The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-26
The CUBAN SOLDIER
WHAT OUR CORRESPONDENT
THINKS OF HIM
MUCH CHATTER, LITTLE WORK
Site of Siboney-Respect for Garcia
Mounts Difficult to Get.
Greasy Things
(From Our ownCorrespondent In the F7eld)

(From Our OwnCorrespondent In the F1eld)
SIBONEY, Cuba, twelve miles by land,
eight miles by water from Santiago, June
2.-This town Is a long single street. rum
ming parallel with the beach and backed,
except at the eastern end, by line of hills
about 200 feet high, on which are perched
two of the small defensive works of tine
Spanlards which Stud so thickly the HILL
tops all through this region. One of these
is on sharp peak Just long enough to hold
1t, reached by a flight Of steps, and is abso-
1utely impregnable to an infantry attack
At the east end of the town is low bot
tom, narrow at the mouth but opening out
to a beautiful valley thlckly overgrown
with jungle, above which towers thickly
the graceful cocoanut palm. On the oppo-
site side of the valley, and so situated as to
command the landing and adjacent coast
along the town front. Is an old stone work
with embrasures for a dozen or more guns
a work not later than the seventeenth CEN
fury, and worse than nothing now.
High above 1t is a light work for infan-
try, overlooking the town and landing and
easily commanding both. The water Is
very deep In front of the landing, which Is
on crescent-shaped beach; the only draw
back being the surf when tire wind blows
on shore.
Gen. Garcia's headquarters are here at
this writing. I saw Gen. Garcia passing
along the street on horseback last evening.
A good-sized, dgnifed-looking man of
about so, I should judge, clad dn linen, and
wearing PREDETERMINED Panama hat, one
only had to see him among the surround
ings to know he was leader. He stopped
a moment in front of building used as a
barrack by the Cubans, next to the one &C.
cupied by the correspondents, and noticed
that all the men rose and stood uncovered
while he was speaking.
One scarcely knows what to say of the
Cuban soldiers. Ragged-worse than that,
Observation-Disclosures many of them
barefooted, of all colors, from pure Castil-
liam to pure black of all classes Of social
standing, of total want of 1t, In the island,
they are most motley gathering. One
sees all sorts of arms, from the captured
Mauser, model of 1894, down to the old muz-
zle-loader of half a century ago. Captains
of companies are frequently "as black as
the ace of spades,' and privates pure
white. Occasionally see men In the crowd
whom l know are not natives, but seem to
be in subordinate positions. There arc
some Spanish deserters there, also.
l have just witnessed a scene In front of
the building where 1 write this which re-
minded me of what had read in Stanley's
works on Africa. A detachment has been
In from the front to draw rations 1t had
none other than human transportation.
SIDES of bacon, sacks of flour 200 pounds
each), boxes of hard bread eco pounds each),
etc, all went out on the heads of men about
nine miles to their camp at the front.
There has been wonderful amount of
d chatter, and some did not relish the work.
I saw colored "non-com.," gun in hand,
crawl under our porch after skulker who
came out as if someone more potent than
man was after him. and took his box of
bareback on his head and trotted off after
the crowd.
All seem very slight In build and do not
think have seen man in the ranks tina t
would weigh $50 pounds.
l have spoken of the imposslbllity Of get
ting mounts. and that leads naturally to
thoughts of cavalry and that of Cuban cav
airy. There are some mounted men kept
about their headquarters. for orderly duty.
their mounts the ordinary scrubby pony of
the country. often not more than thirt.c
Aa1lus HlSl, tnln ana SOre-baCked, unShOO
(but none lance, and all "gaited"-not a
square trotter among them. Their fora re
consists principally of young cane, carried
In bundles frequently covering the animal
completely fro mears to tail.
Their saddles are such as they can obtain
mot the slightest uniformity For saddle
blankets many use a thick quilting of straw
or coarse grass, and a thick mat of same
material is used IN place of an "arapeto''
or of a pack Saddle for pack animals. The
latter are the sorriest of the sorry" With
raw, liberated backs and shoulders they
stagger along under heavy loads which are
more than our well-fed good-sized ami
mails are made to carry, the contrast too
sharp to be overlooked even by the most
careless observer
Every Cuban foot soldier carries pack
of greatersoFo less dimensions. It has not
the shape of knapsack or of a peddler's
pack; 1t is of any shape that the contents.
!. e., what constitutes his IA ton, and what
ever else he may be possessed of, may give
1t. He hangs 1t over his shoulders by any
sort OF cord or strap he can get; frequently
rope made of bark, and which one would
think must wear his armpits raw in an
hour. If anything in 1t is greasy, what does
that matter? He has other greasy things
on him-one more does not add much TO tho
load. HENRY ROMEyN
Brevet Major. U. S. A., retired.
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