The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-12-24

1
| stands tied to tree, moaning, with {
broken arm. Two young girls cover
weeping and half dead ia the bushes
On the following day the female
members of the Maceo family, being
in the hands Of friends, the father
| called his sons about him and exacted
from each promise that they would
never lay down their arms until the
Spanish invader was driven ont and
Cuba was free.
A few days later Maxlmo Gomez
lying out IN the mountains of Santi
ago. with his small and devoted fol
lowing. was confronted by a gaunt
haggard man. behind whom were a
half dozen tall, awkward boys. Little
did Gomez know that III this gather
ing Of raw recruits there stood his
future lieutenant general. They were
50 green, SO taciturn, SO backward
that Gomez smiled as they walked
away from his hut
He had asked them if they could
fight. They smiled and said, per
haps." Soon afterward, near st.
Augustin, some Spanish troops were
riding lelsurely ly along with an ammu
milton train, bound for Guantanamo.
Around the bend of the road, in front,
swept a flying body Of horseman with
their machetes glittering in TIE sun.
They were guerillas of Gomez,and at
their lead rode the ''awkward squad"
Of the MaceOs.
But how they did fight Right in
to the heart of the Spanish troops
they drove pell nell, cutting, slashing
and striking right and left When
the fight was ended the elder Maceo
lay dead on the ground. Before the
expiration OF two months Manuel,
Fermin and Justice Maceo Lad been
killed in battle.
Raphael was so cut up by wounds
that he left the island to die as an
exile in Costa Rica For six months
after the death of Justice the remain
ing members of the Maceo family
seemed to bear charmed lives. The
awkward squad" or, rather, the sur
vlvors, had become the foremost
fighters under Gomez.
The noxt death to occur was that
of Miguel. Fe was killed bv a bay
onet thrust at the capture Of Une Vi
tas. A short time subsequently, Julio
was shot dead in the bloody affair at
Nueyo Mundo. Felipe and Tomas
were SO badly wounded that they
became helpless cripples in San Do
mingo.
Then. almost at the end of the long
ten years war, Marcus was killed in a
gallant machete charge, leaving An
tonic, Of all the 'awkward squad" of
fighters, still in the field His broth
er Jose was still too young TO Join
his relatives in the field.
The survival of Antonio Maceo was
a good thing for Cuba. 1t was a sur
vlval OF the fittest. No doubt the
aged and bereaved mother of the
.tlaceos, hiding in the forests with
hundreds Of other Cuban refugees,
echoed IN her heart the words of the
Italian pOetess:
Dead One of then shot in the sea, BY the east,
And one of them shot in the west by the sea
bothIOoth OF my boys; when you sit at the feast.
ana are wanting song, for dear Cuba-fTee.
A@SS ii'Iic AOoh at me,
When Antonio Maceo first struck
for freedom he was twenty-one wears
old. He had great natural aptitude
as soldier and but little education.
But Greek roots and Latin verbs do
not count for much in fighting for
the liberty of a country. Military
genius, like that of the poets, is born,
not manufactured.
1t did not take long for Maceo's
awkwardness to rub off. His bravery
was absolutely dauntless. During
his first twelve months of service he
received sixteen of the twenty one
severe wounds that marked his body
at the close of the ten years war.
With great taciturnity and apparent
gruttness he combined a magnetism
that drew men to him. Within a
year he had been promoted through
the various grades of sergeant, lieu
tenant and captain to that of major.
Soon after receiving this honor
Maceo was ordered to capture the
upland town of Ii Arriba. With only
three hundred men, he made head
long attack on the forts, and after a
desperate engagement succeeded in
driving the Spaniards into Santiago.
L or this brllllat engagement he receiv-
ed the shoulder straps of colonel.
The more power accorded by Go
mez to Maceo the more effective be
came the fighting of the Cubans.
Maceo's following was a blindly de
voted one, and his men would follow
wherever he might lead. Soon after
receiving the title Of colonel. 1870,
Maceo had his first brush with Mar
tinez Campos.
With 400 men he fercely attacked
the Spanish general at Ramos Cam
pos, by far the ablest general ever
sent by Spain to Cuba, held his
ground, and the fighting ragged at
intervals for thirty days. Scarcely
a day passed that Maceo did not
charge and harass the Spanish troops.
Near Monte Oscuro he was fiercely
attacked by Gen Valera. at the head
Of q thousand Spaniards. With only
400 men he made stand in strong
position, near Coabas, against the
combined forces of Valera and Cam
pos Maceo quickly saw that he
would have to retreat. Before doing
SO, however, he lured the Spaniards
lDto a favorable position, and then
raised his favorite cry of "Al macheten'
The slaughter was terrible.
After Maceo's retreat Campos re
turned to Santiago with only a rem
nant of his former forces. he was
met by Nalmaceda, the captain gener
al, who said, derisively:
Oh, you pretend that all the glory
was on our side. That may be so.
but the losses were on orr side also"
Does your excellency suppose"
retorted Campos. that these Cubans
use cotton bullets2"
Campos was SO offended at the
reprimand that be soon afterward re
turned to Spain. Since Joining the
the Cuban army Maceo had grown tc