The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-02

column completely defeated; 1000 prisoners taken;
Castafon wounded MORALLY"
This Carlist war is the seventh which have seen.
but 1t is the strangest most
NCoMPREHENsIBLE
have ever undertaken to study for the NEW
YORK HERALD. Ihad always an idea, however ~
got into my mind, that war between spaniards
was OF the most sangune and cruel kino pus sitef
what have seen ] am compelled to make the
aDaeYde honorable for the wrong did Spain and
the Standards. even In thought, for 1t ID impos-
s,b,e that war could be more humane than as con.
Quoted between the Spanish generals and Carlist
chiefs.
On the morning OF the 2sth of May, the columns
of Nouvilas and Castahon entered the town OF
LEILA IN the province OF Navarro, only to md that
the rear guard OF the Carlist army had left the
town but half an hour previous. We were oil
hungry after q six hours march, and expected that
many Of Us would have to go on without satisfying
our hunger, but you may imagine our surprise when
We were informed that the Carlists had informed
tho people that the government troops would
probably arrive in the town about eleven A. NJ, and
that il would be well II the troops found prepared
food ready for them. We found our breakfasts
smoking hot, consisting of i've courses fish, fowl.
beans and chick peas, boiled and stewed mutton
and beef salad, with abundance Of cherries,
peaches pears and waluuts for dessert, and the
vino that We found ct LEILA might have satisfied
$1,000 men.
Ysu may perhaps say that, as the people Of LEILA
are Carlists, it was to the advantage OF the Car
lists, eventually. that we should ind such an abun-
dance Of food so well cooked, and Of such variety,
because, being hungry. customers, cash in hand,
would be found ready and willing to pay for It, Or,
You may say, perhaps. that the Carlists were cum
ming, for Knowing as they did, that we were press
sing closely on their heels, 1t was but natural that
they should wish to detain their pursuers . little
with the tempting pleasures Of such appetizng
viands. You may say this, and more with reason.
But supposing, for the sake Of argument that the
troops on their arrivalat Leiza-weary and hungry
~ they were-had found every scrap OF food burnt
and every drop Of wine had been swallowed up by
the thirsty earth and that, closely watching their
Z sE@ THE BROWNING HEIGHTS
above were the 1000 Carists under Eli0 ready to
pounce upon them whenever hunger had begun to
tell on their frames would It not be wiser than
that the Carsts should order tempting food to be
served and cooked, for the paltry excuse Of detain
lng them during the siesta which invariably takes
place when Spaniards have filed their stomachs
with good, strong wlnef
The next day we captured q priest, who, with
glass in his hand and four i've Carlsts near by.
with guns in their hands, was watching the move
ments OF the government troops. When ordered to
halt the priest ned. lodging behind rocks and
trees, skipping from point to point with the agility
Of goat, but, being vigorously pursued,
was finally caught and brought before the
Ceneral-in-ChieE When questioned, he said
he had been q colonel in the Carlst army
during the seven years. war, but since then
he had abstaned from acts of rebellion against the
government A doctor, also Of the Carlist village
Of Lecumberri, volunteered q statement in the
priests defence, saying that the priest though &C.
centric and doing sometimes incOmprehensible
things, was never known to be in correspondence
with the Oarlists. This statement N0uvilas re-
ceived as though 1t was gospel and Immediately
ordered the release of the priest.
Though have endeavored to prove to you how
TAR advanced Is the art Of war among the Spanish
generals you must not take 1t for granted that the
Carllst generals are any wiser. Eio, the Com
mander-in-C Chief OF the Carsts people tell me, Is
over seventy years Old has been all his life soldier
and guerilla chief Ollo and Dorregaray were
captains in the Spanish army before they under
took 10 lead Carlists across the mountains Of Ma
varre. II have been surprised at the lack OF
knowledge OF the art of in government officers,
I am no less surprised that Carlist chiefs are
80 ignorant. Indeed l may say that the Carlists
know less Of war than the government officers. I
tnd that though the Carlsts know how to run, they
tage which they possess OF compelling the troops
60 fight them on ground OF their own choosing.
The affair with Castaiion proves what say. Is 1t
not surprising that 5000 Carlists lying in ambush
could not put hOrS de combat more than 143
soldiers 1t was splendid ground for q fight, and
II the Carlists not satisfied with drawing the
soldiers on that naked terrace above Ychaso they
might have waited until the soldiers were engaged
with the three battalions which were thrust from
under cover for the purpose Of decoy and then
coolly hemmed them in, to destroy them Orcompel
them to surrender. But out OF the thousand
and one peaks and cones and semicircular
hills Of Navarro could the Carlists have found
nothing better tnan the horseshoe line Of Udavi
What instance could be more fatal for a column
than the arc OF hills above rurzun, through which
the old road leads from the valley OF Oo to lrur-
xun Yet at i've O'Clock P. M. one afternoon the
column OF Nouvilas marched up that awful road, as
Il there were no war In Spain, as II from behind
every jutting rock and pinnacle rines might not
have picked every man and animal in that entire
column with one vo'ley, as If 500 men alone might
not have shot us all to death before We could have
gasped our surprise. The slope up which we were
marching, with the horns Of the Ominous looking
OF hills drawing to within one thousand Yards Of
each other, was hguratvely speaking. as smooth as
velvet. Not one man could have hidden from the
death storm that might,
HAD THE CARLIsrs BEEN WISE
have been poured upon us. AS we surmounted the
hill at the centre of the arc our surprise was
great.r still when We perceived that wall breast
high had been built along the crest that three lines
OF Carlists might have safely hidden In the rocks
with which the horns Of the arc bristled confess
i thanked God when perceived these things that,
though Nouvilas was stupid in taking us up that
road the Carlsts were so immeasuraby stupid
and cowardly, that their sole knowledge Of war
consisted in running away and In skilfuly avoiding
= combat.
The Carlsts possess
ARTILLERY
and their four or Eve thousand men under Elio are
armed with Chassepots. Knowing as they do that
no column numbers more than 1900 men, what is
there easier than to post themselves in the way Of
Q column, on some height OF the Amescuas, and