The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-10

/ TO a series OF questions L addressed 10
him verbally as the special correspon-
dent of the World.
At present the military situation in
Cuba is satisfactory. The rebellion If
Cuba has attained greater scope than
anticipated when 1 embarked from
! Spain.
/ At the present time there are numer'
| Gus small bands of insurgents scat
tered about the country in the pro,
vinces Of Santiago, Camaguey and
Lavillas In Mantanzas there are
only a few rebels against authority.
/ The insurgents are not we'll armed
and their supply of ammunition is de-
ficient in some districts.
There is a considerable number OF
/ Spanish troops on the island, though
it is not as large as the conditions
warrant
I have given orders that prisoners
shall not be cruelty treated and that
wounded insurgents who may fall
into the hands of the troops shall be
we'll cared for. 1 do not kill prison.
ers.
The country paths are generally too
bad at the present time for a persls-
tent campaign Again I do not wish
to expose the soldiers continuously
until the season is improved.
III November There may ne lOOfAC-t
for as active and as aggressive g
( campaign as I can make.
My present plan is to divide the
troops into small detachments, the
number of each column varying ac'
cording to circumstances. Were I to
send each column of say 5000 men
they would have the march for their
pains. They would see no enemy. The
Insurgents would melt away into the
o4,-xr rryht Ch fc
their shelter. They follow a good pol
ic'--n1,litarN- policY-for their side OF
the case, for they know that they
could not Withstand the attacks Of
regular soldiers.
About this portion of Santa Clara I
divide the soldiers into detachments
of .'' &c If 30 enemy were
to suddenly assail one ., these small
bodies in greatly superior numbers,
They Night Do Mischief.
but there generally would be another
detachment somewhere that could &c
to the relief Of their friends.
IN the RemeQ4o5 district and in
Santos Espirftu the columns are
larger-600 or 700 men-as the rebels,
especially in the former district are in
greater numbers and better armed.
In Santiago the largest column of
all say LOCO to 1,3C0 men is required
AS an example of the futility Of
large columns at present I refer to the
expedition led by General Suarez
Valdez, who left this city a few days
ago, going first to Maniguaragua, in
tthe direction of the Trinidad noun
tains with a provision train. General
Valdez took 1900 soldiers The in
surgents expected only 900 and were
armed to the number of over 1000
| 10 Ttn1X
the size of General Valdez force be-
came known to them the insurgents
melted away like Snow under the sun.
General Valdez divided his forces
into four different detachments; when
he had divided his men the rebels re
appeared and skirmishing has gone on
since.
In Puerto Principe General Mella
was sent out with a strong column to
look for Maxine Gomez. He could not
find any of the opposing forces and
after long marches divided his army
into four smaller columns, He did not
succeed in having an engagement.
[ do not. understand Gomez course,
think highly of his military capacity
but he does nothing. Perhaps he is
restricted by the orders of tine junta,
in New York. which is I am informed,
to pursue Fabian policy. Or he may
be very short of ammunition. An
army cannot fight without cartridges.
The Spanish blood does not naturally
seek q fight 1t rather avoids one.
But when compelled to fight the SPAN
iards become heroes.
The regular troops have an advant-
age, for the officers control their men.
They are disciplined thoroughly The
insurgents are without discipline and
are rarely aggressive fighters. But
drive a Cuban into a corner with his
back to the wall and he will fight
Like Hungry Wolf.
Witness 1.-THE action of Amador
Guerra and twenty men when they
we're forced to fight sixty Spanish
soldiers near Manzanillo. Guerra
showed his Spanish blood and he met
his death like a brave man.
If our soldiers became so much scat
tered in the wild Businesses occupied
by the insurgents they would be in
danger, for the insurgents know every
point suitable for an ambush; they
know the paths, byways and the fords
Of one of the most difficult countries
in the world. During the last war
the Spanish troops were at times plac-
ed at a great disadvantage because
they did not find the best river fords.
This war makes me think of the
lndlan wars IN the western United
States. The Indians used to fight
when a good opportunity occurred and
ran away when pressed.
There are many more insurgents
than Indians and there is a vast ex-
tent of the territory to cover with the
troops mountains, deep ravines, i'm
penetrable virgin forests and deep
jungles.
In conducting war under European
conditions 1000 soldiers will do as
much as 5000 here.
The lack of arms and ammunition
has always been drawback to the
insurgents. They usually have near
~ as many unamed men as armed
ones. When there is an engagement
the unarned men carry off the dead
and wounded, taking care to secure
the fallen mems arms first.
1 have been satisfied with the SAN
itary condition of the army during the
past summer. During September there
was less sickness than I expected.
Yellow fever has not been epidemic ex-
cept in a few localities, and the losses
from that cause have been COMPARE
lively small
Some of the newly arrived battalions
which landed toward the end of that
| month have had THE yellow fever.
Havana has escaped an epidemic and
| in MatanzaS and Las Villas There has
been only little fever.
The soldiers are having paludial