The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-09

cases quite successful. AatIlnl06 ana nl6 nklIul CO
adJutor, Odoneta, took sach measures upon tnell
arrival that entirely precluded the possibility OF fur
ther extension by che defenders, for, with praise
worthy audacity, they pnshed their parallels through
the nouses until barrlcade after barricade wa
turned. The citizens OF New York have not seen bar
rlcades, and the streets OF the American metropolis
though paved with ponderous granite blocks AFFORD
no facilities for protracted barricade war ior
artillery 20 demoish the whole OF them. Barrcades
| against musketry may be formed OF anything that
made Of carts e' with earth ana 1' sunx TO the
| axles, with casks filed with stones IN ike manner,
which are admirable modes OF constructing oarrl.
bodies OF cabs with trunks OF trees cut down, with
| scairUld fixtures, with granite cobbe stones and
earth. In New Orleans they were made OF bales oil
cotton In South America they were made OF hides
collected Tor expectation. In Valencia they were
cobDle stones to silken cushions and feather beds,
| from carts filled with stones and earth to market
produce. The greatest number, however, were
! made with the red granite blocks with which yacn-
can streets are paved, curDstones and lagstones.
| Fifty men constructed barricade In ten min
| uies. party was detailed with picks and shovels
| to pry up the blocks and shovel the earth
into the interstces, and between each layer OF
stones was an Decentralization Of earth, which
py this means made barricade impenetrablo 10
bullets. After barricade had been built up foot
high, nag stones were LAID evenly the top and
lay yer OF blocks were laid on this leaving between
every three blocks space Of two inches vacant on
tins layer were laid some more nag stones SO that
those spaces were left rs portfolios for the muskerry
hiring In this manner the barrcade was constructed
up To nve feet high with three tiers Of portfolios,
Through the lower tier the clrlzens had 10 IRE lying
down, through the second kneeiing, through the
upper one standing up with the body slightly bent.
The average width OF barricade was perhaps four
feet.
The main barriers defending the immediate debou-
chure TO the market place were more carefully con-
structed: besides banquettes were constructed In
rear OF these 10 ENABLE the garrison 10 IRE oyer the
barrlcades. These banquettes were constructed OF
heavy timber and plankin9, with portfolios cut tri-
angularly just large enough at the base Tor musket
10 turn readily IN any direction, while the apex
the sight along the barrel to take aim. In front OF
these main outlets or avenues from the market place
a series OF tamDours were pushed forward ABOUT
three or four ieer high OF the form or small bas-
tion or simply straight traverse Gale de Gracla
street OF grace had ten OF these IN succession at the
distance o. nifty feet each other. the furthest
beng but 500 feet from the main banquete and bar
ricaoe each tambour leading 10 the otner by small,
narrow passage, just wide enough for man to 60
through. The rear OF eacn tambour, barr1cade and
banque.te was fossulated ana the earth piled IN
slope against their Interior base Of In some cases. to
the depth OF two and three feet. But these extra
ordinary means Of defence with an equal number OF
barbados and tambours to guard against hank ap-
proaches, were only adopted when the prOlongation
OF such street as Gale de Gracia could be taken by
the ar illery OF the government and to protect the
tanbour aud traverse was always closed up, OBJ
served, by cierdui de Jfse, or else closed up alto
gether by continuity of the barrier.
the above the outer arrangements OF defence,
but the interior, which was the market place. was
also OF Itself sufficiently we'll defended by an allRne-
meut OF barricades, encircling the market place,
which, even after the exterior e,eaeinte had been
taken could well withstand too bold attack, and
all besegers, once within the oarr1cades, became at
once exposed to the fire OF musketry anu cannon
from the summit Of the Gothic building called the
Lonja, or the SIR Exchange, aud the stony nledi-
pval church oil Santos Juanes. The roof OF the
LonJa, once occupied as palace. was projected by
heavy battlemenis two and three feet thick and be-
tween these bales OF elk formed excellent parapets
The market ITSELF like Oil other markets In Euro
pean cities, was formed oil three detached buildings
each beng nas oo resting ON e col na Of rse
tionlsts found excellent quarters there and had
butt up between each column q continuous strong
wall OF barrc3des, winch codd mold out, placed as
il was IN small guar angular square almost sur
rounded by high contiguous buildings, It's front
cnarcS Of santos ypaaes likewise In the market
place fronting the LonJa had been barrlcaded 80
thoroughly that garrison furnished with sufficient
PROVISIONS would have been able 10 hold out Tor
months for It's position was such that artillery could
not be brought 10 bear upon it, provided that tue
Lonja was garrisoned with Ike men. The tower
and portion Of tie front of the church could alone
have been bombarded, but even the RUNS instead
nonnnIs nad beso nsara tnrnngh tne
solid walls By the insurgents throughout the entire
length OF the front ana northern side, which ran
parallel to street from whence attack might be eX
pected. The great doors OF the church were barn.
