The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-28

the memory of the gallant Capt. We
lasco and Marques Gonzales, who fell
in the defense of the Castle; it was
very near here that the English forced
their way in and took possession.
siege of 1862 Recalled.
In fancy the traveller may go back a
hundred and forty years to that sum-
mer which saw the beginning of the
most important epoch Of Cuba's histo-
ry-most important save this last one.
Looking over the parapet IN the wall
of which the tablet is placed, one may
see stretched out before him the scene
of the hardest military struggles OF
the English invasion. All of that sec
ton speaks OF that summer of l162 10
those that have read the history for 1t
was there that siege was laid TO the
MORO The road from the landing
place, more than three miles away,
was cut slowly and with great labor
through a stubborn underbrush and
over a rocky soil. Men fell at their
work, exhausted by the unusual heat,
and yellow fever broke out in their
midst, so that at one time 1000 SOL
diers and seamen We're on their backs,
almost half the entire number. Still
the English refused to become discour-
aged even when one of their batteries,
which had taken 900 men seven days to
build, was destroyed by fire. They
continued to push their trenches to-
ward MORO and planted mines under
its verv walls.
The Governor of the MORO was the
naval Capt. Don Luis de Velasco,
about whom the glory of that campaign
gathers-that is. on the Spanish side.
He was the idol of the soldiery. the in
spiration of the officers, and the admi-
ration of the enemy. He knew of the
preparations made by the enemy, and
that he had no materials with which
to sink a cOunter-mine; his force was
much deprecated by hard service, and
it had consisted of trained soldiers,
whose places had now been filled by
others less experienced But he re-
fused to surrender his charge, and the
council put it in his power to do as he
thought best.
English Sprung Mines.
Forty-four days after the English
landed their mines under Morro's walls
were sprung. Only one had any eff
feet The report of the explosion was
heard within, and the officer of the
day investigated at once, and reported
to Caps Velasco that the damage was
so trifling as to be almost none at all.
And yet this officer, Milla by name, was
in no wise in league with the English.
The English leaders inspected the
breach from their vantage point by
means of glasses, and Influenced by
the chief engineer came to a conclu-
sion exactly opposed to the one reach
ed by the Spanish officer of the day.
The mine was sprung shortly after l
o'clock-at 4 the English standard
f1oated over the. mass of ruins, for
within it was nothing else. Capt. We
lasco was mortally wounded early in
the assault. When the English COM
mander-in-chief, Gen. Lord Albemarle,
entered the castle he asked to be taken
where the wounded Spanish leader lay,
that he might express in person his adj
miration for such brave conduct as he
had shown. At the wounded mans
earnest request he was taken to his
own home in the city, an English
colonel accompanying him as mark
of courtesy.
Captain VeIasco Buried There.
Two days later he was buried. While
he lay on his bier the soldiers pressed
about to touch his garments, that
some of his power might fall on then.
The salute fired in the city as he was
laid to rest in one of the churches
was answered by a volley from the
heights across the harbor. A truce
had been declared for the time. After
the Spaniards surrendered the castle
the city guns We're at once turned up
on 1t. Its capture meant the beginning
of the end, for with it's chief defenses
gone the city could not stand. On
the 14th of August the conquerors
took possession of Havana.
One of the great benefits derived
from the possession of the Moro was
plenty of water for the troops. The
castle had two immense cisterns,
which obviated the necessity of carry
water for miles, as had been done be-
fore. some of it having been brought
by boats from the Almendarez river,