Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-07-05
CONDITIONS IN CUBA.
Or. DILLON TELLS WHAT OUR IN
VADERS MAY EXPECT. -.

: vAoERs MAY EXPECT. d..
He was with the Insurgents seventeen
1lonths-1f Old GLORY Wants Him He
Should Ask For Service In Company
Of shsrpshooters.
The Boston Journal recently printed
IN a1tiole from DR.. Richard Hastings
Dillon, who has gained his knowledge
of conditions in Cuba by II months
service with the insurgent army. It is
supremacy important, as showing the
military conditions which will confront
our army there. In part DR.. Dillon
says:
"What it cost the Span;ards to real
ize that Cuba was not the place for
large military bodies to attempt to
sweep across the country I cannot say,
but they eventually learned the lesson.
and today you will observe in their war
news that they move in small detached
forces
"Now, with regard to sharpshooting,
when company meets company in regu-
lar formation or skirmish line, accord.
ing to modern tactics, then 'all's we'll
that ends we'll, but when SO fairly good
marksmen get out in the 'long grass or
Cuban timber then the Lord have
mercy on the ordinary infantry sent
against them.
with death range Of 800 yards I
have seen five men pick off 20 men in
less time than it would take to walk
100 yards. l have watched volley firing
by companies at about 700 or 800 yards,
probably farther. After the first volley
there was always cloud of smoke, and
each succeeding volley added to the OBJ
security. It was always good idea for
us to spread out quietly and wait pa
tiently till the infantry could be seen
emerging from the smoke.
"Their eyesight is then not the
best, and therefore their aim will plant
your head about the center of the visor.
Lower it then about foot, and if you
have a good sure shot and can use it %
men can check the most daredevil COM
pany that appears. Pump slowly and
steadily, with less than 80 seconds be-"
tween each shot, just to get your breath
and steady your nerves, and your friends
on the other side will think they have a
little hell ahead of them.
II don't really know what our officers
In the late war thought Of sharpshoot-
ing, but if they saw men in Cuba sharp
shooting with muskets for close work)
feel sure that they would admit that
they had the two most destructive
weapons that the world has ever pro-
duced. I am not good story teller, but
here is one to illustrate my point:
about IS men were harassing sup
ply train Of wagons. The first volley
was poured from q hillside, say 600
yards distant. Within an hour after the
train was halted at dusk another volley
was poured in. That night we tried
again. Now, I suppose 1000 rounds
were wasted upon us, and we lost three
killed and seven wounded. We had per-
haps $50 rounds among the IS men, and
we managed to "pot" the leading
mules, seven in number, and 30 of the
guard. The others could not stand such
q method Of warfare and at last took to
their heels in sheer desperation.
I'm such country as Cuba I cannot
see the possibility Of any arm Of the
service being equal to the sharpshooters,
and think that. the Cuban command.
ers, If they had their choice, would take
the soldier marksman with good re.
peater sooner than any other soldier.
II have spent II months doing mill.
tary and surgical duty amid the hardest
fighting that the Cubans ever put up.
and as a result now, in my opinion, to-
day I would sooner 60 back again with
100 men, each man a fair shot with
good repeater, than with 500 men whose
volley firing and skirmish work is
weakened by poor craftsmanship. am
writing from hard and bitter experience,
which hope our boys will never see.
but if Old Glory wants me should ask
for service in a sharpshooters' company.