caded 10y the tombstones which covered the remains
Of SAINTS, bishops and priests who once figured pro-
minently IN ecclesiastical history fnis Was piece
| or sacrlleglous vandalism which can only ne par
| donea when one VIII consider renectively upon the
desperate nature OF the defence When the process
OF laying down the tonlbstOnes Is commenced we
well imagine the errors which must inevitably
committed, for one tombstone vii be substituted
another, and an ordinary priests remains may
be covered win the tombstone Of u canoDlzed
saint, and saint may be maze Of bishop and ptce
re'Sd.
Having sketched the defences and the nature Of
them, II may easily be perceived how very dl1icu.t
a TASK 1t was 10 capture these with such troops a.
spanish Not that Spanish troops are more cowardiy
lnan those Of otner naonaties out that Spaniard,
IRON his hot mpetuous nature cannot be trained 10
regard uenth wlth the cool contempt OF diiied
Rtssian or Austrian, or with The moral courage
OF au American, an En2lisliman or prussian. the
Latin race has greatly deteriorated, Ii We must
credit history III Its ANALYSIS OF Roman courage and
steadlness; neither the tr .nch Italian nor, least OF
ALI spaniards famous for their steadiness under
a murderous lre. Ihey cannot cooly stand, recip-
rocallng steady rolling voeys of muskery for his
tory records that these Latin nations need martial
national airs and frantic cdads aud ctcas, en- dUdats
and aaeoates, 10 excite courageous reazy; then 1t
becomes furious dash, enthusiastic shouts
national cheers ana music, ana the result ls either
victory or denoraizing defeat Therefore was this
Characteristic OF the Latn races 80 prominent In Its
retardation OF quick ending TO the siege OF valencia
The spanish troops were better armed ana equipped,
| 1000 OF them being armed with Berdan rides, and
they were equivalent IN numbers according to all
accounts, to the ,nsurrectoniss; but yet the
| words OF Colonel odoneta had the oarncades OF
Valencia been deienoeo ny saragossanese the entire
army oil spain could not have suppressed the insur-
| rectlon. Wen, whyS would be natural question
Because the l6 900 wen armed soldiers or the entire
| army OF spain, could not be tempted TO appear in
the open and be urged forward 10 leap over barrl-
| cades and lake them IN the face OF sweeping lire
vi spla from every balcony anu barrier and o
| murderous lire from church towers ana roofs OF
houses. For mad the spanish soldiers that quaitca-
L
| nine days. FIFTY soldiers ought 10 have taken q
barrcade al least and by all streets ought to have
been pushed into the market place. Had the entire
| force OF the soldiers thronged each avenue and
| the marnet place bic presence OF such q large
| number would have completely awed the Insurgents
| 10 submission. lac artersts also were wOefuiy
aeiicentin what can morai courage, ana SLACK IN
| adopting precautionary measures for their own de-
| fence wien about 10 shell q parrcade. Twenty
| men loaded with Digs ef sand could nave con-
sfucted gabions FOR tie defence OF artillefists
single minutes tine even III tue face OF u volley;
out mere was neither epauement or gabiOn put up,
and tue oanuOn were siniply pushed into the street
and fired, thus doing no damage Whatever 10 the
enemy, the cannon pals anu shell invariably enter.
ing the houses through the second taird Stories
Had those precautions been taken OF erecting
ments and gaboAs the artiherists would then nave
| been able TO breach tAe Darrcades aud the angles
| OF houses, which must nave brought them down
| upon the heads OF the insurgents and these when
| eiectually followed by a simultaneous assault with
| good troops must nave resulted successfully "
| Vaor and art. The barrIcades and other FORT.