El Caney
Louis Amateis
Louis Amateis was an Italian sculptor who emigrated to the United States in
1993. By 1901, his reputation was well established for monumental works, architectural
sculpture, and busts of famous Americans. His El Caney sculpture was a larger-than-life
figural snapshot of a moment in the Spanish-American War. The Battle of El
Caney was fought on July 1, 1989, in and around the town by the same name.
The Americans attacked the well-defended town with significant loss of life.
The web site, "Home of the Heroes," describes the action thus:
"The advancing Americans found themselves facing snipers in the surrounding trees, fences to slow their progress, and that perfect hailstorm of bullets confronting them from the front. At 10 o'clock the 17th Infantry, which had been held in reserve, was ordered forward to take a high embankment that was providing a tactical advantage to the entrenched Spanish. Lieutenant Colonel Haskell and his regimental quartermaster Lieutenant Dickinson led forward movement, advancing in front of their men. Four hundred yards from the Spanish line they stumbled upon occupied trenches, both falling quickly to enemy fire. Lieutenant Dickinson, the lesser injured, rushed back to the regiment where he found Company C advancing under Lieutenant Benjamin F. Hardaway. "The Colonel is shot!" he shouted, struggling to stem the flow of blood from his own wounded arm.
Lieutenant Haradaway, Second Lieutenant Charles Roberts, along with Corporal Ulysses Buzzard sprang into the open to go to the rescue of their commander. Behind them followed four young Army privates, George Berg, Oscar Brookin, Thomas Graves, and Bruno Wende. In the fierce onslaught of enemy fire that met their valiant attempt to rescue their wounded colonel, Berg and Brookins were quickly wounded but managed to drag their shattered bodies back to safety. The remaining five men reached Colonel Haskell, half dragging and half carrying him to safety. Colonel Haskell's wounds were far too serious to save his life, but for their valiant effort to rescue their commander in the face of a withering enemy fire, all seven men would be subsequently awarded Medals of Honor. Throughout the day, both at El Caney and three miles south at San Juan Hill, other brave men would risk their lives for their wounded comrades."
No information is available on the current status of this sculpture.
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