236 



CUBA. 



crime of rebellion, instead of deterring Cubans from 

 joining the insurgents made them more eager to 

 fight for Cuban independence. During a rain storm 

 Quintin Baiulera succeeded in crossing the trocha 

 near the south coast with 60 men, raided the out- 

 skirts of Batabano to obtain supplies, collected a 

 force of 1,600 men, and marched eastward toward 

 Cienfuegos to meet re-enforcements for Maceo. 

 Early in September a serious engagement was 

 1'on g'ht in the mountainous part of Havana prov- 

 ince and another near Bayamo, where Rabi routed 

 the Spaniards and captured military supplies and 

 money. While 10,000 freshly equipped Cuban 

 troops under Francisco Carrillo were encamped 

 near Sancti Spiritus, Gomez manoeuvred a force 

 of 5,000 in the vicinity of Santiago and captured 

 two munition trains. Raids were frequent in Ha- 

 vana and Matanzas. The Spaniards pushed for- 

 wand the forts of the Moron-Jucaro trocha and sent 

 re-enforcements to prevent Gomez from reinvading 

 the central sugar district, yet there a force of 800 

 troops in charge of a convoy was captured. 



Salvador Cisneros issued a proclamation forbid- 

 ding all work on plantations during the coming 

 season and warning planters that no one would be 

 allowed to grind cane until peace should be ob- 

 tained, all able-bodied farm hands being required 

 for the service of the Cuban republic. Another de- 

 cree of the Provisional Government suspended the 

 collection of debts or rents and interdicted trans- 

 fers of property pending a treaty of peace, and for- 

 bade property holders to pay taxes levied by au- 

 thority of the Spanish monarchy. To prevent any 

 arrangement between planters and the Cuban Gov- 

 ernment whereby the former would be allowed to 

 harvest their crops on payment of a subsidy, Gen. 

 Weyler issued, in his turn, a decree forbidd'ing all 

 field work on the coffee and sugar plantations 

 throughout the island. 



The killing of pacificos by the troops of Melguizo, 

 Fondeviella, Aguilera, and Molinas became more 

 frequent when the rebels renewed their activity, 

 and the latter retaliated by killing unarmed Span- 

 iards and the families of volunteers. One or more 

 prisoners in Cabanas or Morro Castle were shot 

 daily through the summer. These executions be- 

 came commoner until a climax was reached on 

 Sept. 13, when 51 insurgents were shot. Many of 

 the leading citizens and professional men of Havana 

 were arrested and thrown into prison. Among 

 them were the supposed members of the revolution- 

 ary Junta, and later others were imprisoned on the 

 suspicion that they were reviving the committee. 

 Early in September Gen. Gomez made a long march 

 through Santiago and Puerto Principe, gathering 

 many fresh recruits near the capital of the latter 

 province. Gen. Garcia besieged Guaimaro and 

 forced the garrison to surrender on Oct. 28. 



The Autumn Campaign. The Spanish Gov- 

 ernment between Aug. 23 and Sept. 20 sent 40,000 

 troops to re-enforce the army in Cuba, to be fol- 

 lowed by 20,000 more when needed. With their 

 new supply of war materials the Cuban leaders had 

 been able during the summer to train and equip 

 fresh forces in proportion. Maceo had 20,000 men 

 in his army, and the other commands aggregated 

 between 50,000 and 60,000. While 12.000 of the 

 fresh recruits from Spain were sent to guard the 

 (tavern trocha, the rebels of Pinar del Rio, who had 

 been menacing Pinar del Rio city and destroying 

 smaller places, made a combined attack on the 

 western trocha, firing on all the forts and on the 

 trains that brought re-enforcements. To prevent 

 the landing of the expeditions of Juan Ruiz Rivera 

 and Leyte Vidal, Maceo massed his men on the 

 plains west of Pinar del Rio city. Weyler dis- 

 patched a large body of the newly arrived troops to 



intercept the convoy and possibly crush the rebels. 

