The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-14
THE SIEGE OF HAVANA.
Americans Have Had Experience
Spldiering in the Antilles.

For the better information of the Adj
ministration and of Congress, Librarian
John Russell Young has had prepared
a photograph of Cuba. The blonoSfdph
will be presented to Congress in rev
DAYS in the shape of a report from
Senator Wetmore, of Rhode lslahu'
chairman of the Joint Committee on
Library. The collection is divided as
follows: % Books; 90 magazines ar
ranged chronologically; CD Govern
ment documents, arranged chronologic-
ally: (D maps. The photography of
books and essays upon Cuba was MADE
by Assistant Librarian II. Z. Grimm,
and the collection of maps was made
! by p. Lee Phillips.
The amount of literature on cuba
which has been found is surprising, and
many of the facts of early history con-
| tanned in the works are of singular
pertinency to the existing situation.
perusal of some of the books reNealS
| much of great interest to Americans
/ which has been overlooked in current
| literature on Cuba. How few there
are FOR instance, who know that Amer
! lean troops took part in both the sieges
| of Havana; the unsuccessful eXpedl-
ton made by Lord Vernon in the 4Os,
and also III the successful assault made
by Lord Albermarle in 1862. In this
! first expedition was no Ness distlng-
uished American than Major Lawrence
! Washington, brother of George WASH
! inEton. who became such a friend and
/ admirer of Lord Vernon that he named
his Virginia homestead in honor of him.
! Mount Vernon" 1t was from ms
/ brother that George Washington in
/ herited this place which is now one of
| Americas most famous shTines, being
! the reSting-place of the first President.
/ In the second siege of Havana no less
/ than $500 Americans were engaged.
/ They were under command of Brig.
! Gen. Burton, of Connecticut, and arriN-
ed Just at a time when the British
troops. through repulses and sickness,
| were becoming disheartened.
The sufferings Of the British and
| American soldiers from disease during
the siege Of Havana is set forth most
graphically by some of the historians.
In Trumbull's history of Connecticut he
has this to say about the suiferingS of
the sodiery at the siege:
Never was British Valor and resolu-
ton put To a SeVeTer trial: Some of the
soldiers dropped down dead under the
| pressure Of heat. Before the middle
OF July the army in this unwholesome
and burning region. and under the rig
ors of such extraordinary service, was
reduced to half its original numbers.
Five thousand soldiers and 1000 sea
men were i'll at one time. The hearts
of the most sanCuinc sunk within them
when they saw this fine army wasting
! by disease
Trumbull relates that scarcely any of
/ the private American soldiers and but
! few Of the officers ever returned to
their native shores.
such as were not killed in the serY-
ice" he says, were generally swept
away BY the great mortality which pre-
vailed in the fleet and in the army
In the journal OF Rev. John Graham,
who accompanied the Connecticut
troops to Havana as a chaplain, n
frichtful picture is drawn Of the SUI
( ferings IF the provincials He says:
A fatal disease tyellow feveD en-
tiers tent after tent and with irresisl-
bic force strikes hands with soldier
after soldier and with hostile violence
Seizes the brave. the bold and the
strong: no force Of arms. no strength
Of limbs, no solemn vows. no piteous
means. no heaTtrendinS Grpans, no viz
tue i'm means. no skill of physicians can
free from the tyTant hand. Others roll
from side to side and turn into every
posture TO find ease from the pains that
rack their tortured limbs; hearken
and likely you'll hear them as they pass
along return Oaths for groans, and
! curses for signs. horrible to hear. Thus
death in camp reignS and has triumph
= ed over scores already, ana disease has
. hundreds fast bound as prisuners-and
how few. alas how few, are prisoners
of hope"
! 1t is the opinion of the historians who
have written on the subject OF the con-
| quest Of Cuba by the British that heI
, surrender Of the island back To Spain
voluntarily was among the causes OF
, her failure To conquer the thirteen
States in the war for Independence. Ha-
vana was made the principal port OF
the allinCe formed against Great Brit
{ ain at the outbreak Of the war for in
| ! dependence HaZwcll in commenting
upon the bad bargain made by England
in giving up Cuba. advances the opin-
ion that England's action largely in
d | fiuenced the history of the world. He
says:
, "All subsequent history has beer
$ deeply colored by the surrender of Ha-
vana in 1863. But for that Washing
. ton and his associates might have fail
| ed But for that the French revolution
l might have been postponed. as that
; revolution was pTecipitated by imam
cal difficulties which were largely oW-
b ing to the part France took in the wal
! ! that ended in the establishment Of Oul
nationality. But for that England
might have consolidated her American
domain and the house of Hanover al
r this moment been ruling over the Unit
1 cd States -