The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-07-26

New York, July 24.-The Herald has
the following dispatch dated Santiago
dc cuba. July 23.-Over 1000 Cuban
insurgents, comprising Gen. Garcia's
army for the Eastern department of
cuba. have been routed in a fierce en-
raqemcHt with a detachment of
Spanish troops bound for Santiago to
surrender. In this battle, which took
place at a point several miles to the
north Of this city, forty-one Cubans
were killed and many more were
wounded The Spanish loss, | am in
formed. was much smaller. This dis
9strOus defeat Of the insurgents is the
first result of Gen. Garcia's petulant
disagreement with Shafter and of his
decision no longer to cooperate with
the American forces.
when the Cuban General
withdrew his troops to the
mountains he resolved to move on to
Holguin about sixty miles to the
northwest of this city. If the Ameri-
cans would not allow them to wreak
vengeance on the Spaniards in Santi-
ago the Cubans proposed to storm
some other important place and take
possession Of it on thier own account.
1t was with this object in view that
Gen. Garcia withdrew his troops from
the American lines, and refused long
cr to act as an ally of Gen. Shafter.
He decided to capture Holguin If pos
sible and to there set up an irSurgent
government, making that place the
Cuban headquarters for the Eastern
department. 1t is not yet known how
far to the northward Of Santiago Gen.
Garcia's army had proceeded upon
this mission when the Spanish troops
were encountered. They had been
marching for many hours, however,
ard must have been well started on
their journey. | am ted it is a ques-
ton rs to which were
Fhc More Surprised,
the Cubans or the Spaniards, when
the two bodies of troops met on the
road between Santiago and Holguin.
The Spaniards had been gathered
from the fortified towns in the vicinity
and were marching to Santiago, under
the terms of the surrender agreed TO
10y Gen. Toral They were seeking to
carry out in good faith the agreement
made with Gen. Shafter. They were
not looking for a fight and were
caught off their guard Gen. Garcia
ordered his men to form so that they
would be concealed in the chaDperal,
hoping to annihilate the first sections
Of the Spanish troops His plans
were promptly put into execution, but
the Spaniards, quickly recovering
from the Generalization caused by the
opening shots, fought tiercely. Gen.
Garcia's ambuscade was failure.
Although unsuccessful in his plan to
trap the Spaniards, Gen. Garcia sent
word to them demanding that they
surrender forthwith To this demand
the Spanish commander made an en-
phatic refusal Gen. Toral,' he notl-
fed Gen Garcia, 'has surrendered to
the America army, not to the CuDans.
Despite the information that these
Spanish troops were a part OF those
included in
Gen. ToraFs Surrender,
Gen Garcia thereupon ordered MS
troops to prepare to fight. The Gu
bans quickly took their positions TO
which they had been assigned and
the order to fire was passed along the
line. Gen Garcia had decided to at
tempt to carry the Spanish position by
assault, and the first troops pressed
forward when the word was given.
Their progress was firmly resisted at
every point by the Spaniards, who,
after several hours fighting, put the
Cubans to rout with loss of forty-ohe
hlled and many wounded. Inc
Spaniards suffered smaller loss
This battle, with its disastrous re-
suits, has greatly excited the Cubans.
They are demanding vengeance, and
cannot understand why the Amerl-
cans do not annihilate their Spanish
prisoners of war Gen. Garcia, prior
TO this latest exploit, has been
source of great trouble to Gen. Shat
ter, the American commander having
been met at every point by the Cubahs
with claims for precedence. All OF
the Cubans violently opposed the
terms upon which Gen. Toral surren-
dered to Gen. Shafter. Those terms
were dictated by Gen. Shafter but the
Cubans, ever since the city formally
surrendered have done everything III
their power to render the carrying out
OF the terms difficult and impossible.
The Treacherous Minnesota.