Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-07-28

the following dispatch dated Santiago
de Cuba, July 23.-Over 1000 Cuban
insurgents, comprising Gen. Garcia's
army for the Eastern department of
Cuba, have been routed in fierce en-
gagement with q detachment of
Spanish troops bound for Santiago to
surrender. In this battle, which took
place at point several miles to the
north of this city, forty-one Cubans
were killed and many more We're
wounded. The Spanish loss, am in
formed, was much smaller. This dis
:astrous 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
err to act as an ally of Gen. Shafter
He decided to capture Holguin if pos
sible and to there set up an insurgent
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,
and must have been well started on
their journey. am told it is a cues
ton as to which We're
The 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
by Gen. Toral. They were seeking to
carry out in good faith the agreement
made with Gen. Shafter. They were
not looking for 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 decentralization caused by the
opening shots, fought fiercely. 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 mott
fed Gen. Garcia, "has surrendered to
the America army, not to the Cubans."
Despite the information that these
Spanish troops were a part Of those
included in
Gen. ToraTs Surrender,
Gen. Garcia thereupon ordered his
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-one
killed and many wounded. The
Spaniards suffered smaller loss.
This battle, with it's disastrous re-
suits, has greatly excited the Cubans.
They, are demanding vengeance, and
cannot understand why the Ameri-
cans do not annihilate their Spanish
prisoners of war. Gen. Garcia, prior
to this latest exploit, has been a
source>of great trouble to Gen. Shat
ter, the American commander having
been met at every point by the Cubans
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 in
their power to render the carrying out
Of the terms difficult and impossible.
A Horrible Find.