New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-19
NEW ORLEANS


Insurscnt MI vcmeass in Cuba.
A late letter from Ha<- ana says:
The Spaniards havs trAd very bard
create the impression tfst tAey lad game
the day and driven General MA xi1n0 tome
back over the Trocha. The ere. nlous In
agine that everything is serene, WI en tne
are startled by q long account OF t"ent.
different fights somewhere in the Intel1 1ol
and most of them twenty or thirty league
nearer Havana than was supposed. The
engagements which have taken place during
the past ten days have been severe and
numerous, and a few more corn fields have
been burned. This burning theory is get
ting to be disliked by Cubans and Spaniards,
but from different reasons. The patriots in
the field do not burn enough to make the
destruction Of property sine qua non tor
the Spaniards to submit or to abandon the
country. The sympathizere with the cause
who promised to rise and burn the planta-
tions in the Havana and Matanzas districts
have not done so. Therefore to burn a
plantation becomes q mere wanton waste
and destruction of property. as those
bnrned SO far do not appear to have any
| effect either on the spirits of the S2aniards g
| or the carrying on of the war. Unless the
enemy can be effectually crippled, say the
| sympathizers. it is useless to burn any more
| in the Villas set fire to their own plantations
| during the year 1869, but none have done
50 this year. General Gomez gave very de-
| termined orders, but as most of the planta-
| ton owners were shrewd enough to send to
| the nearest Cuban encampment, Offering to
furnish provisions, arms, and even negroes,
| the Cuban commanders were compelled to
accept these manifestations of loyalty to
the republic and refrain from burning the
place. The reading of the constitution,
proclaiming the liberty of the slaves, is q
grand farce, unless the negroes join the
patriots at once. The moment the Cuban
troops leave the negroes are as much slaves
as before.
On Thursday General Gomez was en-.
camped near GuaracaDuya, having received
the ammunition which was landed near
launch and the schooner from Jamaica.
President Cisneros, having more men in
the central department than he required,
as most of the Spanish troops from that de-
partment have gone to the CincO Villas,
sent his body guard of 300 machetero cav
airy to reinforce the patriots. They crossed
the TrOcha on the nineteenth, and on the
rison. On the twenty fourth they defeated
the Baza battalion near Sancti Spritus,
burying nearly forty of the enemy.
On the twenty.fifth they captured the con-
voy with ammunition and clothing for the
GEardia Civiles, intended for Caibaguan,
and on the following morning they we're at
tackled by the Baza battalion, which
had been reinforced by Contra guer-
rillas. The patriots had. dressed
themselves in the captured uniforms, and
the Contra guerrillas mistook them for
Spanish soldiers. Their commander gave
the order to cease firing, the night having
come on, and telegraphed to Havana that
by mistake his forces had fred into Span
ish column OF Civil Guards, but he found
out his mistake soon enough, because the
guards fired with more precision than the
|. Civile were there, he replied to attack
them again in the morning, as they must be
insurgents: but to take precautions so as to
DO sure. In the morning the Contra
guerrillas advanced with white flag, and
when they had barely got half the distance
firing was heard some three miles Off The
Cubans had silently left their camps and at
daylight attacked and captured the fort at
; the creek. When the troops got there the
thing was over, nothing remaining but
mass OF burning ruins. 1t Is supposed that
the remainder of the 300 have now Joined
General Gomez.
After abandoning the persecution Of these
300, the Spaniard moved to the right, and
at Selba mountains where he expected to
find the patriot camps hospital. met with
the left wing of General Gomez army.
The fight lasted four hours, the Spaniards
being unable TO retreat in order until then.
The Spanish loss is given at over $50 be.
tween killed and wounded. and that of the
patri0rs at about $50.
In the central department the Cubans,
under Vicente Garcia. captured convoy
from Manzanillo to Bayamo, composed OF
200 pack mules, carrying $4,000 in gold
and large quantity of clothing. Previous
to starting the General commanding at
Santiago de Cuba asked the commander at
Manzanillo at what distance from the main
road were the insurgents. The answer came
that every day rec0nnoissances had been
made and that the nearest enemy was
eighteen leagues distant. On the following
morning the convoy started, and four hours
later it was in the hands of Garcia, who
sent letter OF thanks to his friend, the
commander at ManzaniliO, for his CONTINUED
kindness in supplying him so regularly with
diers guarding the convoy were killed.
A Spanish journal published in Guanta.
namo announces the burning of the Perse-
verencia and Sabanilla plantations by the
Cubans, and the attack and capture Of
the Fort San Alexandra, together with the
garrison. On the fifth they attacked the
Spanish detachment at Arroyo Piedra, and
then Spanish column was organized which
pursued the Cubans. On going up a hill,
0ody dressed in the uniform of the Spanish
infantry soldiers belonging to the navy,
was seen in the rear, and the qui eire given.
The answer was Spain, and, coming little
nearer, the disguised patriots began TO pour
a heavy fire into the Spanish column, which,
after hard fighting and severe loss, managed
to extricate itself from its perilous position.
The Spanish column returned to Tiguabo.
In the meantime another body of patriots
had cut the telegraph wires. setting fire to
and on the eleventh they set fire to the
Santa Maria plantation. During the past
ten days every thing has been quiet in that
vicinity, not even email bodies of patriots
being seen.
A person calling himself Philo A. Barker
has for some time past been in the city of
New Orleans representing himself to be an
agent for this paper. No one of that name |
has, or ever had, any authority to act for |
the hter-Ocean either in New Orleans or |
any other place.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
Naval Matters.
Master NJ. T. Wright has been ordered to
the Dispatch; Lieutenant Commander De |
Witt c. Kells, Acting Assistant Surgeon
William Martin and Passed Assistant Engi- |
neer A. T. E. Mullin have been detached |
from duty at New Orleans and placed on |
waiting orders; Lieutenant w. s. McGun.
negle has been relieved from the Michigan |
and granted leave of absence for six
months. Passed Assistant Paymaster r. S. |
Mcconnell is relieved from duty at New
Orleans and ordered to settle accounts.