The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-21
CONDITIONS IN CUBA.
DR.. DILLON TELLS WHAT OUR IN
vApERs MAY EXPECT.

He Was with tho Insurgents Seventeen
Months-n Old Glory Wants Him He
Should Ask For Service In . Company
Of sharpshootsrss
The Boston Journal recently printed
an article from DIR. Richard Hastings
Dillon, who has gained his knowledge
of conditions in Cuba by IL months
service with the insurgent army. II is
supremely important, as showing the
military conditions which will confront
our army there. In part Or. Dillon
says
"What it cost tho Spaniards to real
ize that Cuba was not the place for
large military bodies to attempt to
sweep across tho country l cannot say,
but they eventually learned the lesson.
and today you will observe In their war
news that they move in small detached
forces.
"Now, with regard to sharpshooting,
when company meets company in regu-
lar formation or skirmish line, accord
ing to modern tactics. her 'all's well
that ends well, but when 90 fairly good
marksmen get ont in the long grass or
Cuban timber then the Lord havc
mercy on the ordinary infantry sent
against them.
with a death range Of 800 yards l
have seen five men pick Off 90 men in
less time than it would take to walk
100 yards. l have watched volley firing
by companies at about 700 or 500 yards,
probably farther. After the first volley
there was always a cloud Of smoke, and
each succeeding volley added to the OBJ
SECURITY. 1t was always q good idea for
us to spread ont quietly and wait pa
tiently till the infantry could be seen
emerging from the smoke.
"Their eyesight is then not the
best. and therefore their aim will plant
your head about the center Of the visor.
Lower it then about % foot, and il you
have q good sure shot and can use il 25
men can check the most daredevil COM
pany that appears. Pump slowly and
steadily, with less than 30 seconds be-
tween each shot, just TO get your breath
and steady your nerves, and your friends
ON the other side will think they have a
little hell ahead Of them.
II don't really know what our officers
in the late war thought Of sh%arpshoot-
ing, but If they saw men in Cuba sharp
shooting with muskets for close work.
] feel sure that they would admit that
they had the two most destructive
weapons that the world has ever pro-
duced. / am not q good story teller, but
here is one to illustrate my point:
about 35 men were harassing a sup
ply train Of wagons. The first volley
was poured from q hillside, say 600
yards distant. Within an hour after the
train was halted at dusk another volley
was poured in. That night we tried
again. Now, l suppose 1000 rounds
were wasted upon us, and we lost three
killed and seven wounded. We had per.
haps $50 rounds among the S5 men, and
we managed to pot the leading
mules, seven in number, and 90 of the
guard. The others could not stand such
q method of warfare and at last took to
their heels In sheer desperation.
"In such a country as Cuba I cannot
see the possibility of any arm Of the
service being equal to the sharpshooters,
and / think that the Cuban command
ers, IL they had their choice, would take
tho soldier marksman with u good re-
poater sooner than any other soldier.
IL have spent IL months doing mill
tary and surgical dirty amid the hardest
lighting that the Cubans ever put up.
and as q result now, in my opinion, to-
day ! would sooner 60 back again with
100 men, each man q fair shot with a
good repeater. than with 500 men whose
volley firing and skirmish work is
weakened by poor Workmanship. / am
writing from hard and bitter experience,
which ! hope u boys will never see,
but II Old Glory wants me / should ask
for service In a sharpshooters' company.