 Several battles were fought, and' Maceo came out 

 victorious and conveyed the munitions to a place of 

 safety in the hills near San Diego de los Banos. 

 When the dynamite gun was first brought into 

 action, on Sept. 13, two Spanish columns were put 

 to flight, abandoning their camp and stores. The 

 same troops, with re-enforcements, made a stand at 

 Las Tumbas Torino, but after a few shots of the 

 new weapon fled in confusion, leaving munitions 

 and provisions. Then Maceo returned and fell 

 upon the brigade of Sanchez Echeverria on Sept. 

 20 at San Francisco, put it to flight with dynamite 

 bombs, and kept up a fierce running fight all the 

 day, harassing the flanks of the Spanish with his 

 sharpshooters as they retreated to the town. The 

 Frfench expedition was convoyed to the hills; 

 though five separate columns attempted to inter- 

 cept it, they were beaten with heavy losses in as 

 many battles. At Guayabita the forces of p]chague, 

 Melguizo, and Inclan, numbering 12,000, attacked 

 Maceo's position, but were held in check and finally 

 forced to withdraw after two days of fighting, the 

 dynamite shells having demoralized the Spanish 

 troops. On Sept. 25 Maceo defeated a Spanish 

 column at Vinales. 



The rebel bands in Havana province tore up sec- 

 tions of the western railroad and blew up bridges 

 and raided many villages. Gen. Melguizo, mili- 

 tary governor of Pinar del Rio, began active op- 

 erations at the commencement of October. Col. 

 Frances and Col. Hernandez led their columns 

 against the rebel positions on the heights of San 

 Felipe, but after initial success they found the 

 rebels in strong force in superior positions, and 

 were compelled to retreat to the coast with heavy 

 losses. Gen. Melguizo commanded the Spanish 

 forces at Tunibar del Torillo, where the artillery 

 was brought into play and did effective execution 

 until the insurgents, in many desperate attempts to 

 capture the guns, which were met with bayonet 

 countercharges, had killed nine tenths of the artil- 

 lerymen. The Cubans captured 6 field pieces. At 

 Manaja the Spanish troops fought well until the 

 rebels brought their dynamite gun into action, 

 which did terrible execution and spread terror 

 among the Spaniards, who fled and were cut down 

 with the machetes of the Cuban horsemen. Gen. 

 Bernal, on Oct. 4, attacked and finally carried the 

 Cuban intrenchments at Ceja del Negro, near Pinar 

 del Rio city. One of the Spanish battalions was 

 surrounded by the rebels at Guamo, and was rescued 

 from total destruction only by the timely arrival of 

 the column of Col. Granados. On Oct. 8 Gen. 

 Echague attacked the rebels in their strong in- 

 trenchments on the heights of Guayabitos, raked 

 their flank with artillery fire, and took the position 

 by a bayonet charge. 



While Gen. Weyler was preoccupied with Maceo's 

 movements in the west, rebel forces organized by 

 Gomez marched westward in separate columns un- 

 der Mayia Rodriguez, Rabi, Quintin Bandera, and 

 Pancho Carrillo, from 5,000 to 7.000 strong. Pass- 

 ing the trocha without difficulty, they crossed 

 Santa Clara and invaded Matanzas. Calixto Garcia 

 and Avelino Rosa moved northward and menaced 

 Puerto Principe. Gen. Jose Maria Aguirre had 

 already in Havana province 3.200 men. In Santi- 

 ago Gen. Jose Toral, with 2.000 soldiers, tried vainly 

 to dislodge the insurgents under Luis Bonne in the 

 Escandel hills. Gomez laid siege to the town of 

 Cascorro, and after it was relieved by the Spaniards 

 fought a successful engagement with Gen. Jiminez 

 Castellano. The forces of Serafin Sanchez and 

 Calixto Garcia joined those of Gomez and Rabi, 

 making an army of 17,000 men. 



Maceo made an artillery attack upon Artemisi, 



