The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-07-02
gerous and most significant feature

gerous and most significant feature
of the situation. Marching from Man
Eanillo. 100 miles west of Santiago, and
having been on the road for seven days,
quite well advanced now In his prog
ress, Is General Pando. with seven
battalions, aggregating 8.4O0 men. To
oppose him is left Jesu Rabi, with a
force of 1900 Cubans, lying in wait II
miles from Santiago, and on the roads.
or course, 1t would hi perfectly pos
sible for General Pando to take his
column far to the north and make a
junction with the Spanish troops sup
posed to be on the way from Hol-
guin and numbering, 1t is said, 5000
- men. This advance from the north is
being held in check by about 1900
Cubans. under General Castillo, who
claims to hold the passes
General Castillo admitted in camp,
as he smoked his cigar and slipped his
coffee, that his method was to do In
dian fighting in the mountain passes.
When he was asked what his forces
would do II fanked he gravely said he
had no thought Of that, but he sup
posed he would have to retire. The
object Of the Spanish advancing from
Manzanillo may be to elude Rabi, and
by effecting a junction with the Span
1sh from the north to form an army
of 174O0 men. As flank on the west
end of the American army, facing the
city. General Rabi's forces, combined
with those of General Castillo, would
only give combating force Of $500
Cubans, and the Cubans do not hesi-
tate to run before overwhelming num-
bers.
Nor is that all that menaces. Leav-
ing Guantanamo camp of marines and
plunging into the wood to the west
the correspondent found force of 800
Cubans, under command of Colonel
Perez. This force had variously been
estimated at from 1900 to $500 Gu
bans, but there were certainly not
more than 500. as Colonel Perez ad-
mitted in the course Of conversation,
although he had distinctly claimed to
have about 1000 men. This force OF
800 is supposed to be keeping at bay
3,4O0 Spanish troops, who are in tho
town OF Guantanamo. The marines
are near this camp. but to the east
Of it, 30 that they could do nothing to
prevent the Spaniards from moving
to the west on the flank of the Ameri-
can army.
In other words there are to the
northeast and west of the army of in
vaslon thanking forces of Spaniards
comprising over 10000 troops, held at
bay by less than 5000 Cubans, whose
fighting qualities are as yet rather
enigmatical
In an interview with General Garcia
the correspondent called attention to
this situation. General Garcia replied
IL believe that we should be left to
the west and north to prevent Panlo
making junction with Linares. We
can do that"
In spite of this warning General
Garcia and his force were taken to the
east and landed with the army, only
TO be transported in part back again
to prevent the very movement which
Garcia had predicted. The solution of |
the difficulty evidently lies in bril-
liant and quick attack.
The unreliability of the Cuban state
ments as to force may be better un-
derstood when it is known that the
| 200 men Perez promised to sena to
help the marines numbered exactly
81. Of whom Fl are on the sick list
rom over eating.