Young's Fight at Las Guasipias 81 



to find out exactly what the Spanish strength was. 

 This promised aid did not, however, materialize, 

 the Cubans, who had been beaten back by the Span- 

 iards the day before, not appearing on the firing- 

 line until the fight was over. 



General Young had in his immediate command 

 a squadron of the First Regular Cavalry, two hun- 

 dred and forty-four strong, under the command of 

 Major Bell, and a squadron of the Tenth Regular 

 Cavalry, two hundred and twenty strong, under the 

 command of Major Norvell. He also had two 

 Hotchkiss mountain guns, under Captain Watson 

 of the Tenth. He started at a quarter before six 

 in the morning, accompanied by Captain A. L. Mills, 

 as aide. It was at half-past seven that Captain 

 Mills, with a patrol of two men in advance, dis- 

 covered the Spaniards as they lay across where the 

 two roads came together, some of them in pits, 

 others simply lying in the heavy jungle, while on 

 their extreme right they occupied a big ranch. 

 Where General Young struck them they held a high 

 ridge a little to the left of his front, this ridge being 

 separated by a deep ravine from the hill-trail still 

 further to the left, down which the Rough Riders 

 were advancing. That is, their forces occupied a 

 range of high hills in the form of an obtuse angle, 

 the salient being toward the space between the 

 American forces, while there were advance parties 



