The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-03-13

the Field-Rides, Cannon and Ann e.
munitioh Captured by the Victors. - &;
NEwYoRK, March s.-A special dis
patch to the Sun from Manzanillo,
February %, via Havana, says:
The Spanish column of Gen. Vara del
Rey, 1000 men strong, was defeated and
dispersed two days ago by the Cuban
forces under command of Gen. Calixto
Garcia. More than 1000 Spaniards
were left dead on the estate of Costo-
mada, and the remaining part of the
column entered Manzanillo in the great
est disorder, proving how serious the
defeat was.
In spite of the art of snatching VIC
tory from defeat, in which the Spanish
official reports so greatly excel, Gen.
Vera del Rey is obliged to confess his
disaster, though finding a. Excuse in
the superior numbers of the Cubans and
the advantage of their position. In
his report, known at Manzanillo,
though probably it will not be pub
lished in Havana, he says that. his col
umn was only 800 men strong and he
| estimates the Cubans at over 5000.
The Spanish dead, he essays, we're SOC,
and he adds that Notwithstanding he
was obliged to retire, the losses of the
insurgents were also severe.
The battle turned against the Span
iards when Gen. Vera del Rey tried to
cross, on his way to Manzanillo, the
river Buey, Notwithstanding the heavy
fire from the Cuban rifles and two a N
non, one a 12-pounder, which caused
terrible slaughter.
While crossing the river all was dis
order and confusion among the Span
iards, and they could not reply to the
volleys of their foes. Nearly all their
horses were drowned, and they had to
abandon the more important part of
the convoy they were escorting. A
small bridge of wood, of which they
availed themselves, broke down, and
with it one Spanish cannon, sank to
the bottom of the river. Other cannon
were left on the shore and were cap
tured by the Cubans.
On the other side of the river Gen.
Vara del Rey found another Cuban col
umn waiting for him. In the state of
panic and confusion to which his
troops had been reduced the Cubans
could easily complete their victory.
Vara del Rey himself narrowly es-
capped being captured, and he owes his
salvation to a Spanish captain named
Quintero, who bravely protected him
with some hundred soldiers from a sud-
den cavalry attack by the insurgents.
In this situation the Spaniards de-
cided to abandon the remainder of the
convoy, which they succeeded in taking
across the river and they fastened
their march to Manzanillo. As the OBJ
iect of the Cubans was to seize the
convoy, the fight ended there. It
lasted eight hours. The Spaniards
took two hours to cross the river and
they behaved with great courage dur
ing all the battle.
The battle was directed by Gen. Cal
ixto Garcia in person, though the great
success he obtained was in great part
due to the skill of his chief of staff,
Col. Mario Menocal, who received in
formation about the path which Vera
del Rey had decided to follow, and
planned the battle, placing the Cubans
on both sides of the river Buey. Gen.
Garcia took command of the first bat
TALON and Col. Menocal of the last,
which made the most decisive attack on
the other side of the river.
Gen. Garcia controls the province of
Santiago de Cuba SO far that even in
fortified towns and in the seaports,
where the Spaniards still hold out, his
orders are obeyed. Only after paying
regular contributions to the insurgent
army are the merchants of the towns
able to import and sell their goods.