Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-30
The Public Passion to Bestege Hn-
hama.


Spanish wolf" seem to regard it as an In
| dispensable part of the programme tnat
| Habana must be bombarded from the sea
| and besleged by land, and. as nearly az
possible, wiped out. AS a matter OF fact'
II is extremely improbable that such con-
| dition3 will arise, In case we should get
into a war with Spain. as 70 make the
firing Of hostile gun In the neiBhDor-
hood OF Habana a necessity. The leading
facts have been sufficiently stated, for
they are very simple, but there is pop
ular passion for getting away from them
! and doing something magnificent, Tor the
| sake of sentiment, and to make great
| historic picture
| Habana Is n city built with reference 10
| the great harbor, and II Ii made any ulI-
ference to the filibuster 1t might be worth
while TO mention that il is the most sol
| idly built OF American cities. The wails
Of the public buildings and the great busi-
| ness houses and the superior residences
are strangely impressive; the amount Oh
stone consumed i'm construction Is enor-
nous. AS a matter of fact, the lombard
ment. which is the favorite scheme, would
be exceedingly expensive in the way of
| committeeman very destructive, ana
| of no military service whatever. The
| average imagination sizes IL up that our
| big battleships should steam into the vi
cinity of the Moro. and the batteries
along shore, and destroy them with tre-
mendous projectiles. That We could do.
But If there was not the slightest occa-
| sion for doing it, We do not know why
| our good fixed ammunition should be con-
| sumed. and our fine modern artillery
wrenched and worn in the course of the
| ceremony.
The American people have no occasion
| 70 Ia inv eli nj
| troops. 1t might be a fine soldierly thing
to land division or two, especially dur
| ing the rainy season. and have them drive
the Spanish columns inside their alleged
| lines, and capture their Notifications,
and proceed in the usual way. But there
is no demand for that line of business.
There are plenty OF Cubans. If we Will
furnish the guns and some clothing, with
abundant ammunition, we will see that
the Spanards shall not roam about on the
island much, after Spain goes to war with
the United States. The Spanish army
Is not estimated at less than $1,000 men,
able for duty in Cuba now. There are
probably a great many more names on
the pay-rolls than there are faces in the
columns But that is the affair of the
officers We should think, however. that
the army of 6O,0OO not too large for the
actual forces OF the Spanish regulars. Tnis
army is fed from New York. WITHIN
a few days there have been immense pur-
chases of provisions here. with the view
Of having a little reserve. IL would De
strikingly inconvenent for Spanish
army Of 5000 men to be shut up IN an
island with only two weeks scant ra-
tions. and very shadowy chances OF adul-
tional supplies. Hence certain Items III
the provision trade
w ha
our coast line all along the Gulf and the
Atlantic. so that it shall be secure from
the little ships and the big ships or the
Standards that may be trying TO proWl
round and do a little aggressive mischiet
But the one thing needful is, that our
feet. which can be concentrated from
the several southern ports, say at the
Dry Tortugas or Key West, or any
place where there is good sea ROOM shalI
be decidedly superior TO the FORCES Oh
the enemy. There can be no serious
doubt that such would be the con1itloh
II war were forced upon us at once, ana
that every days delay will make our
triumph as a sea power in the cuban
waters the more certain and conclusive.
We do not need TO lombard the MORO,
or Habana or to besiege the city, We
have only 10 maintain the blockade or
the west end of the island. Those VINO
are very Jealous about the war display
the invasion of Cuba and the siege OF
Habana would cause, might be startled
II the story were not familiar to them
probably it is not-of the frightful loss
of the British, and the American troops
when they besieged and took Habana In
1853. Lord Albemarle. the English com
mander-ln-chief, had a splendidly ap-
pointed fleet-twenty-five sail Oh the
line-altogether over $50 vessels in various
capacities-storage and hospital ammu-
milton and provisions and water-but IL
was found that the ground in the nelgn-
borhood of Habana was terribly nara
10 work in trenches; that carrying water
supply from ships was a tedious and UNI
certain resource; that the effects OF the |
climate were most facilitating, and In |
the course of a few weeks the English |
army was smtten by horrible disease |
that closely resembled the ancient plague |
and the soldiers persisted in thousands. |
Just as affairs were getting desperate !
there came down from New York 200 !
Proyincials about LOO Of whom COM |
posed a Connecticut regiment, while the |
rest were New Workers and New Jersey
men. They were commanded by Gene
raj Iayman. The hero OF the affair
turned out to be old Israel Putnam who
opened his career by getting shipwrecked |
hama. But such was the adroitness OF
the Yankees in building RATS that there
was not a man lost. and they got ashore
in pretty good shape The presence OF
2 200 Proyincials put heart into the
British army. and after some further
weeks of sanguinary and deadly lighting,
Habana was captured, and the Spaniards
have not forgotten yet the immense
amount of silver that was carried out OF
the town. Lord Albemarle's share being
S625. coo. The Spanlards had been Of the
impression that they would derive great
assistance from their large fleet in the
harbor, but that fell to the spoil Of the
English The pertinent point I'm con-
sideration Of this matter Is, that very
few Of the 1900 Provincials ever saw
home again after their Cuban adventure
They were stricken with terrible fevers,
and died at a frightful rate. Only few
small groups OF the fine Connecticut
regiment survived, II may be we'll TO
bear these things In mind, while we hear
the passionate cries OF statesmen and
warriors In favor of bombarding and be-
siegng. when there is no utility in IL.
We do not suppose il possible Tor the
Spaniards to accumulate provisions and
enough 10 stand siege for
some months In Habana. But II Is re-
cent item OF information from the city
that they have on hand about four
months supply of coal; and they might
scratch together before the port OF New
York closes against them a good deal to
sat. and they would have a very delight
'ul water supply as long as they held the
,ity. while the old difficulty of 1863. OF
procuring water for the Desieging army,
would be one Of the EXTREMIST gravity,