Evening star., 1898-03-04
POSSIBLE WAR WITH SPAIN.

How Hostile Operations Would Prob
ably BE Conducted.
Cen Bradley johnson in the Baltimore American.
There are laws Of strategy by which mill
tary operations are conducted which are
laws Of nature, and one war which has
happened goes far to demonstrate what
will happen in another.
do not know, nor does any one out OF
the official Spanish circle know, how many
men Spain has under arms in Cuba. Up to
a year ago over 100000 regular troops from
Spain had landed in Cuba. How many have
fallen in battle or by disease or have re-
turned home l do not know, and have no
means of estimating.
Besides the Spanish regulars there Is a
large body of volunteers enlisted from the
native-born Spaniards. clerks, business men
of the cities-probably $1,000 Of them. They
are better troops than the regulars. The
latter have been conscripted in Spain. In
the cities and from the country boys, and
are deficient in discipline. in drill and In
esprit de corps. They are well armed. but
they certainly do not know how to use
their arms. They are Infinitely worse
clothed than even our confederatee IN the
war between the states: are ragged, hlthy
and badly fed. Their pay Is generally
months in arrears. and the commissariat
utterly inefficient. The volunteers, on the
other hand. handle themselves better, are
more alert, show more esprit and are fairly
well clothed. Therefore. IN case OF war,
you must calculate on meeting 1JO.O0O men
in the field, good and bad-some good ana
some good for nothing. The Spanish on-
GERS are gentlemen and men of education
but 1 got the impression that they are
utterly deficient in military training OF the
simplest and most elementary kind. A gen
tIeman told me there had been 5000 Span
ish troops camped on his estate Tor eight
months, just outside OF one OF the ciues.
and in all that time he had only seen one
drill-a captain of a light battery drilling In
vnnyeruantf NV informant was
an American soldier Of experience-had
been captain of the 18th Mississippi.
The harbor of Havana Is fortified by the
MORO fortress at the east entrance. a
heavy. Fashioned work OF masonry, and
armed with antiquated guns. 1t has also
q number of KrupD guns. en- barbette, on
the seashorc-that would be very enectve
against a fleet OF Havana harbor. but the
MORO masonry would not stand modern
guns for an hour. Inside the Morro further
up the harbor is the Cabanas fort. walled
with masonry and well armed. 1t seems as
II the interior harbor was wen detendeo
with submarine mines and these would be
relied on much rnore than the guns OF the
forts. On the west side is another heavy
fortification.
wou,d not be q good place to attack. But
six miles east of the MORO Is Cojhmar, a
summer resort, with sandy beach and
deep water.
Havana in three days. These troops
marched from Cojimar and Guanabacoa,
seized the range Of hills q short distance.
two or three miles. In rear OF the MORO,
and the Spanish fort surrendered. The
British held Cuba until 1t was restored to
spain by the treaty of peace. Spain has
good navy. 1t is overwetghted by the
metal Of the American navy. but u VIA De
Its fighting qualities. It would put up q
game and hard fight. Forrest used to say
] The whole art of war - TO Git there fust