Evening star., 1897-01-15
FROM GOMEZ
The Cuban General-in-C Chief De-
scribes the Situation.
SPANISH CONCENTRATED ON TEE COAST
The Insurgents Are in Full Control
of Eastern Provinces.
STRONG AND CONFIDENT

Senor Gonzalo de Queeada of the Cuban
legation today gave a Star reporter a
translation Of an important letter written
by Gen. Maximo Gomez, the Cuban gen.
eral-in-chief, to Senor Tomas Estrada
| Palma. the representative in the United
States Of the Cuban republic. The commu-
| nication gives a most interesting outline of
| the policy Of Gen. Gomez 1t was dated
Camaguay, November 80, 1885, and Is as
| follows:
1T is some time since 1 have written
you and l have done 1t on purpose SO as
| to have something Of importance to tell
you, and waiting, as 1t Is my CUSTOM that
events would justify my opinions in re-
gard to the war to which l give my aid
1t Is time now to communicate to you
something in regard to the terminal ton of
the summer campaign and the beginning
of the winter, in which period we have
| just entered.
Il will commence by telling you that
the reinforcements lately arriving from
Spain, accol ding to their own confession,
| do not reach 10000 men, as empha tica lly
promised by the government. The govern
ment, pushed by the impatience of Weyler
advanced the time in which it should have
sent the reinforcements, taking into con-
sfderation the necessities of the climate,
and it can be said that they have hardly
covered the losses which they suffered in
| the summer campaign, their hospitals be-
| ing crowded with victims of malarial and
yellow fever. From this it can be easily
explained that In order to fight Maceo,
the largest number possible of soldiers
have had to be taken from other parts of
| the island, weakening Indispensable garr-
sons. This has given time and oppor-
tunity to commence energetic opera tions
| In other places, in Santiago de Cuba and
Guantanamo, for example, where the Span
| ish operations very limited. and in
Camaguay, where, after the battle of I'll
Desmayo, the capture of Guimaro and
other battles, the Spanish have been
obliged to concentrate finally on the coast.
The last battles given by Maceo in Pinar
| del Rio and the resistance of our forces I'm
| the provinces of Havana, Matanzas Las
Villas, at the beginning of this winters cam
paign, show that the Spaniards would not
be able to obtain any advantage over our
troops much less when / intend TO enforce
our troops with all kinds of elements in
those territories.
Weyler Was Too Hasty.
''As l have said before General Weyler
was in too much haste when he sent his
| soldiers to the field, and this hurry with
which We proceed will offer us the adj
vantage that when the full season to oper-
ate comes the reinforcements that he has
received will be already spent And in case
| the Spanish government makes supreme
effort to send them few more, these will
arrive too late.
We have obliged the enemy to concen-
trate In great forces, and they have had to
abandon many points which they occupied
In Las Villas and in the military depart
ment OF the east. Some of these places
are of military importance-others of none
And this determination to concentrate his
troops has placed him on the defensive in
vast territories full of resources for US,
with
tire liberty. We have to look for the enemy
In the east in order to take the offensive
and have to go even to their fortresses in
order to make them fight. In all the east
ern part of the island our arms are sue
cessful everywhere, and there are signs
that the enemy is giving up the struggle.
Ihls lncnnes us to believe that the idea is
absurd that Spain has any hopes of pacify-
ing the island.
Resources Of Insurgents.
Our provinces are abandoned and even
| If the Spaniards make any efforts to de-
stroy them we will always have sufficient
for the necessities of our army in this ad-
mirable island, so fertile. The population
of Cuba in it's greater part, if it has not
emigrated, is in the fields, as they offer
food and individual security The health
Of our army Is satisfactory-due to our
habits OF life in the open air. The resources
sent by you have arrived safely in our
camp. We are now strong, resolved and
well-armed, and this winters campaign
finds us under the best auspices for the
battle. The false news of so-calIed victories
given out to the public by the enemy
through the public press. in order to de-
ceive the world. are reasons which lead us
| to believe that Spain considers herself lost
| in Cuba, and that her object at present is
| to prolong the war a short time, and, as
best she can, for the benefit of those in
power. while the Spanish people, hard
working and poor, will spend their blood,
| sending to the Island of Cuba hundreds of
thousands Of the best of her children to die
| in a useless and sad manner. The bitter
stories brought by the deserters to our
ranks-and they are maryland to those
who become our prisoners of war as to
how they are transported, how they are
moved and treated, inspire us with such
pity that as soon as they join our army
we cannot but consider them as forced vic
tins OF the same tyranny.
Il must finish here, and finish by saying
to you not to send us more cannons for we
have enough with what we have received,
but you can send us ammunition-a great
deal of ammunitiOn-fOr those cannonS