The morning times., 1896-02-16

| in this city, has written for The Times a
| brief history and review OF the Cuban
/ army its leaders, and their struggle for
/ Cuba Libre' as follows:
| 1t is almost n year since the Cuban
| patriots, on the 2Slh of February rose in
| arms against Spain.
Without any possible previous and open
| preparation, with hardly any arms to
| speak OF, with the principal veteran leaders
| abroad, they commenced the heroic struggle
| that has kept Spain at bay, Obliged her TO
| send over the ocean nearly one hundred
| and fifty thousand men aud thirty OF her
| best generals, has made the treasury OF
| the decrcpit monarchy bankrupt with an
| expenditure of over $4,000 900, and
/ forced the military genius of the Iheriau
| Peninsula, Martinez CamEos, 10 cave the
| Island, defeated and cOnfc$Sing The ina
| hlity OF STain 10 crush the rebellion.
How have these bands of stout hearts
| organized themselves into Epdics of dis
ciplined soldiers, into an army that has
! grown from LandSful 10 more Than 60, 900
| soldiers? Who aIc their chiefs, the gradu-
ates of the military school of experience
| who have led them trinmphantly from the
eastern extremity TO tie western most set
| tlemcnt, to tie very doors of Havana?
On the day fixed for the uprising
| wherever there was q civil or military
leader, he gave the word to his immediate
| icutenants. who in their turn circulated
| the name Of the place and the time of
| meeting.
| In the night in the outskirts OF the village
| or town, lawyers, physicians, planters.
| laborers, wOrkingmcn, white and black,
| young and old, arrived in groups OF not
more than three. so as not to excite sus-
picion. Whoever had a horse brought it,
BORN IN THE SADDLE.
This was the nucleus of the brilliant
| Cuban cavalry, so effective because the
natives can be literally said TO be born in
| the saddle.
Old muskets, hunting guns, pocket re
| volvers, flint locks. ana everything that
| could serve, was resurrccted. The few
| Colt and Winchester rifles, and the Rem
| ngton CarbineS, smuggled by far-seeiug
patriot, or bought from a starving soldier
! looked formidable in the midst OF such a
| variety of armament, ana gave hope to the
recruits. But everyone was accompanied
| by his faithful machete that useful knife
| that has cut the sugar cane for century
| and enriched Spain.
From that moment on il must he employed
| in carving the independence of the white
| slaves of AmeriCai
The true Cubans counted one another:
I they recognized themselves as revolution
lists pcrha ps for the first time, for such was
the secrecy necessary To avoid tTcachery
and discovery. They then PROCEEDED to
proclaim their leaders; in some pdces it
was Il tried fighter OF the ten years war; IN
others il was the physician, the lawyer or
the civil engineer who unfuried once gain
tue Cuban tricOlor, and amid the cheers OF
| those who pledged their lives 10 the cause
of American liberty, defied the power of
| Spain and announced to the world that n
! new republic would be created in this con
/ tincnt or that a brave people, after Il gal
liant struggle, would he cXterminated leay-
ing the island OF their love Il gigantic heap
Of ashes aud skeletons n curse 10 Spain a
| monument 10 freedom ana an everlasting
condemnation of the selfish nations which
permitted the crime against humanity.
WHAT IT NOW Is
This was the beginning of the army of
liberation which, today, consists OF two
corps in Santiago, one in Puerto Principe.
Two in Santa Clara, one each In MatanZas
Havana ana Pinar del Rio.
Until the arrival OF Generals Gomez
Maceo, and Marti in April, the Cuban forces
lacked the unity which was necessary
for large and successful operations they
had skirnlishPd increased their armament
and were holding their own under the
leadership OF Generals Guillermo Monoada.
BartolOmc MaSSO, aud Jesus Rabi who
already had under them several thousands
OF the sturdy mountaneerS. who were To
form the infantry at whose hand the best
OF the Spanish generals have received
defeat.
The government of the Cuban republic,
constituted on the 10th of September
elected Gen. Maxine Gomez comma nder-
in-chief and Gen. Antonio Maceo lieutenant
general. They have worked constantly in
the organization OF the army into corps,
divisions, hrigades, regiments, etc: have
mounted fine cavalry: have created an ex-
cellent sanitary corps, under DR.. Jaquin
Costello and EuDpuin
engineers department, in which graduates
of American colleges figure most promi-
nently and, with the expeditions landed, by
their wonderful tactics, have provided
more than 30 900 men with firearms
More than 5000 Mauscr rifles the piece
used by the Spaniards, have been captured
by the patriots.
ABOUT THE GENERALS.
The campaigns of Gomez and Maceo are
too Wei known and do not need comment.
They have surprised the military World.
Gen. Gomez is about sixty years of a &c and
no more: he was Il ma jCr in the Spanish
regular army in 1868, and lost his rank
when he sided with the Cubans: he fought
the ten years war with great success.
and after the peace of Ell Zaujon he went
TO Panama and Honduras and worked
hard for a living.
The assertion that he took money from
the Spanish government then, as that he
is now being paid by the Cubans, is n
base and contemplate calumny. He is
honest, Well read, strict disciplinaran,
and a man of urdaunted valor and of ad-
mirable self-possession.
He is loved by his soldiers. When
they see him on his white charger, wiry.
erect, with his well modelled head thrown
back and his eagle eyes examining the po-
sition of the enemy, they feel veneration for
that treless soldier, who always lead them
Il
for the old warrior.
Gen. Antonio Maceo is mulatto. but
he is a genius, who. in Bayamo, made
Campos retreat, leaving his dead and
wounded behind. He is of herculean frame
and strength, and of suave and gentle
manner. He does not know what fear is,
and his body bears the marks of over
forty wounds.
His brother Jose is now commanding in
the Eastern State; he is also massive and
daring and has been favored so far by
the fortunes of victory.
Cuba has also such generals as Jose
Maria Rodriguez, Francisco Carrillo, ,Scrafn
Sanchez and Juan Bruno de Zayos. who
belong 10 the aristocratic families of the
island They have co-operated to make
the war SO far success for the army of
the patriots.
JUSTICE OF THE CAUSE.
Two of the Cuban generals. Manuel
SuareZ and Jose Miro, were born in
Spain. They know the justice of the
cause for which they struggle and they are
convinced that it is TO drive the venial
government of Spain from the island that
the revolution is made and not against
the honest Spaniards, who are as much
the victims of oppression as the natives.
Gen. Roberto BermudeZ now commands
the forces in the tobacco district. He
is a comparatively new man but has
CHI nj pfNo onl 10 Coo
tillo, native of CC-embia, who went with
Major General Carlos Roloff in the famous