The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-18
SPANS ARMY scORNED.
Officers at W"shington Certain Our
Troops Are Superior

Troops Are Superior.
Washington, June l7-Army o.ucers who
have been reading the recent news from
Cuba are discussing with great confidence
the prospect OF an early encounter of the
United States troops with those of Spain.
The superiority manifested ny the Unit
ed States marines at Guantanamo in fight
ing the soldiers of Gen. Pando's army
confirms some opinions that had been
formed upon reports given by Gen. Lee
and other observers of the Spanish SOL
diers.
The information of the war department
is that three different classes of fighting
men viii be met by the forces of the
United States
The most annoying. and the least nu-
merous, are the guerillas. composed al
most exclusively of an outcast class Of
blacks, fit for prison if they have not just
been released to do duty in the service of
the country that released them. They are
not likely 10 give or to look for quarter,
and may be expected TO be guilty Of afro
cities to the dead or to prisoners in bat
tie They never fight in bodies, but scat
Ter in the bush and have some craft of
the woods and the trail.
Another sort of soldier to be looked for
is the volunteer. He is a Cuban attached
to Spain and he dislikes the insurgents in
tensely, and win fight stubbOrnly, but
without great military skill These are
not looked for in great numbers at the
east end of the island, but in and about
Havana they are numerous and well
equipped. They have better notions of
drill than the regulars but they are not
inclined to get up early in the morning
to fight.
I,roY,, e,,ob H., forroa tion ae tbe arr,v has
the third class, made up of the Spanish
regulars will be the most numerous and
the least to be feared. They have not
been well cared for by Spain, they have
no such discipline and drill as the men
of the United States army, they do not
know what it is to march long distances;
insufficient food has reduced their ability
for energetic work, they have no HOSTILE
ty to the Cubans, and they will fight be-
cause they cannot choose to do otherwise.
Some of the officers of the army, who
have been looking into the conditions of
the United States forces, say they will
not be surprised to hear that the subjuga-
ton of the Spaniards in Cuba will turn
out to be very much such task as the
army of the United States undertook in
the Mexican war; when the progress to-
ward the City of Mexico was scarcely OBJ
structed.
None of the Spanish soldiers have ever
been beset by small insurSent bands, when
they could not avoid them. and they have
sometimes discharged their Mauser rifles
into the brush in the hope that there was
something to hit.
The experience of meeting with armed
forces that will not run when attacked will
be an entire novelty to them.
If 500 marines could penetrate five miles
! into the enemy's country with such sue
| cess as was met at Guantanamo. army
men and navy men, too, believe that the
! regiments of the army will soon demon
! strate their fitness to do up the Span
| iards In conflict.
To the marines the experience they have
been having was new. Not one in ten of
them has ever had anything except bar
rack experience, varied by duty on board
| ship in piping times of peace.
The infantry and cavalry of the army
have had some lighting experience. They
have learned on the plains some lessons
| about tackling foes who indulge in am
| bushes. .yAsiJ
For many reasons, merely suggested
| here, army officers look for interesting re-
| ports as soon as Gen. Skaters men get
| ashore and are afforded a chance to use
| their Krag-Jorgensen rifles
| IF" said one of them, there is any
| Spanish force to be found In the open or
in the bush, our infantrymen and dis
| mounted cavalry will find and fight them
| with good appetite, regardless OF numbers.
| Only those who have come in contact with
| the regulars of the plains know anything
| about them.
| "Unless Gen. Blanco and Gen. Pando
! have been concealing the good qualities of
| their fighting men, and thus have deceived
us to lead us on. It is my opinion that in
the first engagement our troops will make
it plain that in an open field or even pro-
| tected by works the men of the United
States forces will outmatch them. Our
men will prove so superior that we will
| wonder very soon why Gen. Shafter want
ed as many as 1900 troops to capture
Santiago and clean out the east end of the
island"