Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-26
FIGHTING MARINES
Lieut.. Moses Recounts Incidents at
Guantanamo.
SERVICE RENDERED BY CUBANS
For Nearly Three Days No One
Slept in the Camp.
HE IS NOW ON DUTY HERE

First Lieutenant F. J. Moses, United
States Marine Corps, who was at Guam
tanamo during the exciting times there, and
who returned to Portsmouth, N H., on the
Harvard with 800 Spanish prisoners, is in
the city, having been ordered to command
the marine guard at the navy yard here.
Lieutenant Moses was seen by a Star re-
porter today. The Harvard brought not
only the Spanish sailors who are now being
cared for at Portsmouth, but some of the
Spanish naval officers now at Annapolis
The Spanish naval officers on the Har-
vard,'' said Lieutenant Moses, did not
know that Dewey's fleet had destroyed the
Spanish Manila fleet until they came on
that ship. One of the officers got news
paper after he came aboard, and reading
of the destruction of the Spanish fleet, came
to some of our officers to ask whether the
report was true. 1t was not until after
July they heard the result of that battle,
which had taken place over two months
previously. They had, however heard of
the opening of the fight and of its progress
up to the time Dewey withdrew to have
breakfast served his men.
THE prisoners after l went aboard the
Harvard were well behaved, the only trou-
BILE being in having them keep their quar-
tiers clean and in ORDER
While at Guantanamo did you see any
evidence that Spanish soldiers mutilated
bodies of soldiers killed by then?' Lieut..
Moses was asked.
Il do not believe there was any such
n,utilation. The two marines shot while
On picket duty June IL appeared at first as
if they lad been mutilated but that was
doubtless owing to the fact that together
they received about forty bullet wounds at
close range The Spaniards evidently fired
d yolley on Them
Strain ON Officers and Men.
Lieut. Moses recounting the incidents at
Guantanamo said the strain on officers and
men was terrific, not because of the dan
ger of their position, but because of the
loss of sleep and the constant activity dur
ing the first part Of their stay there.
From o'clock on the morning of Sat
urday, June H." he said. until 10 o'clock
the following Monday night l did not close
my eyes to sleep, and did not lie down.
No one in our command had more than a
cat nap of two three minutes during
that period. l am sure not man slept
half an hour. We were kept awake at
night by the attacks made on US by the
Spaniards and we had to work during the
day
1.-The Cubans rendered us valuable SER
vices. The first lot of eighty of them came
to Sunday, and afterward the number
was increased to 100. They were valuable
for picket and outpost duty, and gave US
information about the location Of the enc
my and the roads, which are really only
paths, leading to our camp. Once knowing
all the roads about the camp 1t was an
easy thing for US to station enough guards
these roads, SO that we could sleep
safely Monday night. The Cubans were
valuable for picket duty in the woods, be-
cause their training was such that they
could see and hear things there that would
not be observed by strangers, or, If seen
or heard, would not be understood. The
Cubans on picket duty appeared to rely
more upon sound than anything else, and
they could distinguish various sounds In
the woods in a way our men could not.
After we had been there some time we be-
came more familiar with things. For In
stance, the sound of land crab crawling
on the sand sounds to the man not ia
miliar with 1t exactly as IL some one were
sneaking up on him, and our men were
given many false alarms in this way. The
Cubans distinguish these sounds at once
Lieutenant Moses has no high idea of
the ability of either Spaniard or Cuban as
marksmen. They all fire too high.
Cubans Indifferent to Bullets.
ION the morning Of Tuesday, June a. the
Sraniards made an attack on U.s." he said.
THE Cubans' camp was down the hillside
toward the water, and when the firing
opened they rushed up the hill The firing
was from the south, and they came on the
hill from the north. When they reached
the top they threw up their hats, shouting
'Five Cuba and 'Vive los AmericanoS,' ap-
parently utterly Indifferent to the fire.
would not be surprised if their indifference
to the fire of the Spaniards was the result
of the long experience in seeing bad marks
manship. We lave always taught our en-
to take advantage of every cover consistent
with the execution of orders. The Cubans
fired and overshot the enemy fifty feet at
least. The Spanish fire also overshot u.s.
The fact that our craftsmanship was of
different kind is shown, when. on Tues
day, June IA, we attacked the Spa niards in
th5ir camp. Capt. Elliott took two and a
half companies of marines and about fifty
Cubans. under Col Tomas, and succeeded
in routing the Sraniards. According to the
statement Of a Spanish officer who .surren-
dered to us the Spanish soldiers there num-
Tered 400 Cubans went over the ground
very thoroughly the next day and reported
to us that they counted sixty-eight dead
bodies of Spaniards. and a few days later
four more dead bodies were found, among
them being the bodies Of two officers. On
the American side one man was wounded
and three Cubans were killed or died of
wounds afterward
Our entire list of killed while at Guam
tanamo was six and four five wounded.
We had $50 officers and men in our force
That was about enc killed to every 100
At Santiago 900 troops were engaged and
$50 were killed. That was about the same
proportion of killed to the number of troops
engaged, though at Santiago the list of
wounded was very heavy. So it doesn't
seem to me that the Spaniards shot well
at Santiago.
1.-The Spaniards didn't allow our force of
marines attacking them to get within 800
yards of them before they broke. From
what l have observed l am inclined to
think the battles between Spaniards and
Cubans we have read of have been fought
at long distances and If they shot as l
have seen them shoot most of their bullets
went over their heads"