The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-18
A SPLENDID OPPORTUNITY

der class of men can be found any
where. A tin cup of hastily boiled coffee
and a hunk of half-roasted beef have
formed for months al a time their mid
day ''banquets" They have thrived on
such fare, and could endure uaflinch-
! ingiy on much less. Exposure is COM
monplace for them. 1t is, indeed, their
. mode of living.
At San Antonio is Captain j. S. Nc
/ Mel, as hardy a ranger as ever wore
/ buckskin. For several years he has
| been in the service of the United States
/ marshal for the western district CT
/ Texas. When Catarino Cara and Cen
| eral Francisco Ruiz Sandoval led their
famous filbustering expeditions across
the Rio Grande into Mexico. seven
/ years ago, he was in command of a
squad of rangers that did more than
! the entire federal sOldiery in the de-
/ partment of Texas to dispense and cap
ture the filibusterers. He was given
personal credit BY Mexican authorities
for the maneuvers that resulted in the
apprehension CT General Sandoval.
Captain McNiel is inclined to tact
turnity, but recently he was persuaded
to discuss the possibility of organizing
brigade of rangers If the govern
ment would authorize the formation Of
say. 10000 Texas rangers or cowboys,
he is quoted as having said. the task
of occupying Cuba would require little
or no additional attention from the
army. OF course. the matter of trans
porting the men and their horses to
Cuba would have to be taken care of
by the naval authorities; but with that
the Texas boys would have no concern.
Several army men have talked along
this line with me, and most of them
insisted that it would be necessary for
of artillery, with few detachments of
infantry OF course they may know
more than I about tactical warfare
with the disciplined troops of civilized
countries, but l rely on my knowledge
of the Texas rangers.
1T is true that we would have to de-
pend on the navy to blockade Havana.
but that is natural. Hem in the Span
ish soldiers now in Cuba, and with
such a force as I mention the Span
iards would be either dead or American
prisoners within a few weeks. I under
stand that the available Spanish troops
around Havana number less than 10000
Let those familiar with the marksman-
ship and craftsmanship of the Texas
ranger figure on what the result would
be in a combat otherwise equal between
an army of understood. half hearted
Spaniards and a body of Texas rangers
of one-fifth their number. but of proved
courage and certain craftsmanship.
4 believe it is more than a year ago
that we read of the Lone Star company
of Texas volunteers in the Cuban army
fighting till the last man fell. There
were less than 80 Texans in that troop,
but when the scrimmage was over.
more than four times their number of
dead Spaniards lay around their own
bodies
The history of Texas struggle for /
independence sheds an instructive /
light on this thing. At San Jacinto +
720 Texans routed and practically an
initiated a disciplined army of fully
eight times their number of Mexicans |
Here, in the Alamo. 1872 Texans with /
stood for II days the assaults of more .
than 5000 trained Mexican soldiers. The I
Texans were not numerous enough to I
man the walls of the building but /
when at last General Cos forced an
entrance and maSSacred the defenders. |
he had lost fully a fifth of his follow /
ers.
II do not want you to misunderstood |
or cOnstrue as an exaggeratiOn what I
I say of the things we could do in
Cnba- But there is the same sort of
blood here now as there was in rs and
the 40s and the Cos. History shows
most decisively the great superiority Of
the Texan as fighter over the Next
can soldier. Is there much difference +
between the Mexican and the Span
lard or this score? What was done in
Sc and 81 can be repeated in Cuba.
But ii would not be necessary to make
such sacrifices. The Cuban patriots
seem to be holding their own very well
IN Cuba. as it is. What would be the
result if an American fleet were to
blockade Havana and 10000 cowboys
thrown into the island to lead the in
surgents in offensive measures? /
don't think there is any doubt as TO the
result. OF course. it might be well after
hat to occupy the island with suffi-
Gent number of infantry to thoroughly
garrison it and prevent the fomenting
IF seditious movements against our
army of occupation. Then. too. after
hat the cowboys might be serviceable
elsewhere in the war
Il presume that European disciple
larians would laugh at my views of