The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-05-20
The Cuban Struggle.

education, great activity and energy OF
character, and wild, daring, and perhaps
desperate spirit of adventure, commenced
at Yara, in the Eastern Department of
Cuba, upon the alleged ground of intoler-
able Spanish oppression and tyranny, the
insurrcctio.l which now excites SO much of
the attention of the civilized world. No
sooner did he raise the standard of revolt
and call his countrymen to the rescue than
they gathered around him with alacrity
and in numbers which indicated that he
had struck in the depths of their hearts a
chord that had long been ready to give
forth its echoes to the touch of master
hand The Spanish authorities could not
afford to diregard, even for a day, the
movement of the insurgents, for they saw
in it what they had long had reason to
expect. They at once took as vigorous
measures as they could for the suppression
OF the revolt, knowing all the time that
they were operating in the midst of pop
ulation generally hostile to them and to
their designs of subjugation.
The Spaniards have made three distinct
and separate movements for the suppress
sion of the revolt, neither of them com
pletc failure and neither of them any con-
siderable success. The first was in the
Eastern Department under Valmaseda,
who was sent out from Havana to take
possession of Bayamo, then the revolu-
tionary headquarters. After encountering
many hardships, vast difficulties and OBJ
structions, and heavy and damaging losses,
he got to the place of his destination but
only to find it backened and blasted
ruin, the insurgents having set fire to it
with their own hands before his arrival.
He is still at Bayamo, and keeps bodies of
troops at points around to a distance of
thirty or forty miles, but the insurgents
are continually in arms on all sides, har.
assing and cutting off his detacbments and
supplies, and he can subjugate the people
only at, the immediate points which he is
able to keep garrisoncd. lie inficts some
injuries and sufferings, and is said to en-
dure quite as many. Still he undoubted-
ly reeds only the necessary troops to ac-
complish whatever he wishes to accom-
plish in the quarter of the island where
he is.
The next movement was that of Lcsca,
who marched from Guanaja to relieve
Puerto Principe in the Central Depart
ment, where the Spanish garrison, which
had been stationed there for considerable
time before the breaking out of the insur-
rcction, was threatened and besieged by
the insurgents led by Quesada The result
was to a considerable extent like that ex-,
perienced by Valmaseda. Lesca's whole
march was through region thickly beset
by effective guerrillas, and, after having
lost thirty.one officers, six-hundred soldiers
killed and wounded, two-thirds of his am
munltion and provisions, and all his money,
he at last entered Puerto Principe, already
sacked though not destroyed by the re-
treating insurgents, and ever since he has
been cooped up within very limited
space, unable, for the want of adequate
force. to accomplish to any important ex-
tent the object of his expedition.
The third and last of the Spanish opera
tions consisted of concentric movement
of three columns against Siguanea in the
southwest portion of the Central Depart
ment. One column of two thousand men,
under Gen. Escalante, marched from Alva-
rez. in the District Of Sagua, one OF one
thousand, under Buceta, from Villa Clara
and the third of one thousand, under Le-
tona, nortnward from Trinidad. These
three columns had an experience much
like that of the other two expeditions.
They found no organized bodies OF rebel
troops, and had no opportunities to hight,
but they suffered annoyances, in almost almost
every mile of their progress, from guerrilla
attacks, which they were powerless either
to avoid or to avenge. No statement was
made of the losses of Escalante and Buceta
except that they were heavy. Those OF
Lentona amounted to three hundred, near
ly one third of his whole force. the three
forces, having arrived at their points of
destination, and are now said to be holding
their own, but they have done scarcely
more. their detachments in search of
subsistence being continually, attacked,
robbed, and partially destroyed by rowing
bodies of insurgents familiar with every
square rod of the territory and burning
with hate and vengeance against their ln'
,aders.
There can be little doubt that the native
Cuban would be able to achieve and to
maintain their independence against the
Spanish forces now upon tlleir island, but,
according to the latest dispatches, Gen,
Letona, the ablest of the Spanish Generals
has taken command of the Central DIS
trict, aud, having received reinforcement
of seven thousand men from Havana and
the promise of still further forces from the
home Government, intends to open at
once vigorous campaign and to make it
as short and decisive as possible. Of
course we can hardly expect him to fail
unless the yellow fever and other diseases
Of the unaccustomed climate shall make
terrible havoc among his men or unless
powerfi,l aid shall find its way to the
lr.r,rnlno Cnbans from the United States.