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An Irrepressible Conflict of Testimony: Spanish

Guadalajara battalion, while marching to San Miguel, met a party of 600 rebels, commanded by Aguirre and Morejon. A fierce fight ensued, resulting, it is said, in the rebels being so thoroughly beaten that they fled demoralized from the field. The rebel loss was stated to have been sixty, including fourteen killed. The Spanish troops were reported to have lost one officer and three soldiers wounded.

This is the Cuban interpretation:

The affair was similar to others in which "Pacificos," or peaceful citizens, have been killed by Spanish troops. Fourteen of the dead are said to have been employees on estates, and not insurgents. On the Spanish side none were killed and only three wounded, while the Cuban dead exceeded thirty. Jaruco, the scene of this "combat," is only fifteen miles from Havana, on the Matanzas railroad.

Here is a representative story of a war incident:

Colonel Zubia reports that the troops under his command met a band of rebels on the San Jose estate, near Camajuani. A brisk fight followed, in which the rebels lost four killed. The insurgents retreated, but were followed by the troops, who again attacked them. The rebels made a stout resistance, but could not withstand the fire of the troops, and were compelled to retreat, leaving eleven dead on the field. The troops, according to the report, had only three wounded in both fights.

Another of the same sort:

While Colonel Pinto's command was reconnoitering on the Conchita estate, near Mariel, a rebel band, under Perico Delgardo, was encountered. The insurgents occupied strong positions in the Rubi hills, but the troops dislodged them, and pursued them into the mountains. The loss of the insurgents is said to have been heavy. They left twelve dead on the field, and two men, who were wounded, died later. The troops had seven wounded.

Details of the minor matters are marked by the views of those who bear the intelligence, as are the outlines of large operations in this case, of a small one for example:

Colonel Escudero, while reconnoitering in the Zapata swamp, destroyed four rebel camps, and had several engagements with rebel bands, under the Socorros and Sanabria, killing four insurgents.

And this the same:

General Melquizo, at the Zaldiva farm, this province--Havana--has had a skirmish with the insurgent leader Castilla; the latter left ten men killed, and retired with a number of wounded.

The comment will be no Spaniard hurt in this case, and there is no mistaking the paternity of this:

During recent engagements between the Spanish troops, under General Fort, in the Havana province, and the insurgents, the latter admit having lost 82 killed and 157 wounded.

Reports received here from Lacret's band of insurgents show a very demoralized condition of things. It is said that Lacret is frequently intoxicated, and that of twenty American members of an expedition from the United States, which recently joined him, five have been killed and the rest are disgusted. They say they have been deceived, that this is no war, that there is no fighting, and that they are living in swamps without clothing, compelled to eat bad food, that the agreements entered into with them have not been carried out, and that they are without leaders.

General Aguirre of the Cuban forces wrote recently:

We are close to Havana, and on March 22d my forces raided Guanataco, which is but five miles from the capital. Guanataco is the "Brooklyn of Havana," joined by ferry service, and has a population of 45,000.

No difficulty was encountered by us in the assault, and we secured 60 horses, 150 Remington rifles, 14,000 cartridges, and considerable clothing and medicine.

Only one of our men was wounded, but I have learned that the Spanish lost several soldiers.