The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-10
CUBL'S BOLD HORSRMEN,
RECORD O THE TEN YEARS. war
AMI THE PRESENT STRUGGLR

Organised by Gen. Jordan of virEinIn-Ex.
ploits by Gen. SnnGuily and Gen. Gomez.
Cuba's historian. when he writes the story OF
| her years OF struggle for liberty, rlghtfully will
give prominence 10 the deeds OF tho Cuban cav.
airy. Some OF his most stirring pages will bo
those on which are recorded the victories won
by small bands OF mounted patriots. Cuba's
cavalry has never been a large force. To-day Il
IA 90 reduced In numbers that the work Il can
do IL limited. Gen, Gomez has a few hundred
mounted men In his command. and there are
small cavalry forces in Camaguey. Sanctl splr.
titus, and tho province OF Havana. They have
maintained a vigorous guerrilla warfare.
IL has been lack Of horses. not men, that has
kept the Cuban cavalry force small. When a
mounted patriot loses his horse In an engage
ment or by sickness, or by the necessity Of kills
ing him to furnish meat for the mess table-as
has been the case at times In this and In the
ten years' war-that cavalryman becomes per.
force an lnfantryman. He has only one chance
OF securing another mount-by capturing the
horse OF some Spaniard. But even that supply
is limited. Horses are scarce In Cuba to-day.
With plenty OF horses the Cubans could or.
RaniEe o powerful cavalry. They arc fine
horsemen. Cuban boys are taught to ride az
soon as they are to walk or talk. Tomas Es-
trada Palma, head Of the Cuban delegation In
this country. learned I. ride on goat before
ne was olo enough 70 cnns 10 Cne sauule OH
morse. me naIive oupan HORSES are Smah ana
wlry, souna OF imp ana oeep OF onest, ana the
macneoe' unat weapon Oh Gne Oupans' can %
welded with It's full force In q cavalry charge.
It is true that the Spanish cavalry on the
island has not been such as to reflect credit on
It's government. The Spanish peasantry. from
whom the men for SPANS Cuban army are
drafted. are not good horsemen in time Of
peace ana sney nave noS oeen eoou hOrSemen
IN war. "hen you mount . n3'uroiiy poor
horseman ana put q carpihe IN one nano anoe
sabre or macheUe IN Ihe otner you nave MADE
LIE miserable Tor him. But the spaniards have
numbers. and go their poor horsemanship does
not take any credit from the victories won By
INC smaiier Ouoau lorceS.
The mettlo Of these men va" shown during
It is written. will bristlo with incidents Of heroic
daring against superior numbers. In CONVEX
satlon WIN a SUI reporter aIeW Gays age Col.
O Oo 81 tSn 81, juno a SanEul,y' oOon : pro onn SIa
tory Of the Cuban cavalry and recalled some
stirring inoidents OF that struggle.
When the revolution broke out in 1893 the
patriots gathered a small force Of mounted
men. hamon oantu' an oncer OF the mexican
Army who had Joined the Cuoans' was put In
command; The force did not do m much under
was put in charge, He brought the force up TO
sSo Sau of ons and Manuel HDtoD,o sn ssTrnDo was "a thu IN
cn"rte u, u u Ah'ohio oetIaho Vi Sno
Of engagements. In November. 1869. the Gu.
ban Junta Of New York sent Col. Thomas Jor-
dan Of Virginia to Cuba with the rank OF Com
mander-in Chief to organize the Cuban Army.
one Of his changes was the substitution Of the
p irS Sian sabre for s the %aShete as a cavalry arm.
anu WIN tnese tne oupahs iought just one
e SHssi ero9 vince W ana q sh saR S the c IN nae dISpa pr,Ri
and defeated q large force OF Spanish Infantry.
they d fhs mdeS. the s1 sabre sied thereafter Ss1tf and nd have
part Of 1870 Soll;, sang9ily, resigned and yor.
dan appointed W: b: {. Ryan: an American
but was EDUCATED e. Buffalo and became
civil war and went to Cuba In 8 After good
service there he returned to the United States
returned to Cuba on the Inflated Virgi9ius ex.
PFs Fec an3 n ana was shot In Santiago with Capt
Wills S at the head. of the Cuban cavalry Ryan
aS@ssF tR e teq sEs saRsils aT Th 1 aInsft anSsii T q TIC ss
e1d 81 l. 1870 r. , there were Sen not fit ~ mounted oIass Pa pa
killed and eaten to keep the men alive. Jor-
dan. had in the meantime, returned to the
United States, and Ignacio ARraponte was at
the head of the patriot forces. He put Julio
%sangullys nov BrlgadierrGeneral again in
paign marked by brilliant victories for the
cuban cavalry.
Sanguily was an example for his men. He
has been lame In one foot from birth. and a few
m0n1ads dpse n Pre- peeSsamlnR ms MS G. m m 1itRsd was
the SADDLE and he rode with one stirrup. side
SoddaIe d fashion But there was no Cuban who
.Sanguily Is the bravest man ever saw In
battle" was Jordan's estimate Of him;
ing still. he ts crippled in one hand. too. now.
but his spirit is the same as 1t was twenty-five
Of the, cavalry he was attacked by, $50 Span
iar6ds. but with his few men he repulsed them.
took the offensive. He attacked a Spanish force
COMMANDED by Ramon Fajardo. who later was