Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-27
CUBA LIBRE ARMY.
Description Thereof BY an Off.
cor Now at Gotham.
TIVE DIv1s1oss OF THE FORCES

AeHooo 0Wulo0 with Woechuo0 VINO
Lsek Oss for Arriving Expsditis.s-
Orx.aization oe the Medical Dsparsment
and Hsv Civil AnAizs Are Managed by
The Mon Fighting for Liberty.
NEW YORK, Feb. 27.-Dr. Joaquin Cas.
tillo. Cuban general, has just arrived
In this city on mission 70. the insur-
gents in the field. DR.. Castillo states that
the insurgents have instituted service
coast inspection under which careful out
look Is constantly maintained for arriv-
ing expeditions from foreign parts There
Is carefully organized band Of coast in
spectors with armed assistants, who pa
troll the beaches or watch the gulf and
ocean from the hill tops. Thus it is that
approaching expeditions, although not
heralded in advance, arc reasonably sure
Of finding compatriots soon after land
ing at any point upon the island.
Insufgsnt Army Organization.
DR.. Castillo states that there has been q
new organization of the insurgcnt army
and Of the different services of the re-
bellion. The army is composed of five
bodies Tho first and second are in the
eastern region, the third is in Camaguay,
the fourth is in Las Villas, and the fifth in
Havana and Pinar del Rio. These bodies
are divided into sections, the sections into
brigades, the brigades into regiments, and
the regiments into battalions They also
have annexed to them bodies Of military
engineers, the health sections, .and mill.
tary administration. Every important
column has an engineers section which
directs the construction ofltrenches and
al h. -
tics.
Care Of tho Rebel Wounded.
Each column, according to its impor-
tance, has one or more physicians. An
tonic Maceo's had five when he invaded
Las Villas. Every physician has three
practitioners at his command, and each
Of the latter has three litter-carriers With
each doctor goes a mule laden with two
medicine chests and the necessary surgi.
cal instruments. The wounded are never
kept crowded in one place. When circum.
stances permit large and ventilated huts
are built. where at most four or moro
wounded are placed, thus avoiding ac-
emulation Of persons SO contrary to sani-
tation and favorable results.
Subsistence Of the Army.
The military administration is complete
and is in charge of projects who provide
the columns of their procedures with
vegetables, meat and salt. The projects
also have care Of the postoffice stations,
each Office having one chief and several
messengers ready to carry any message
or document whenever necessary, said
messengers always requiring re-
ceipt Of the hour in which
they deliver documents Projects take
care also of the depots for horses, which
arc many, some depots having 700 horses
in good condition. They also oversee the
farms worked by the rebels. The en-
ployes Of these farms mako majagua ropes
and mats for the cavalry.
Civil Administration and Manufactures
The projects keep books in which they
register the births, marriages and deaths
In their respective jurisdictions; they act
also as judges and they legalize marriages
with their presence at such ceremonies
They keep also books in which are the
names Of all men useful for tho war, thus
easily replacing the men who die or are
killed in the ranks, always prcferring sim
gle men or those who have small families
and least necessities. They have tan
yards, shoe and leather factories, carpen.
ter and ironsmith shops and armorics,
said to be as good as i'm the cities, one in
Camaguay deserving special mention.
Army Order and Discipline.
There is body of auditors or war
judges, the chief of whom is the lawyer
from Holguin Frexes. Every brigade has
one auditor. The order and discipline of
the Cuban army are said to be good The
camps are in good order; the drums are
beaten at daybreak and the tattoo at n.
m. In the general headquarters these ex-
ercises are rendered lively by the bands Of
u ~
eral Castillo says the spirits of the patriots
in the are field enthusiastic, and they sus
tain strong hopes of final victory.