The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-20
SPANISH rRooPs IN CUBA.
Said to Number 10000, but Only
Half Are Effective.

Said to NUMBER lOO,UUO, uuN OMAy
Half Are Effective.
WASHINGTON, April 19.-The War De-
partment has very full confidential reports
of the numbers and efficiency of the Span
ish army in Cuba The latest reports date
from December 1897, and are as follows;
There are fffty-six first battalions OF In
fantry in Cuba with an effective force on
paper of one thousand men to each bat
TALON There are fifty-siy second battalions
of one thousand each, rank and file. Besides
these battalons there are twelve rifle regi-
ments. each having on paper 1900 men.
There is also railway regiment of l,O4O
men and telegraph battalion of 1,272 men.
These two last-named regiments have been
kept busy in repairing and maintaining the
railways and telegraph lines and defending
them from Cuban attacks. Notwithstanding
these forces are kept constantly in the field,
the railways and telegraph lines are con-
stantly broken and communications are ev-
erywhere uncertain and have been inter-
rupted within five leagues of Havana
The rifle regiments in Cuba are armed
with the German pattern OF Mauser rines
This is a hirty-one-calibre arm, capable
of very rapid fire in the hands Of expert
soldiers but the Spanish private soldier is
the worst shot in Europe. They have no
regular small-arm training in fire tactics,
and as most of them never saw any kind or
arm previous to their draft into the army.
they are slow at learning the manipulation
of the delicate machinery of the modern
small-bore military rifle. The greater por-
ton of these troops, however. carry the
American Remington rifle of forty-three-
caIber. fitted with q bayonet. 1t is an ex-
cellent arm of it's kind and was made at the
RarniOQtOp works llOn. N. ". a
of a century ago.
General Lee and Capt. Walter Il. Barker
consul at Sagua la Grande. who, during the
late war was a staff officer of the Confed-
crate general. Joseph X. Davis, OF Missis-
sippi both say that, even in the militia days
of the first three months of the late war.
they never saw such absolute ignorance Of
everything military as is displayed by these
so-called veteran troops" OF Spain in the
island of Cuba. Though there is, on paper. a
force of 600 men. the effective is scarcely
one-half of this number The rank and file is
so woefuly ignorant that great difficulty is
had to and men with sufficient education TO
act as iloncommissioned officers. and as the
efficiency of all armies is greatly afrected by
the noncommissioned men. sergeants and.
corporals, no wonder that of Spain has sunk
so low.
the best troops Spain has, is over 80 per
cent owing to bad food. poor clothing ana
barracks in which the most obvious sani-
tary regulations are absolutely disregarded.
The condition of the mems barracks invites
yellow fever, which flourlshes where Nth IS
greatest, aud il is small wonder that the
sons of peasants from the mountains or
Spain die like sheep in the yellow fever
breeding barracks of Cuban lowlands. Botn
General Lee and Captsin Barker have been
through the yellow fever seasons OF Cuba
and never felt the slightest uneasiness:
There Is just a suspicion OF uneasiness
here that, in the event of war. Spain may
make a dash at some Of the Southern sea-
coast towns. The great troop ships, IN
which the 10000 men now in Cuba were
brought here from Srain are most OF them
still at HaEana and luatanzas. Iney ear
ried / 200 tol 400 men each nearly four tnou-
sand miles. Had Spain an enterprisns geh-
eral it WOULD be easy enough 70 put