Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-08-27

Landing of the American Troops-From
This Report 1t Would Appear That the
Forces of the United States Occupied a
Subordinate Position to the Soldiers of
"Cuba Libre."
New York. Aug. 2S.-General Calixto
Garcia has sent his first official state
ment concerning the Cuban operations
at Santiago to the Cuban junta In this
city. The messenger bearing General
| Garcia's statement arrived yesterday,
and Horatio s. Rubens, counsel for the
junta, gave out translation Of the
statement as follows:
ION the 9th of June the steamer
Gloucester brought a communication
from General Miles. commandments
chief Of the American army, in which
he informed me of the project to at
tack by land and sea the city Of San
tiago de Cuba, and that it was neces-
sary that the greater part Of the Cuban
forces should advance on that city to
cooperate with him. Immediately l
gave orders that the forces that had
been armed should move forward to-
ward Santiago. very difficult opera
ton. the infantry being almost worn
out. and on account OF the scarcity OF
food for so many people
"Surmounting these difficulties, the
forces arrived at Palma Soriano. and
| on the 18th I marched to Aserraderos,
! where l arrived on the 18th at 1850 a.
M, having been summoned there to
confer with the admiral of the Ameri-
can navy, Sampson. to decide on the
best plan of attacking Santiago de
Cuba. This conference took place on
board the flagship New York. l must
now declare that my object in moving
nv forces on Santiago de Cuba and
meeting the admiral of the United
States navy has been to obey the or
ders 1 received from the council OF gov
eminent to obey and respect the orders
and instructions of the commanders OF
the American army, on their COM
mencing operations in the territory
under my command.
"On the 20th the commander of the
brigade of Ramon de las Teguas, De-
metric Castillo. landed in Aserraderos
from Sagua. brought over by an Amer
lean man-of-war to receive my orders.
a short time after I was advised that
Major General William R. Shafter,
commander of the Fifth army corps OF
the United States army, had landed to
| confer with me on the attack by land
of Santiago de Cuba.
After long conference and after the
American general accepted the plan l
laid before him for the landing of his
troops and to carry out with success
the advance on Santiago he returned to
! the ship. The following day the gen
eral of division, Augustin Cebreco,
| marched toward the west of Cuba
with the forces of his division. with the
object of preventing the enemy from
reinforcing it's garrisons of the coast
in that part, and at s p. m. q force of
$50 men belonging to the division Of
Bayamo, and commanded by Brigadier
General Demetrio Catillo, was shipped
on board an American transport to go
to the reinforcement of the brigade of
Ramon to protect the landing OF the
American army and advance on San
tiago by the east. These forces landed
in Sigua and they advanced at once
on Daiqueri. with their commander,
Colonel Carlos Gonzalez, and with SUI
men of the brigade of Ramon. under
Brigadier General Catillo. The Span
iards. in a great hurry, abandoned
Daiqueri. which Catillo occupied as the
American navy began to lombard IT.,
but firing was suspended as soon as
our flag was hoisted.
THE Americans landed their first
regiments at Daiquiri and advanced on
, Firmeza and Siboney, with the Cuban
forces always in the vanguard, they
being the first to occupy said village.
In Siboney the landing of American
troops was continued, while the Cuban
forces under Colonel Carlos Gonzalez,
advancing on Santiago. sustained Sc
we're encounter with the enemy in Las
Quasimas, suffering some losses, but
inficting greater on the Spaniards.
I'm my conference with Admiral
Sampson and Major General Shafter
we decided that should embark with
3. 600 men at Aserraderos and land east
of Santiago With this object 1 sent
for the forces at Aguacate (near Pal
MAJ. and on the 25th, at a. m, we
began to embark, which operation was
finished in the evening. These forces,
forming three distinct columns, were
respectively under the command OF
Major General Capote, Generals of
Divisions Cebreco and Lora and Brig
adler General Sanchez Hecheverria.
the entire force being under the i'm
mediate command of Major General
Jesus Rab.
At was on board the Alamo with my
staff and some officers invited by Cen
eral Ludlow. who had superintendent
the embarkation. Brigadier General
Sanchez. with d force of 500 men, who
embarked first in the steamer Leona
landed at o'clock p. m. in Siboney.
There were already camped the other
Cuban forces which had arrived be-
fore, as we'll as many thousands of the
American army.
Perfect fraternity regned among
the Cuban and American soldiers. who
yled with each other in good feeling.
On account of the scarcity Of food in
the territory in which we were, from
the first the Americans supplied us
with the necessary rations for the sub
sistence of our forces.
ION the 29th General Shafter and my
self had completed the plan of an at
tack, and ] received from him the order
to march CT the morrow with my
forces toward Santiago, which he him
self would do that same day, some
regiments al cannon having already
advanced In the extreme vanguard.
IN sight Of the fortified Spanish out
posts, was Colonel Carlos Gonzalez,
commanding a division of Bayamo, and
part of the brigade Of Ramon de las
Taguas.
ION the 3Oth 7 encamped with my
forces at FL Salado, nine miles from ST.
honey and four and one-half miles
from Santiago, where General Shafter
established his headquarters. At 3
o'clock in the afternoon I received or
ders to place myself at Marianajo be-
tween Caney and San Juan, to protect
against any attack from the enemy the
batteries which were going to fire on
both points. should the enemy come
from Santiago.
cat the commencement of the at
tack on Santiago there were $4,000