Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-14
THE SPANISH ARMY.
NUMBER AND EFFICIENCY OF ITS
SOLDIERS IN CUBA.

"a Paper the Castilian Strength Is 100 Oot
Men-scarcely Half the Number Effect
i've, and All Are Poor Marksmen-Ter
rors of Rainy Season Overrated.
The war department has very full
confidential reports of the numbers and
efficiency Of the Spanish army in Cuba.
The latest reports date from December,
1897, and are as follows: There are 90
first battalions Of infantry in Cuba, with
an effective force ON paper of 600 men
to each battalion. There are 56 second
battalions OF 1000 each, rank and file.
Besides these battalions there are Il
rifle regiments, each having OIL paper
l,2O0 men. There is also a railway reg
lment of 1,040 men and a telegraph
battalion of 1,272 men. These two last
named regiments have been kept busy
IN repairing and maintaining the rail
ways and telegraph lines and defending
them from Cuban attacks. Notwith-
standing these forces are kept constantly
IN the field, the railways and tele-
graphic lines are constantly broken and
communications are everywhere uncer-
tain and have been interrupted within
five leagues of Havana.
The rifle regiments in Cuba are armed
with the German pattern Of Mauser
rifles. This Is a 81 caliber arm, capable
of very rapid fire in the hands CT expert
soldiers, bus the Spanish private soldier
Is the worst shot i'll Europe. They have
no regular small arm training in fire
tactics, and as most of them never saw
any kind OF arm previous to their draft
into the army they are slow at learning
the manipulation of the delicate ma
chinery Of the modern small bore mill
tary rifle. The greater portion of these
troops, however, carry the American
Remington rifle of ,43 caliber. fitted
with bayonet. 1t ia an excellent arm
OF its kind and was made at the Rem.
Ington works, lion, n. Y, quarter
OF century ago.
General Lee and Captain Walter 3.
Barker. consul as Sagua la Grande,
who during the late war was a staff
officer Of tie Confederate general. Jo-
seph K. Davis Of Mississippi. both say
that, even in the militia days of the
hrst three months of the late war, thew
never saw such absolute ignorance Of
everything military as is displayed by
these so called veteran troors'' Of
Spain on the island of Cuba. Though
there Is, CT paper, force of 1870, 600
men. the effective is scarcely one-half
OF this number. The rank and file is
woefully ignorant that great difficulty
Is had to find men with sufficient edu-
cation to act as noncommiSsioned ctfi-
GERS, and as the efficiency Of all armies
is greatly affected By the noncommis-
stoned men, serseants and corporals no
wonder that of Spain has sunk so low.
There is just suspicion of uneasiness
IN Washington that Spain may make
dash at some of the southern seacoast
towns. The great troopships in which
the 1870, coo men now in Cuba were
brought here from Spain are most of
them still at Havana and Matanzas.
They carried 1900 to l,400 men each
nearly 4, 600 miles. Had Spain an en-
terprising general, it would be easy
enough to put couple of brigades
aboard these transports and early some
morning land them anywhere from Pen
sacola to Beaufort, S. G., especially if
there were "a couple of warships along
to cover the landing parties. By de-
stroying the Geographic lines communi.
cation could be cut off from the world
for "a hours, and in that time ships
could be loaded with provisions, an in
demnity levied and collected, and the
brigades could be back on Cuban soil
before the rest of the United States
would know what had happened.
There seems to be but one man in the
Spanish forces now holding Cuba who
might dare attempt so daring dash,
and that is General Parade, whom all
well Informed persons consider the
ablest and most enterprising general
Spain has ON the island next to Captain
General Blanco He is young and has
shown marked capacity for command
and has Captain General Blanco's conf
dence to degree not shared by any 9TH
er general officer. Were the antagonist
France or England there would be the
greatest uneasiness for fear such coup
de main might and probably would be
attempted. Spain has not been given to
dashes of this sort IN her almost con-
slant wars, and yet England captured
Havana just in the manner indicated
and held it as long as she cared to. 1t
is the unexpected that often happens in
war, and the war and rayy denartments