
Lieutenant Tejeiro enumerates the strength of the various companies,
it will be seen that they averaged over 110 men apiece; this
probably does not include officers, and is probably an
under-statement anyhow. On page 261 he makes the Spanish loss at Las
Guasimas, which he calls Sevilla, 9 killed and 27 wounded. Very
possibly he includes only the Spanish regulars; two of the Spaniards
we slew, over on the left, were in brown, instead of the light blue
of the regulars, and were doubtless guerillas.

General Rubin reported that he had repulsed the American attack, and
Lieutenant Tejeiro states in his book that General Rubin forced the
Americans to retreat, and enumerates the attacking force as consisting
of three regular regiments of infantry, the Second Massachusetts and
the Seventy-first New York (not one of which fired a gun or were
anywhere near the battle), in addition to the sixteen dismounted
troops of cavalry. In other words, as the five infantry regiments each
included twelve companies, he makes the attacking force consist of
just five times the actual amount. As for the "repulse," our line
never went back ten yards in any place, and the advance was
practically steady; while an hour and a half after the fight began we
were in complete possession of the entire Spanish position, and their
troops were fleeing in masses down the road, our men being too
exhausted to follow them.

General Rubin also reports that he lost but seven men killed. This
is certainly incorrect, for Captain O'Neill and I went over the ground
very carefully and counted eleven dead Spaniards, all of whom were
actually buried by our burying squads. There were probably two or
three men whom we missed, but I think that our official reports are
incorrect in stating that forty-two dead Spaniards were found; this
being based upon reports in which I think some of the Spanish dead
were counted two or three times. Indeed, I should doubt whether their
loss was as heavy as ours, for they were under cover, while we
advanced, often in the open, and their main lines fled long before we
could get to close