The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-05-05

HANNAr
The year 1890 opened hopefully foi
the insurgents The residents Of ths
city of Havana were startled by tbs
report Of Gomez cannon shortly aitei
the defeat Of Campos and were terri
fed by the light Of burning houses be
/ longing to loyalists, which Gomez men
had fired Gomez and Muceo captured
/ large quantities of arm in Havana and
| Prnur del Rio Provinces early in Janu
| ary, 1895 and these successes melted
a strong movement in the United States
to grant the insurgents belligerent
rights, but this was opposed by Presi-
dent Cleveland, as IL was subsequently
by Presiden Mckinley
A new and far more barbarous aspect
was given to the war un the Spanish
side after the arrival Of Weyler who
succeeded Cqmpos. Popular o1inion, #
said Campos just after his removal
believes that a mild policy should not
be continued with the enemy, while
believe that it should be. These are
the questions Of conscience. The
mild policy ended when Campos left
the island, Wayler reached Havana
from Spain on February 10, 1896, and
$4,000 troops arrived soon afterwIrd
The Spanish forces in the island then
numbered 18O $50. with $4,000 volun.
teers raised in the island 1t was esti-
mated, however, chat 10000 of the reg.
ulars were unfit for duty, The insur-
gent forces at the beginning Of 1896
were put at figures ranging froa 25 600
up to 10000
On February 18th Wayler issued two
proclamatiols. One Of these enumer.
ated certain classes Of olfenses for
which penalty Of life imprisonment
or death was attached The other re,
quired all the inhabitants Of the Prov
incos Of Santiago and6puerto Principe
and the district Of sanoH Spiritus to go
to the army headquarters and get docu-
ments proving their identity forbade
any person from going into the country
without pass from a military com
mander; and revoked all the permits
previously given This was the begin
ming Of a series Of DEGREES which estab-
| lished the barbarous concentration and
starvation policy that awakened the
worlds indignation provoked the
wrath of the United States, caused the
pressure by President Mckinley on the
Madrid government which forced Wey,
lers downfall, and created the public
sentiment in the United States which
has resulted in Intervention
Weylers first imr rtant act was to
establish trocha, which was q line Of
obstruction and defense stretched
across the island from north to south.
Campos had established two trochas
both running north and south but
neither appeared so formidable as Wey.
! Ier's Or was relied on, both in Madrid
and Havana. to accomplish SO much,
One conceded closely with the boun-
dairy between the provinces Of Santiago
and Puerto Principe, and the other was
close to the line separating Puerto
Principe from Santa Clara. The first
was intended to isolate the rebels and
conine them to Santiago Cubas eas.
ternmost province. The second was de-
signed to keep the rebels who had
crossed from Santiago into Puerto Prin-
cipe, from getting into Santa Clara
/ Province Neither barrier was efEec-
tive. Weyler's trocHa was In the west
ern end Of the island and extended from
Maiana to MaTiel near the dividing
1 line between the Provinces Of Havana
and Pinar del Rio. This trocha which
4 was established ip the latter part Of
March, was for the purpose Of prevent
ing a junction between Maceo and
Gomez, Maceo being in Pinar del Rio
4 at the time, and 5omez and the main
body Of the insurgents being in the
provinces east Of that line, Between
/ Majans end MaFiel the island is at its
nauowest, OF less than thirty miles
j wide. Block houses, small forts and
earthworks were erected at the intersec-
tion Of roads barbed wire, ia lines
eight or ten feet high, were stretched
across the fields, and at important STRAIT.
I egic points were trenches and batteries
Of artillery, with I 900 or !, 500 men, all
the posts being in communication with
each other About 10000 men were
stationed along the trocha, and 10000
1 more troops, divided into bodies Of from
| / 900 to 5000, principally cavalry,
soonred the Province Of Piar del Rio in
search Of Maceo
4 Weylers trocha however, was not
much Of an obstruction Bands Of Ma
ceo's men crossed It backward and for.
ward several times, and someof Gomez
! immediate command did this more than
once Maceo, on April IT, 1895, with
{, 900 men crushed one Of WeglQs e8l
umns which Yves n AFsA II hila, 50
| m9gY stsais4Fls wsFe tied up De- .ndi,,
ihs tioeba and loQkin9 Il. 49, l.-,
y
Gomez ana t.-e other chief east Of tba
I h2frier had practiQAly a free band foI
2 large PaTt a is& gained many vic
tGaies ana were b virtual control o.
tAFee foprths Of Cuba outside Of th,
sesports and q a few important interior
oidse Gomez won a battle at Najasa,
Ia Puerto Principe on July 9-1i, after