History of Cuba; or, Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics: Being a Political, Historical, and Statistical Account of the Island, from its First Discovery to the Present Time — John Shaqi
History of Cuba; or, Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics: Being a Political, Historical, and Statistical Account of the Island, from its First Discovery to the Present TimeBallou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
History
History of Cuba; or, Notes of a Traveller in the Tropics: Being a Political, Historical, and Statistical Account of the Island, from its First Discovery to the Present Time
Ballou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
Cuba -- Description and travel; Cuba -- History
Lopez's force in this action amounted to about two hundred and eighty
men; the Spaniards had more than eight hundred. The total loss of the
former, in killed and wounded, was thirty-five; that of the latter,
about two hundred men killed, and a large number wounded! The invaders
landed with about eighty rounds of cartridges each; the Spanish dead
supplied them with about twelve thousand more; and a further supply was
subsequently obtained at Las Frias; the ammunition left with Crittenden
was never recovered. In the battle of Las Pozas, General Enna's horse
was shot under him, and his second in command killed. The invaders lost
Colonel Downman, a brave American officer; while General Pragay was
wounded, and afterwards died in consequence. Though the invaders fired
well and did terrible execution, they could not be prevailed upon to
charge the enemy, and gave great trouble to the officers by their
insubordination. The night after the battle, Captain Kelly came up with
forty men, and announced that the Spanish troops had succeeded in
dividing the rear-guard, and that the situation of Crittenden was
unknown. It was not until some days afterwards that it was ascertained
that Crittenden's party, attempting to leave the island in launches, had
been made prisoners by a Spanish man-of-war. They were taken to Havana,
and brutally shot at the castle of Atares.
About two o'clock on the 14th of August, the expedition resumed its
march for the interior, leaving behind their wounded, who were
afterwards killed and mutilated by the Spaniards. The second action with
the Spanish troops occurred at the coffee-plantation of Las Frias,
General Enna attacking with four howitzers, one hundred and twenty
cavalry, and twelve hundred infantry. The Spanish general attacked with
his cavalry, but they were met by a deadly fire, thrown into utter
confusion, and forced to retreat, carrying off the general mortally
wounded. The panic of the cavalry communicated itself to the infantry,
and the result was a complete rout. This was the work of about two
hundred muskets; for many of Lopez's men had thrown away their arms on
the long and toilsome march.
The expedition, however, was too weak to profit by their desperate
successes, and had no means of following up these victories. Plunging
into the mountains, they wandered about for days, drenched with rain,
destitute of food or proper clothing, until despair at last seized
them. They separated from each other, a few steadfast comrades remaining
by their leader. In the neighborhood of San Cristoval, Lopez finally
surrendered to a party of pursuers. He was treated with every indignity
by his captors, though he submitted to everything with courage and
serenity. He was taken in a steamer from Mariel to Havana.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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