e the credit from its originator; and it
is doubtless with reference both to the plan and the execution that he
bestows on General Young the mead of praise. This statement of fact
does not in the least detract from either the importance or the
praiseworthiness of the part played by Colonel Wood. Both he and the
officers and men commanded by him received both from General Young
and from the division commander the most generous praise. The advance
of Wood's column was made with great difficulty owing to the nature of
the ground, and according to General Young's belief, he was in the
rear when at 7.20 in the morning Captain Mills discovered the enemy,
and a Cuban guide was dispatched to warn Wood, and a delay made to
allow time for him to come up. Colonel Wood, on the other hand, claims
to have discovered the enemy at 7.10 and to have begun action almost
immediately, so that it turned out as Young had planned, and "the
attack of both wings was simultaneous." The Spaniards were posted on a
range of high hills in the form of a "V," the opening being toward
Siboney, from which direction the attack came.

From Colonel Wood's report it appears that soon after the firing began
he found it necessary to deploy five troops to the right, and left,
leaving three troops in reserve. The enemy's lines being still beyond
his, both on the right and on the left, he hastily deployed two more
troops, which made the lines now about equal in length. The firing was
now "exceedingly heavy," and much of it at short range, but on account
of the thick underbrush it was not very effective; "comparatively few
of our men were injured." Captain Capron at this time received his
mortal wound and the firing became so terrific that the last remaining
troop of the reserve was absorbed by the firing line, and the whole
regiment ordered to advance very slowly. The Spanish line yielded and
the advance soon showed that in falling back the enemy had taken a new
position, about three hundred yards in front of the advancing
regiment. Their lines extended from 800 to 1,000 yards, and the firing
from their front was "exceedingly heavy" and effective. A "good many
men" were wounded, "and several officers," says Colonel Wood's
report. Still the advance was kept up, and the Spanish line was
steadily forced back. "We now began," says Colonel Wood, "to get a
heavy fire from a ridge on our right, which enfiladed our line." The
reader can at once see that although the Roug