The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1853-02-01
Capture of HAVANA
By THE ENGLISH IN 1862.

Havana wa then. a. nON, the chief
place in Tie West Indies. built on a harbor
large enough TO she.te. all the uaYies Of
Europe, capable Of being made imphegra-
bic from the sea-, having docks in which
ship OF war of the first magnitude were
constructed. rich from the products Of the
surrounding country, and the centre Of the
trade with Mexico. OF this magnificent
city England undertook the conquest. The
command Of her army, ia which Carleton
AID Howe each led two baltaIiOns, was
given to Albemahe, the friend and pupil Of
the Duke Of Cumberland. The feet was in
trusted TO Pocoke, already illustrious as the
%conquerer in TWO naval battles in the East.
Assembling the feet and transports at
Martlnico, and off Cape St. Nicholas, the
adventurous admiral sailed directly through
The bahama Straits, and on the sixth day of
June, came in sight Of the low coast round
Havana. The Spanish forces for tile de.
fence OF the city were about f~orty-six hum
dred The English had eleven thousand ef-
%iective men, and were recruited by nearly
a thousand negroes from the Leeward
Islands, and by fifteen hundred from Jamai-
ca. Before the end Of July, the needed re-
Inducements arrived from New York and
New England among these was Putnam,
the brave ranger OF Connecticut, and num-
bers OF mon less happy, because never des-
tined to revisit their homes.
On the thirtieth Of July. after a seige of
twenty-nlhe days, during which the Span.
iards lost q thousand men, and the brave
Don Luis de Velasco was MORALLY wound
ed, the Moro Castle was taken by storm.
On the eleventh OF August, the Governor
of Havana capitulated, and the mos. i'm
portant station in the West Indies fell into
the hands Of the English. At the same
time, nine ships Of the line and four frigates
were captured in the Harbor. The booty
of property belonging to the Kingof Spain
was estimated at ten millions of dollars.
This most memorable seige was condue.
ted in midsummer, against a city which
lies just within the tropic. The country
rcund the More Castle is rocky. To bind
and carry the ~fascines was of itself a
work of incredible labor, made possible on
ly by aid of African slaves. Sufficient
earth to hold the f~ascines firm was gathered
with difficulty from c~revices in the rocks.
Once, after a drought of founteen days, the
grand battery took fire by the flames, and
cracking and spreading were water could
follow it, nor earth stifle it, was wholly
consumed. The climate spoiled a great
part OF the provisions. Wanting good wa
ter, very many died in agonies from thirst.
More fell victims to a putrid fever, of which
~malignity left but three or four hours
between robust health and death. Some
wasted away with Ioathsome disease. Over
the graves the carrion.cfows lowered, and
often scratchedaway the scanty earth which
rather hid than buried the dead. Huns
dreds of carcassos flcated on the ocean,
And yet such was the enthusiasm of the
English, such the resolute zeal of the sail.
ors and soldiers, such the unity Of action
between the fleet and army, that the VERT,
cal sun OF June and July, the heavy rains
OF August, raging lever, and strong and
well defended fortresses, all the obstacles of
nature and art, were SURROUNDED, and the
most decisive victory Of the war was com,
pleted.- Bancrgf's History.