The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-12-11
The Island OF Cuba.
How Havana was Captured Many Years
Ago by the English.

How Havana was Captured Many Years
Ago by the English.
The only power that ever attacked
Cuba was Great Britain. On the first
occasion the invasion ended most dis
astrously; on the second Havana fell
into her hands. The particulars of the
siege appended is at this moment in
structive reading.
In 1741 Admiral Vernon, with large
feet and $4,000 troops under Lord
Cathcart, was dispatched to the West
Indies for the purpose of attacking the
commerce of Spain and capturing her
most valuable possessions in America.
He made an attempt to reduce Cartha-
gena (Ecuador), in which he failed, af-
ter suffering very heavy losses. He re-
turned to Jamaica with fragment of
his beaten and dispirited expedition,
and determined to fall upon Cuba. His
military force was reduced to 5000
available men, which he augmented by
1000 negroes, who were drilled and
armed for the enterprise. Vernon sailed
for the southeast part of the Island and
anchored in Guantanamo Bay, in which
is situate Santiago de Cuba, where the
massacre of the passengers and crew of
the Virginius took place. The troops
were landed and encamped at distance
of 20 miles further up the river. He
found Santiago too strong to attack,
however, and his men remained entire.
ly inactive. The Spaniards likewise
resolved to let Vernon alone. He re-
mained until November, when the expe-
dition returned to Jamaica. On mus
tering the troops the picture is repre-
| tn1 Il L., l.
come from fierce campaign. The fine
army that had left England - 600
strong was now reduced to 1000. Dis
ease, caused by bad salted provisions
in state of putridity and excesses in
rum, while in Cuba, cut off in a few
months over half of Vernon's troops.
When the news of the disastrous result
reached England the kingdom was filed
with murmurs and discomfort, and the
people were depressed in proportion to
that sanguine hope by which they had
been elevated. But, though Vernon S
expedition accomplished nothing be-
yond the loss of his soldiers, the re-
christening of Guantanamo Bay by the
name of Cumberland Harbor, in COM
pliment to one of the Kings brothers
Ga name it very briefly retained) and his
own disgrace, it would appear that il
was not sufficient to cause Great Britain
to abandon a project which, it was be-
lieved, promised booty even beyond
reach of calculation.
England had all along kept a greedy
eye fixed upon the French and Spanish
possessions in America. Her aggres-
sions in Canada and in the West Indies
led to the formation of what is known
in history as The Family Compact y
between France and Spain. The two
latter Powers were charged with using
undue means to induce Portugal to
enter into an alliance with them to re.
sist Great Britain. This was in 1761
20 years after Vernon's disastrous enter.
prise before Santiago de Cuba. Wal
existed with France, and Sir James
Douglas had captured Martinique. The
English Ministry professed its anxiety
to remain at peace with Spain, while il
secretly collected large fleet and army
to make descent on Cuba. When wal
was again declared, in June, 1862, {
squadron sailed from Portsmouth, under
Admiral Pococke, with 10000 troops
commanded by the Earl of Albemarle
These were joined by Sir James Doug
las vessels, and, thus united, the expe
dition consisted of 10 ships of the line
|, Is smaller ships of war and $50 trans
ports. Pococke boldly explored per
! ilous way along the Bahamas, and with
out the slightest accident appeared be
fore Havana.
, The arrival of the English was sur
! prise, for it was the first intimation thu
: Cubans had of the existence of war
| N a &c a.,
strength, by art and nature, to make
vigorous defence. The city was forti
fed with the utmost skill, cost and care
as the great mart and centre of Spanisl
American trade. Within the harbor la,
II ships of the line; within the rampart
was large army, including the countr,
militia, scarcely inferior to the attack
ing force. Besides these, the stronI
works tianked with bastions, which de
Tended the main body of the place, tn
narrow entrance to the harbor was Sc
! cured by two forts well nigh deemed
impregnable. And here it may be men
toned that the only use made of tn
fleet during the siege was to sink thre
of them behind a strong boom at tn
mouth of the harbor. The Englisl
! landed June 5, two miles southeas
of Havana, without loss or op
position. They were divided int
two corps. One, under Genera
! Elliott, advanced considerabl
way into the country while tn
other, under General Keppel, besiegec
Moro Castle. The difficulties attend
ing the operations seemed insurmount
. able. The construction of batterie
commenced June u, but so thin wa
the sol! and SO hard the rock beneath
; that the advance was made very slowly
10 cover their approaches the Englisl
had to use bales of cotton, brough
from Jamaica by Sir James Douglas.
There was no water in the vicinity
1t could be had in the neighborhood O
the camp, but it was SO impure that in
stead of affording relief it would onl
prove deadly. The only good waite
that could be obtained was at distanc
,, of three leagues, and could only be pre-
cured in boats. Having no other wa
to get a supply, Albemarle's troops ha
to depend upon the ships. The labo
of cutting roads through the woods an
drawing the artillery was SO excessiv
that many dropped down dead wit
) fatigue. However, the batteries wer
raised to assail the Moro and the ships
sortie in force was repulsed, but on
day three ships of the English flee
stationed themselves as close as the
could to the fort, and during seve