The record-union., 1898-01-08
A Newspaper Correspondent Rides
Through the Lines.
Reports Upon the Number and Condition Of
the lnsurgent Armies.
Their Main Strength Lies in the
Eastern Provinces, All the Cav
airy Being Well Mounted and
Infantry Well Armed-Abso-
1utely No Chance of Starving
the Rebels Out.

Infantry Well Armed-Abso-
1ute1y No Chance of Starving
the Rebels Out.
NEW YORK, Jan. IA Herald
correspondent in Cuba, who has just
crossed the island on horseback,
through the Cuban and Spanish lines.
from Pinar del Rio to the Jucaro-M Mo-
ron trocha, for the purpose of observ-
ing the actual strength and condition
of the insurgent forces to-day, and
their ability to continue the war, writes:
when your orders reached me l was
with the forces of Pedro Diaz, Com
mander-in-Ch of the Sixth Army
Corps in Pinar del Rio Province. We
We're encamped near Cuzco.
Under Diaz, operating in that prov
ince, were General Lorente, command
ing the Second Division. or the terri
tory west of Paso Real, and Vidal Du-
casse commanding the First Division,
or the district east of Paso Real. Cen
eral Lorente has 800 infantry and 400
cavalry, we'll armed and we'll fed, but
lacking clothes Ducasse has 1000 in
fantry and 1900 cavalry in the same
condition.
Operating against this force month
ago We're only three columns of Span
iards. These never succeeded in reach
ing the rebels stronghold in the hills
until General Pando took the field.
The only fighting was when the rebels
invited it.
From Cuzco I proceeded through the
Cuban lines to Havana. / experienced
no difficulty in entering the capital.
Havana and Matanzas Provinces are
under the command of General Alex
andre Rodriguez, Chief of the Fifth
Army Corps. Under General Rodri-
guez are Juan Ducasse, Rafael Carde-
mas, Jaconto Hernandez. Juan Del
gado, Alberto Nordasse and Nestor Ar
angueren.
''The total force under these leaders
Is loo infantry and 100 cavalry, all
we'll equipped. In Matanzas, which be-
longs also to the Fifth Army Corps, are
BrigadierGeneral Betancourt. Colonels
Sanguilly and ValencL with 1900 infan-
try and 300 cavalry. Only about half
this force is armed. This is a difficult
province to operate in. The men remain
watching the coast
These Western provinces have been
familiar to me for the last year, during
which time have been continually with
the rebel forces, except for what time
was necessary to carry dispatches to
Havana. I can vouch for these figures.
On the trip to the East I broke new
ground, but the figures given are from
actual observation.
Il took the field in Santa Clara, from
Santo Domingo, riding out in broad
daylight with guides, and within an
hour was with the insurgent forces un-
der General Arando. That evening I
returned with General Arando to a
suburban town for supper. Arando had
100 infantry and 25 cavalry detailed to
burn sugar cane.
THE next morning I rode thirty miles
and Jointed Colonel Alvarez. who had
1000 infantry and 100 cavalry. Here L
met DR.. Joaquin Caneda, the private
physician of General Gomez on his
way to join the General. I travelled
with him the rest of the way Seven
wounded soldiers in Alvarezs camp the
day previous had sacked the town of
San Juan de Yerro.
The next day I rode twenty miles
to the camp of Eugenio Elsquerra, in
the Plantano hills, two leagues north of
the town Of Manicaragua- Esquerra is
the chief of the Cienfuegos Brigade.
and has in camp 400 infantry and $50
cavalry. From there ] rode three DAYS
through the long grass and over the
mountains, fifty miles to the camp Of
Brigadier-General Nunez, in the Trini-
dad hills. Nunez has 100 infantry and
23o cavalry, engaged in raising vege-
tables.
Il next proceeded to the camp of
Roberto Bermudez in the Montague
hills He had 100 infantry and 20 cav
airy.
Then / went to the camp of Briga-
dierCeneral Monteagudo He had 600
men in camp, and assured me that his
whole division numbered 200 infantry
and 600 cavalry. I believe that he told
the truth because. riding in a straight
line through the five camps just men
toned, / actually saw 1,S0O men,
After leaving Monteagudo 1 entered
what is called the First Division of San
ia Clara, under command of Jose
Miguel Gomez. The whole strength of
the division is 2,400 infantry and 700
cavalry. I did not meet Jose Gomez.
but near Ell Mango 1 struck the camp
of Teyo Sanchez, who had 200 infan-
try and 100 cavalry.
Near Bemedios I entered the camp
of General GARLIC, chief of the Fourth
Army Corps, or the whole Santa Clara
Province. Garlic had in camp 600
men. The whole strength of his COM
mand, as shown by previous figures. is
800 p,en. Two days from Garlic T
rode into the camp of Colonel Velsa.
who is in charge of the outposts of
General Gomez's camp, and a day later
I had the pleasure of saluting the Com
mander-in-C Chief. General Gomez has
in his camp 250 infantry and 100 cav
airy. He seldom has more.
From official returns shown to me
in Gonez's camp I estimate that in
Puerto Principe, where the Cuban
Governments headquarters are estab-
lished, the rebel force numbers 200 cav
airy, with only an insignificant number
of infartry. In Santiago there are p
900 cavalry and fully 10000 infantry.
These figures are conservative.
1T is in the two eastern provinces
that the main strength of the Cuban
insurrection lies, not only in the num-
Der of men. but in the condition of the
country, and a plentiful supply of food
is easily secured. There are living in