Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-05
CUBAN CAMPAIGNING
SPANISH-lNSURGENr WARFARE DE-
SCRlBeO BY A CUBAN COLONEL.


Tho Cuban Soldiers Heroes In the Ewes OF
tho North If They Are Poorly Armed and
Esd and Weak I'm Snnber.-Gave up Land
and Possessions to Join fnsurEent Army.
The Cuban soldiers. poorly armed
and poorly fed and weak in numbers.
have become heroes in the eyes of the
kind North. True. we have heroes
among us. and we all try to fight brave
ly for our country. We willingly give
up lands. professions and quiet to Join
the torn ranks Of the little army; and
we win many wonderful victories.
These victories are due, to great ex-
tent. tC the fine qualities of our own
men-to their dash and skill-but
partly to the inexpe-ience Of the troops
sent against us by the Spanish govern
ment. Boys of II AID under are forced
TO take up arms against men for whom
they have no real feeling OF enmity.
They are rushed about through coun-
Try they do not know; they are treat
ed like dogs by most of their officers,
and harassed by us from daylight till
dark. Few of their old troops are left
TO fight us. They We're men OF mettle
and knowledge of warfare. and often
proved too much for us, man for mar.
But the new recruits arc fighting I'M
willingly. in u cause they do not love,
and if we have any pity to spare from
our cwn people it is for them.
The Cuban in his early boyhood is
trained in the use OF the Macbete. III
time OF peace he uses it to cut cane
and tirewood and us Il tool in carpentry
work: but when he rides to war it be-
comes more deadly than the American
army sabre or the old-time rapier
Every countrymau, white or black,
owns nlachete. SO in this respect our
men are easily armed. Many OF our
cavalrymen are without carbines, but
as the wild charge is the most effective
method of breaking the enemy in our
guerilla fighting the man with moth
ing but his machcte is not entirely use
less. When the Spanish commanders
hear that we are somewhere in the vi
cinity and march into the hills to sub
due MS, our horsemen divide into small
squads OF ten or twelve and our infan-
try lie in ambush. When the Spanards
are near enough to make sure targets
we open fire on them from the brush
Sometimes they answer this volley and
charge at the smoke, and sometimes
safety. In either case our little band
of horsemen break in upon them from
every side and cut and retreat. The
Spanish officers may try to form their
men into squares, but very often their
attempts are unsuccessful, so we cut
them down as they run. This is our
way Of coping with the superior num-
bers OF Spanish regulars sent out to
beat us back into servtude. Some
times the victory is ours. often it is
theirs for once in the open their num-
bers tell. We would not be able to
carry our system of ambush anu dead
ly attack into operation but for our re-
lays of scouts, who keep the main body
OF our army notified Of every move
ment of the enemy.
Most OF the colored soldiers fighting
for the Cuban cause are in the infan-
try being too poor to own mounts of
their owI-and In our army every man
supplies his own horse, or else goes on
foot. We have been under arms for
over three years, and during all that
time have known no such thing as pay
day.
Americans have too great a fear OF
catching yellow fever in Cuba. The
truth OF the matter is that our pastoral
districts; and our hills are as healthy as
any country in the world, and that the
disease RACES only in the vicinity OF
Havana, and there it is partly due TO
the cal elessness of the Spaniards in
their sanitary arrangements.