Delaware State journal and statesman., 1869-09-28
letter from a Cuban soldier.

n spIHleI WHO ms just returned 10 Boston
from Cuba writes for the Boston EUenfng
Times an interesting account of his experi.
ence while in the island. or his voyage TO
cuba and his landing there lie says
started from Boston in the curly part of
last March, having notion that should
like TO go 10 Cuba 10 fight. I found out by
The agent here that a vessel would sail from
Fernandina, Florida, on the 18th, so 1 hur
red along by rail with two others and found
lhe vessel, (the Annie) all right with us un-
VI we got near the coast OF Cuba, only VIC
were sea sick, aud yc,all supposed that we
would mud nice QIlls and plenty To cat
when we got on the isiRhd. But we had an
awful time getting ashore. | don't believe
lhe old captain knew what he WIS about
Bul he was afraid nf the Spanish gunbonts
or something, and instead of going into
Smnlanamo Bay, as he said he was going
10, he landed the whole sixteen of us re-
cTuils, without any officers, on the coast,
about thirty miles from Macambn, in place
tic shore
We marched whole day and didnt see
soul. But the second day, after sleeping in
the swamp and nearly melting, we found
great plantation with lot of negroes and
Chinese on it, and we went in for all we
could eat and drink. The owner gabbled
away with our guide, but we didn't mind;
we thought we must not starve. And after
passing another night near the plantation,
we marched about twenty miles, when we
run across camp of black Cubans, with a
white officer. They were going to fire on us,
but our Spaniard yelled, and they knew the
cry, so we got safely up 10 camp. You
would have laughed, Mr. Editor, TO have
seen that company. They were half-naked
and greasy; some had pistols some had mus
kets, and two had pitchforks. None of them
Knew anything of tactics, and would run
at the least scare. They belonged to Que
sada's department they said, and were GO
ing to besiege Bayamo. They thought it
would be good thing for us to 20 along
with them, so we tagged after that lot OF
niggers for two days, stealing living at the
little low houses along the way. I was in
what they called Quesada's department dur
ing April and in May and June, part of the
lime in Gen. Gomez, and in Gen. Jordan's
department
The only fights | ever saw were al cross
ing little way from Neuvitas In June, and
at pond near Puerto Principe, the first
week in July. There were about 200 of us,
with our clothes almost gone (for it was so
hot that half ot our party threw away every
thing but their pantaloons,) without any
hats, and we crept up through the high
stalks and reeds near the little earth forlif-
cations the Spaniards had, and let drive at
them through the brush. They wasn't ex-
expecting us, and run like greyhounds. But
only about dozen of the whole lot dared to
venture up to see if they had run away
They said there were about 10000 regular,
we-diilleG troops there, but / didn't see
any OF them. All saw was little bands of
Spaniards mulattoes and negroes who went
scouting about the country for stray bands
ot SnaniArds
OF the conduct of the Cubans and Span
nrds tic writer says:
The Cuban white men are brave set and
believe they would fight till they died any
where, bat the negroes are towards. They
couldn't have disciplined army there
where | went, because the roads are narrow
and off the big plantations it tis regular
jungle OF vines and bliars and thickets The
Cubans, i. e., the white men, are determined
To fight, and believe they will whip out
tho Spauiards, because the Spaniards Care
not go inlo the country any. Our company
'''zs.se psssiqdi isse = i,sss.ss
lefs in Spanish, and then repraieil them In
English, so that we all could understand
But all we did was TO scout around planta-
tions. stealing our living and hunting stray
| Spahlarus; don't know as the Cublns will
beat, but hope so. There are lots of them
and they are the hardest set of fellows that
ever you saw. They hate Spaniard so thai
they would cut him into little pieces / don't
believe they have any big battles, and have
seen them quarrel among themselves and
shoot two or three. / saw lot of Marcano's
men and some of .Iago's men go into plan
ter's house ON rice plantation and throw
the children out Of the window and off the
roof, breaking their necks, because their ia
ther was gone to volunteer with the Span
ards. But they don't do half as much as
tho Spaniards, for they first cut into pieces
every Cuban wife, child, or slave they can
find. We saw where the Spaniards had
tossed up dead body on their blyOnets like
II penny, betting whether he would come
down face up or not until he was nothing
but heap of jelly.
We did not intend TO have tents I'LL the
rain came ON, and then we got blankets out
of the houses and strung them on poles The
Spaniards cut mems heads off and send them
out to the Cubans. The Snaniards, too. keen
sending letters TO the Cubans, telling them
how they will chop every prisoner they take
into mince meat, and they do kill every Gu
ban they can catch. They caught six of my
company one night when we were all asleep
and while our picket had run away, and
came near getting me. They left the bodies
cut all up in Il most horrible manner, but a
little way from the camping spot where they
were captured. saw the bodies, and the
captain and five or six Cubans who stuck by
|
kin as many Spaniards. We followed them
until they got near their fort, and we fired
into them, and then went back 10 bury the
bodies.
A party from Nuevitas came down tho
road last June when the roads were awfully
dry and parehed up, and a fellow from
Michigan, who is now with Ger. Jordan al
Commssary or something, took big buncl
of palmetto and scraped it across the road t'
raise dust. The Spaniards saw it and rul
like deers, and told the general that the!
had had sharp Eight and killed 200 Cubans
, A Cuban built 4 breastwork of logs acros
; the road at Espiritu santo aud the Span
iards sheled it two days before they daret
to venture up TO see If the Niger had gone
The number OF Cuhans in the army | can
tell, because, you know, a private soldie
has no way Of finding out except by reports
l Kept hearing about ten thousand men a
, Bi'arru under Figuero, and fifteen thousaut
u under Queseda at Puerto, but never saw
= so many. l don't believe that there are owe
$ twenty thousand in all, and they must b
almost all sharp-shooters like us. They dom
l. have any pitched battles, and bushwhackini
c is all they can do. saw one battery Of Ma
poleon guns about the first Of June, but siucl
c the rain taey can't use them
n How You've GIRt ACTED WHEN BUR
j. GLARS WERE IN THE HoUsE.-Iast weel