The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-19
Q u B A..
The Patriots under Quesada Seven
Thousand StrOng-Fight at
Sabana Nueva-Defeat
of the Spaniards.
An Entire Battalion of Colored
Spanish Volunteers Kill
Their Officers and Go
Over to the
Cubans.

Very interesting and important correspondence
has been received from Havana dated May H.
The Insurgents Burn San Miguel.
On the Friday night preceding Spanish
war steamer, the Bazan, entered port Clean
ing their news from her, the Havana journals
have broken the ice since, and have given brief
synopsis of cooked and seasoned news that
amounts to about as follows The insurgents on
the 9th burnt down the balance of the town of
San Miguel, twelve miles from Nuevitas, left
from the conhagration lighted there by the
Spaniards few months ago. General Letona is
on the railroad, at some distance from Nuevitas,
and General Lesca must be in Puerto
Principe with his column. On the way he
had a fight with the insurgents, nine miles from
that city, with terrible result for them, al
though the column suffered the loss of lieu
tenant-colonel (Macias) captain, and six men
killed, and thirty men wounded witness of
the engagement places the insurgent loss at 1000
men. The news is not official. But little truth
is contained in the report. Although the Spanish
authorities have labored as assiduously after as
before the arrival of the Bazan to prevent the
facts about the engagement to leak out, have
succeeded in obtaining good and positive infor-
nation that shows that the result of the fight
was far more terrible to the Spanards than to
the insurgents; that victory perched upon the
standard of the Cuban patriots, and the flag of
CASTLE and Leon suffered its worst defeat since
the revolution began at Yara. Particulars run
thus:-
Fight Between the Patriots and Spaniards-
COlOred Volunteers pass over to the Insur-
gents.
Generals Quesada and Castillo gathered together
1000 of their best troops at point beyond Las
Minas and entrenched themselves, and then watched
the movements of the Spaniards keenly with the
hope of discovering weak spot Whereat to attack
them. A large body OF Spanish soldiers, led, far
as can learn, by General Letona as well as by
General Lesca, assaulted the insurgent positions on
the Sd, and, despite most stubborn resistance,
would have carried them had not the Marquis Of
Santa Lucia, who had been some miles of,
hurried to the assistance of Generals Quesada
and Castillo and unexpectedly to the Spaniards at
tackled them Of their tianks. These insurgent
renlorcements are said to have exceeded 5000 men,
most of them badly armed, very many having only
7nachetes and cane knives in their hands But they
fought bravely, with the determination to win, and
pressing boldly, un1lnchingly upon the Spaniards,
soon changed the aspect of the engagement. The
superior drill, discipline ahd armament of the Spa
nsh troops would perhaps, however, have still given
them the victory, had not the four-ffths, or
about 400 men,, of one Of the wings of Yoller's
critical moment raised the shout of ViUd la libertdd!
UiUG Cuba Rbrew and killing most OF their oihcers
and companions that tried to prevent them, passed
over to the Insurgents and aided them most enectu
ally in their struggle. The Spanish troops mad to
succumb before this desertion of the colored men
and give up the day as lost The Catalan Volunteers
covered the retreat, and though they fought bravely
yet their military lneXperlence and partial Ignorance
more than once thrown into confusion, and thereby
lost heavily in killed and wounded. Quite number
OF the wounded brought here are Catalans-
Four engagements.
I must here say that, according to gentleman
Havana, whom have generally found wel-posted
there have been four recent engagements fought
between Nuevtas and Puerto Principe. The first
was the 30th OF April at Altagracia between the
column of General Lesca and a body of insurgents
under General Castillo; the second on May 1, on
Bayatabo Hill, between the regiment or Colonel
GOyeneche and General Castillo's rear guard. In
Standards ADVANTAGE
though the losses of either side in both OF them did
not exceed one hundred and twenty men. The third
engagement was that OF General LeSca, mentioned
above, in which, even according to the meagre but
vanglorious accounts of the spanards their troops
lost the field and abandoned part OF their wounded
to the insurgents. Finally, the fourth engagement
was fought on the 9th between the troops of Gene
rails LetOna and Quesada, and it was here that the
Marquis OF Santa Lucia came up as savior OF the
day to the insurgents; that the Spanish colored
troops passed over to their opponents, and in conse
quence the Spaniards were so badly thrashed.
Cuban Independence-NOt Annexation.
There is not word OF truth in the Key West tele-
gram published in all the American papers, that the
Cuban revOlutiOnists had held convention at ST.
bancu, presided over by Captain-General Cespedes,
at which resolutions were passed in favor OF indie
pendence and annexation to the United States. The
Cubans Justly complain that reports injurious to
the republican cause in Cuba should appear in the
journals Of republican America Fully nine-tenths or
the Cubans are in favor of Cuban independence, but
it is even questionable whether a majority of this
nine-tenths desire annexation, and printed reports
thatthe Cuban leaders have decided In favor of this
even though false, give TO the Spanlards a strong
which they are nOC SLOW 10 use W ueITl-
ment OF the Cuban cause.
Further Details of the Defeat of the Spnninrds
at NueVitns.
HAVANA MAY 19.-Further news from Nuevltas
fully confirms the particulars OF the defeat of the
Spaniards on the Sd. The engagement occurred at
Sabana Nueva and resulted even worse Ior the
Spanish troops than reported in my letter OF yester-
day. They lost nearly all OF their provision wagons,
baggage train, etc, and part OF their artllery:
General Iesca commanded them. Tne Marquis OF
Santa Lucia, with his very timely relnforcements,
and the Spanish Colored olunteers that changed
Sides decided the contest. The Insurgents from
first to last had in the action over seven thousand
men, the Spanards about three thousand i've nun
dred The fight lasted nearly seven hOurs. Ine
Catalans suffered heavily and lost over tW0 nun,
dred men. Colonel Yoller, OF the Spanish COi0re1
Volunteers, is now reported to be among the klleu.
The engagement OF the 9th was an unlmpOrIaht
sklmsh between a part OF the troops oi
General Letona, and a detachment from General
Castilo's command. An engagement OF importance
is likely to occur at any moment between General
Letonas army and that of General Quesada, IN the
environ of Las Minas The insurgent successes III
the district Of Puerto Principe have rendered the
Cubans Of Havana brimful OF JOY, and many are very
inprudently giving rather public expression TO IT,
which may yet cause an attack upon them by tnt
VeXed volunteers, and so this city be again dis
graced by serious riots and wfu acts OF murder anC
bloOdshed.
The Central Pacific Railroad Company has dis
charged abOut two thOugand men already. Most o.