Young's Fight at Las Guasimas 83 



a couple of light guns, which our people thought 

 were quick firers. The denseness of the jungle, and 

 the fact that they used absolutely smokeless powder, 

 made it exceedingly difficult to place exactly where 

 they were, and almost immediately Young, who al- 

 ways liked to get as close as possible to his enemy, 

 began to push his troops forward. They were de- 

 ployed on both sides of the road in such thick jungle 

 that it was only here and there that they could pos- 

 sibly see ahead, and some confusion, of course, en- 

 sued, the support gradually getting mixed with the 

 advance. Captain Beck took A Troop of the Tenth 

 in on the left, next Captain Galbraith's troops of 

 the First; two other troops of the Tenth were on 

 the extreme right. Through the jungle ran wire 

 fences here and there, and as the troops got to the 

 ridge they encountered precipitous heights. They 

 were led most gallantly, as American regular officers 

 always lead their men ; and the men followed their 

 leaders with the splendid courage always shown by 

 the American regular soldier. There was not a 

 single straggler among them, and in not one instance 

 was an attempt made by any trooper to fall out in 

 order to assist the wounded or carry back the dead, 

 while so cool were they and so perfect their fire 

 discipline, that in the entire engagement the expen- 

 diture of ammunition was not over ten rounds per 

 man. Major Bell, who commanded the squadron, 



