The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-12-19

T1eUtenanf CenfO cV1UentIy
and sentiment for his "oiice," though constructed
only OF upright uDhewn timbers, with the octagonal
roof, matched with guavo leaves, was surrounded
and almost uncovered by many beautiful twining
vines. 1t was situated near the fort. in dense
grove of orange trees. full Of half ripe FRUIT and
which were In the midst OF large grove OF cocoa
nuts. bananas. palms, mangos and tamarinds;
while the well-laid-Ou and orderly kitchen gar
den close by was decorated with two rustic arbOrs
OF beautiful designs over which the vines were be
ginning to climb. Nine O'Clock, and seven miles
furtner brought us TO the village and military post
LAS YEGUAs,
where is stationed body of five or six hundred
men and Il we-constructed wooden fort, armed
with two twelve -pound mountain howitzers
This village. built up since the breaking out or the
leaves. thatched with guavo, and are on either
side OF one wide street which is commanded by
rival this village had been
ATTACKED IN THE NIGHT
by squad OF twenty insurgents and several
soldiers from the fort could be brought against
them. There are, In addition to the houses above
mentioned, commodlous quarters for the troops,
and four blockhouses guarding the approaches to
the town and about two hundred yards distant.
frances so narrow that but one man can pass at q !
time, and surrounded by bitches four feet deep.
Each one is constantly guarded by seven men.
The main fort Is surrounded by ditch and
freze In the village there ale sixteen stores, at
all OF which liquors are sold. and where the SOL
going on an expedition. We had Just I'm
ished breakfast lat eleven o'clock) when q
great hustle and confusion betokened the happen
ing OF some unusual event, and ere long
we learned that the column Of Lieutenant Colonel
Lorenzo, which had gone out four days before, was
lage, having the day before dispersed body of IN
snrgents after killing iorty-three, with loss on
wounded. In few minutes
THE VICTORIOUS COLUMN
entered amid the plaudlts OF the people. The
strange way OF showing their appreciation was In
teresting. Cheering, as We know and practise ir,
was not heard; instead there was round OF
at time to his companion or to friend
In the ranks; and as officer after officer
would dismount from his horse he would
be clasped about the neck by and receive warm
embraces from his half score of personal friends.
Indeed, 1t seemed as II the populace were wild
with delighted surprise that any Of these four hum
dred men had escaped alive from the two hundred
Insurgents they had engaged. Approaching one
large group that appeared IN ecstacies over some;
''machetes" that had been
CAPTURED FROM THE INSURGENTS.
All made way for me to pass In to examine them
they would look at them and then ct me- their
soldiers, Senior .AmericanoS" One officer said to
me, ut must be true, the rebels were routed,
The sos Of this n's cones er Of
eight muskets. three machetes, two cart
ridge boxes and some telegraph wire which the
insurgents had removed from the poles in the
neighborhood few days before. Lieutenant Colo
mel Lorenzo invited me to accompany his column.
which would the next day start in pursuit of the in
surgent band he had just encountered, and, upon
due consideration and after inquiry as to the
accept his invitation After cafe at SIX O'Clock the
TIE COLUMN MARCHED OUT
OF town In the following order, which was observed
In all subsequent marches Fifty guerillas
amounted infantry, commanded by major, led
| the van, about five hundred yards ahead Of the
| main body. The commanding officer, his aides,
| bugler and the HERALD commissioner, with his in
by inc zoo edn S So ooers
alone mounted), the pack mules, with provisions,
tents, &C., some forty In number, bringing up the
rear. Spanish soldiers as they are found in Cuba
are not very imposing body. Indeed, except
those who are kept for garrison duty In and about
looking ana undersigned body in whose apparel Il
Is difficult to discover anything resembling a uni
form. Whites and negroes are found enrolled in
nizing perfectly and drinking out OF the same
canteen." They seem to be on terms of perfect
sufficiently strong "Guardia CIVIL" are usually Sc
ected from the finest looking soldlery about.
But to resume our march After. 2 march Of
about nine miles, crossing numerous little streams,
here dlsnlcd by the name OF rivers, following
gladly the royal roads, wherever possible, now
passing through a wide savannah, around the
edges of which our advance guard rides warily and
susDiciously. and now seeking short cut through
the dense woods by an almost imperceptble path,
over and across which boughs, fallen limbs and
thick trunks are hanging and lying, now sweeping
nss ssGp e 1nasf o. or Gug M our
path and almost saying with Dante:-
We had put ourselves within wood
That WAS not marked by any path whatever:
SS STans.ss smooth put spaT,% and n,er,snsled
Such not nSr1s G cn
Those sayage wild beasts IN, IN hatred hold
At nine O'Clock we encamped for breakfast. We
did not resume our march until hall-past three P.
NJ, and at six we reached Dvorcio, military post
with strong two-storied wooden tort surrounded
by cherdar de J1ise and ditch. In our afternoons
tramp we passed large hacienda and several
herds OF wild cattle, among them some bulls mag
Qificelt region
most OF the bulls were obtained for the 'fghts' in
Havana before the war; they being famous for their
Guinea fowl and small parrots, were about az the
animated nature we encountered. Soon after
COURIER FROM LAS YEGuAs,
with dispatches for Colonel Lorenzo, arrived.
He bore telegram lrOm the General directing the
Colonel to take the HERALD commissioner to the
battle field OF Viamonees, and also to notify the
latter that General Rguelme, the COMMANDMENT
Chief desired the commissioner to visit him at
Santiago de Cuba, his present headquarters. within
eight days, II possible. For reasons at
By 70
Colonel Lorenzo did not appear to be as much de-
lighted with this opportunity of showing the scene
Ing, however that your correspondent could not
be prevailed upon to express his unwiingness to
visit the battlefield in spite OF the
HINTS OF DANGER
from an ambush OF enraged insurgents and the
disgusting sight OF the dead, he at length yielded
with apparent cheeriulness 90 the order After |
comfortable night IN my hammock, swung in one |
Of the Officers gnanoeaied houses, we left Divor-
clio at halfpast six, passing several corras made
by the insurgents for the capture OF wild horses,
which are numerous in this neighborhood, and two
or three OF what were pointed out to me |
as Cuban picket posts AT eight O'Clock a !
cloud of turkey buzzards lowering over piece of
woods in the distance marked our destination and |
we in front pressed more eagerly on and lessened
the distance between ourselves ana our advanced |
guard Soon upon emerging from the woods into
a beautiful semi-crcuar savannah, containing per-
haps five hundred acres, the odor OF decomposng
flesh was borne on the wind sweeping rom the
point we were approaching, and on the opposite
side OF the savanna an innumerable host of the
filthy buzzards were circliDg through the air and
sweeping rapidly to the ground or slowly looping
upwards. Holding to our nostrils the camphor
with which we had provided ourselves ut Divorco,
we galloped rapidly across the open space to
THE BATTLE FIELD OF vIAMoNES,
where, stretched upon the ground, were two score
of horribly loathsome objects that four days before
had been men. In groups Of twos and threes,
blacks and whites side by side now they
had fought In life and fallen at last, Law the