The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-23
WAS A BARREN VICTORY
Story From a Spaniard's Cap
tured Diary.
THEY ARRIVED TOO LATE
Reinforcsments Made Painful and d.
hcult March From Manzanillo
to the Aid of
Santiago.

Washington, Jan. 22.-The bureau o
naval intelligence has printed a secont
edition of the diary of Lieut. Muller Te
jeiro, the Spanish naval officer at San
tiago whose record of events during thu
siege created such an interest wner
first made public several weeks ago.
The new edition of the captured diary
contains several chapters omitted from
the first publication. Among these are
contained description of the forces ir
Santiago province, the defensive works
around Santiago and the sinking of the
Reina Mercedes.
This Spanish cruiser was reported al
the time to have been sunk by the fire
of our fleet but it seems from the
statement of Tejeiro that she was sunk
by the Spaniards with the same hope
that the Merrimac was sent in under
Hobson, that of blockading the chan
mel. In this she did not succeed.
The writer also devotes a chapter to
the Spanish volunteers, but the most
valuable from a historical point of view
describes the march of General En-
carlos column, which was thrown into
the city after it's investment by the
American forces.
Ezcario's column started on June 90
in answer to pressing cablegram two
days earlier from the commander Of
the 4th army corps in Santiago, and
contained beside it's infantry force a
pack train of 1873 mules and part of a
mountain battery, which helped to
clear the attacking Cubans from the
various commanding positions they c.
cupied along the line of march.
The country through which the march
was made was jungle grown from long
neglect and the road had to be re-
opened with matchetes through the
tall, rank weeds. At best the men could
march only two abreast and most of
the time in single file.
The orders had been to avoid engag-
ing the enemy en- route, but the Cuban
skirmishers struck the Spanish column
the second morning out and hung about
1T like hawks over a wounded snake
throughout the whole of it's painful
journey. The only town entered was
Bayamo. Ezcario had been cautioned
to avoid the towns, but, with engaging
frankn ess. he explained that he could
not, for the honor and morale of his
command, let them pass so near town
without capturing it. Bayamo was te-
ken with the loss of one man, though
wounded. 1t was barren victory ex-
cept that it inspired the much harassed
Spaniards, who had been sleeping in
the rain and fighting in the sun every
day since their leaving Manzanillo.
The Spanish column was decimated
by sickness and the litter train grew in
size every day. The Cubans had am
buscades at every ford and occupied in
force all the elevated positions. The
anlbuscades were usually smoked cut
by Ezcario's skirmishers, and the
stronger positions captured after sh arp
brushes with the Cuban forces and the
column pushed on to Aguanote, which
it reached July l.
Here occurred the hottest fight of the
journey and what Ezcario himself said
was the finest resistance he had ever
seen the Cubans make during the whole
of the campaign. A Cuban force csti-
mated at 1000 was driven from an eX-
tensive line Of intrenchments. They left
II dead on the field and large pools of
blood testified to other casualties. Lz-
carlo lost seven dead and one lieuten-
ant and AZ privates wounded.
On July 2 the column was at Palma
Soriano, in Telegraph distance of San
tiago, and received urgent appeals to
hurry in to the defense of the city A
flying column was formed which reach
ed Santiago at 8 p. m. next day, and
all, including wounded. were there
within the Spanish lines by 10 that
night. The relief forces were immedi-
ately assigned positions on the firing
line in the city's defense.