The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-06


fantry has been overestimated, and l
don't believe they will offer very effect
i've resistance. They seem to have about
~, 900 troops in all, with old land
works which are more serious than the
infantry. They have little artillery and
a mere handful of cavalry. Ii will be
N infantry fight. AS our reinforce
ments, which arrived today, were so
slow in coming had made up my mind
to make an assault without them, but
when | heard that they would arrive
today decided to wait, because few
| thousand men are not TO be despised.
don't want to lose any more than neces-
| sary, and we will probably storm Santi-
| ago when we get our troops in position,
but it is barely possible that we may
starve them out. ;"
Then | saw Garcia on the hillside
among his ragged soldiers, a splendid
old hero in spotless white linen from
head to foot. 1t would be hard to imagine
more dignifed or noble figure. He
eagerly inquired for news regarding the
American operations in the Philippines.
II hope it is not true" he said, with
sudden touch of passion, THAT the
United States intends to surrender the
Philippines to Spain. 1t would be a
crime against humanity, liberty and
civilization to yield the brave men who
have been fighting for independence
back into the hands of their cruel and
barbarous enemies. l do not believe it
possible. Anything but that. Here in
Cuba we see at last the daybreak of our
freedom after three years of horror and
barbarism. My men are in the front
waiting for the word to join the Ameri-
cans in fighting the enemy. Let no one
imagine Spaniards will not fight. 1t
will be foolish fight, for they have no
chance of success. They are fighting for
no idea. 1t is mere brute obstinacy.
They are like bulls, who fight merely
because they have horns. think it will
take two days battle to reduce Santi-
ago. but victory is absolutely certain. :"
Then the venerable soldier stood up
and, unfolding his faded flag, put it in
to my hands, saying:
81 present to the New York Journal,
in commemoration of its services to lib
erty, the headquarters flag Of the east
ern department of the republic. You see
upon it the marks of Mauser bullets.
This flag has been borne through many
battles, and hundreds of brave men
have died under it. It's colors are faded,
but it is the best thing the Cuban re-
public can offer to its best friend. You
were our friend in the dark days when
we had few friends, and now that we
have many friends we do not forget
what you did for us when we were
weak and alone.
The spirit of the army is high. The
officers have full control of the men,
there is no apparent clash Of authority,
and it is now obvious not only to mill
tary critics, but to laymen, that Nc.
Kinley wisely chose not to send these
thousands of men into this scorching.
blistering jungle until it was an effective
army, we'll balanced and adjusted and
fit to fight desperate enemy under
tropic sun.
The army got here neither too soon
nor too late The stroke was timed with
sure Judgment. Now that am here on
tuo spOb anu Cdu bct tu6 ullll-
culties and peculiarities of this cam
paign am satisfied that Mckinley is
right in deciding to attack Santiago
rather than Havana, for with good wa.
ter and high ground here we may &C
complish in the rainy season what would
have been sheer impossibility in the
deadly lowlands and swamps Of Havana
province
We are in sight of Santiago now,
where the sovereignty of Spain is in.
trenched about its own grave. 1t may
be that the taking of this seaport and
capture of what must be considered all
that there is of an effective Spanish navy
will induce the great powers of Europe
to compel Spain to sue for peace, but
every officer and every private in the
American forces on land and sea hopes
that no peace will be granted till the
American flag is nailed to the fiagstaffs
of Porto Rico and the Philippines-no
simply hoisted there, but nailed.