New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-05
WINGLESS CUBAN VULTURES.
THE INSURGENT ARMY AN UTTERLY
USELESS SET OF ALLIES.
THEIR CHIEF THOUGHT TO ACQUIRE FOOD
AND SUPPLIES FROM UNCLE sAM-NO

AND SUPPLIES FROM UNCLE sAM-NO
VALUABLE FIGHTING BY THEM
frnoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNEl
Headquarters Fifth Army Corps. near Sant-
ago de Cuba. July 1G-There is one point on
wi ich the officers of the Fifth Army Corps are
unanimous, and that is in pronouncing the So
called Cuban army an utterly useless ally
Most opinions do not stop ct this In language
as forcibe as can be drafted the fubans are
denounced as pack Of wngess vultures,
whose only idea Is 10 get big heap OF pro-
visions as possible. In fact. the success or
the insurgents wh1 are In this region in ac-
curing bags Of food Is continual marvel Inc
characteristic Cuban attitude is bending under
Il weight OF bareback. bacon and canned goods
obtained from the commissary OF the oni'ed
States. The insurgents are TO be met on ever!
road. Bound for the places where food IL oea''
out TO them. they have few ounces OF per-
sonal effects on the return trip they fairly
stagger under heir burden of things to ear.
What makes them the object Of so much hatred
is the fact that while :hey went along IN this
opulence of provisions the Americans In the
trenches suffering oftentimes for lack OF
the barest necessarles But they have some
fighting 10 do The men whose cause they nave
come down here to carry to victory have
comes to grab a generous helping of American
food
or course no on. could blame the Cubans
for being hungry. After three years Of war
fare in which the land has been utterly de-
vastated they have naturally come to point
where food is more than welcome. Their first
impulse when the holds of the transports poured
forth their wealth of provisions, was to get
all they could. But the expectation was that,
their stomachs flied. they would he an I'M
portant help in the investment Of Santiago. But
their aid has been problematical Nearly all
the commanding officers have expressed them
selves as utterly disguised with the course Of
the Cubans and have declared that they have
been Of no appreciabe help whatever
no FIGHTING WORTH MENTION.
II is difficult to learn Just where the Cubans
did much lighting that is worthy Of mention. AT
Aguadores July l. they we're ordered merely
to make demonstratiol. but not &c fire. They
| obeyed orders. but of course their inaction is
not to be set down their blame. In the
| action east Of Santiago. about san Juan. few
were killed or wounded by Spanish she'll but
they were a mile two back Of the firing
line. The casualties were unfortunate, but not
in the slightest degree heroic. In the attack
| on FL Caney about fifty were sent into action
| Colonel Miles commanding the brigade. re-
| ceived call for achievements from the
| 25th Infantry. The only troops available at the
| moment were some Cubans About eighty were
! under his orders scouts. and he sent hfty
OF them 10 the front His testimony is that
| they fought we'll An officer was wounded In
the stomach Lieutenant Colonel Daggett, Of
| the 25th who was somewhat nearer the field
| than Colonel Miles cautiously said that the
J fro
| made the task Of the Regulars little easier.
| That they did any effective work he was un-
willing to say.
| certain number Of Cubans were In the
action of July ] at the base Of the mountains
| two or three miles east Of FL Caney 1t is
understood tina. they fought most rvaliantly,
| and succeeded in taking one or two intrenched
! blockhousns II is further spread abroad that
| for n time they omitted to make any prisoners
| But Of course, there were no alien witnesses
| 10 any slaughter OF this kind Indeed. there is
no certainty based on American testimony.
! tina; even at this place did the Cubans perform
any conspicuous acts Of valor.
1t is one OF the queer contradictions Of this
| Cuban climate that while the vegetation Is
| often enormous In size the fauna is smaller
than in the United States The average stature
Of the Cubans is appreciably less than that Of
|
inferior to that of the invading troops. A
month ago. when the Fifth Army Corps was
| landed. the inhabitants In addition looked poor
" nourshed But even az that time their ca
| pacity for carrying food was prodgious
sCORN TO DO MANUAL LABOR.
They have been found by the American COM
manders exceedingly unwilling to do manual
labor. Some have been prevailed on TO cut
| ,t.itb hot
but that was all The suggestion that they
| help build some roads received with
haughtiest scorn. Soldiers of Cuba Libre fell
| ing trees. shovelling earth and moving stones.
| The idea was not to he entertained.
Besides that wasn't the kind of warfare 10
| which they were accustomed What suited
| them better was to do as the Spaniards did
fire from trees and the underbrush-that Is. II
II actually had TO come TO the point Of doing
| hattie If the Americans wanted roads on
| which TO drag their artillery, without which
Santiago could never have been taken. or TO
drive their food wagons and ambulances. let
them build them. The Cu5ans were willing TO
draw the bareback and beef and bacon when
# had been transported up to the point of dis
trbution: but otherwise they had no interest
in it.
But when it came to starting out with
sack OF provisions the Cubans really EXHIBITED
wonders Of strength. OF course. their long
periods Of hunger If not of starvation should be
borne in mind in discussing their cupidity
When they got hold OF the supplies their limbs
took on new strength. In the march of
Garcia's army from Siboney 10 the north OF
Santiago the weakest and thinnest Of his sol
dlers carried loads that would have tired out
the bravest Of the United States Regulars.
Ostensibly the commissary at Sibouey dis
tributed five days ratons to each man. one or
the insurgents being asked now they had man.
aged to get so much. replied with wink that
the issues were the basis Of nifty men 10
company In reality there were only thirty Vi