The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-08
CUBAN CAMPAIGNING.
spANlsttlNsUR0ENr WARFARE pE.
- scRI6ED BY A CUBAN COLONEL,

The Cuban Soldiers llsross IN the Eye Of
the North II They Are Poorly Armed and
Fed and Weak in Num- bsrs--G Gave UP Land
and Possessions to join Insursent Army.
The Cuban soldiers, poorly armed
and poorly fed and weak in numbers,
have become heroes In the eyes Of the
kind North. True. we have heroes
among US, and we all try to fight brave
~ Tor our country. We willingly give
up lands, professions and quiet to Join
the torn ranks Of the little army; and
We win many wonderful victories.
These victories are due, to a great ex-
tent. to the fine qualities Of our own
men-to their dash and skill-but
partly to the inexperience Of the troops
sent against US by the Spanish govern
ment. Boys of II and under are forced
to take UP arms against men for whom
they have no real feeling of enmity.
They are rushed about through a coun-
try they do not know; they are treat
cd like dogs by most Of their officers,
and harassed by us from daylight till
dark. Few Of their old troops are left
to tight US. They were men of mettle
and knowledge Of warfare, and often
proved too much for US, man for man.
But the new recruits are fighting un-
willingly, In a cause they do not love,
and If we have any pity to spare from
our own people 1t is for them.
The Cuban In his early boyhood Is
trained In the use Of the machete. In
time Of peace he uses 1t to cut cane
and flrewood,and as tool in carpentry
work; but when he rides to war 1t be-
comes more deadly than the American
army sabre or the oh-time rapier.
Every countryman, white or black,
owns machete, so in this respect our
men are easily armed. Many of our
cavalrymen are without carbines, but
as the wild charge is the most effective
method Of breaking the enemy In our
guerilla lighting, the man with moth
ing but his machete is not entirely USE
less. When the Spanish commanders
hear that we are somewhere in the Vi
cinity and march into the hills to SUBJ
due lis, our horsemen divide into small
squads Of ten or twelve and our infan-
try lie In ambush. When the Spaniards
are near enough to make sure targets
we open fire on them from the brush,
Sometimes they answer this volley and
charge at the smoke, and sometimes
hey turn back and make a dash for
safety. In either case our little band
II horsemen break in upon them from
'very side and cut and retreat. The
spanish officers may try to form their
men into squares, but very often their
'ttempts are unsuccessful, so we cut
hem down as they run. This is our
way OF coping with the superior num-
ers Of Spanish regulars sent out to
eat us back into servitude. Some
lines the victory is ours. often it Is
once In the open their num-
ers tell. We would not be able to
AIRY our system OF ambush and dead
7 attack into operation but for our re-
'ys Of scouts, who keep the main body
our army notified Of every move
lent of the enemy.
Most of the colored soldiers fighting
'r the Cuban cause are in the infan-
y, being too poor to own mounts Of
leir own--and in our army every man
lpplies his own horse, or else goes on
'ot. We have been under arms for
yer three years, and during all that
me have known no such thing as pay
~.
Americans have too great fear Of
itching yellow fever in Cuba. The
nth of the matter is that our pastoral
stricts and our hills are as healthy as
~ country in the world, and that the
sease RACES only in the vicinity Of g
avana, and there II Is partly due to
e carelessness Of the Spaniards In
cir sanitary arrangements.