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Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom By: Trumbull White (1868-1941) |
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A THRILLING ACCOUNT OF THE LAND AND NAVAL OPERATIONS OF AMERICAN
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN OUR WAR WITH SPAIN, AND THE HEROIC
STRUGGLES OF CUBAN PATRIOTS AGAINST SPANISH TYRANNY. INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY OF CUBA, SPAIN, PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS, OUR ARMY AND NAVY, FIGHTING STRENGTH, COAST DEFENSES, AND
OUR RELATIONS WITH OTHER NATIONS, ETC., ETC. BY TRUMBULL WHITE, THE WELL KNOWN AND POPULAR AUTHOR, HISTORIAN AND WAR
CORRESPONDENT. ELABORATELY ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS OF BATTLES,
ON SEA AND LAND, WAR SHIPS, ETC., FROM LIFE. FREEDOM PUBLISHING CO. Dedicated To Our American Volunteers PREFACE. Information concerning the island of Cuba has been of an
exceedingly unsatisfactory character until the search light of
American inquiry was thrown upon it from the beginning of the war
for Cuban liberty early in 1895. Although our next door neighbor
to the south, with a perfect winter climate and a host of
interesting and picturesque attractions for travelers, tourists
had been comparatively few, measured by the numbers that might
have been expected. All of the reasons for this were those which
naturally followed the characteristic Spanish rule of the island.
Publicity was not welcomed, inquiry was not welcomed, travelers
were not welcomed. The cities and the accommodations they offered
were in many ways far behind those of like age and size in the
other countries of the globe. Railway construction and the making
of highways had lagged disgracefully, because the exorbitant taxes
collected were looted by the officers of the government as their
own spoils. No other country so near to the highways of ocean
commerce and so accessible from the United States was so little
known. A few travelers had journeyed to Cuba and had written books
descriptive of their experiences, which were read with interest by
those who had access to them. But these books were usually simply
descriptive of the people, the manner of life, the scenery, and
the things of surface interest. It is proverbial that Spanish rule
conceals the resources of a country instead of exploiting them.
The person of inquiring mind had no way in Cuba to obtain prompt
information concerning the material facts of the island's wealth
of resource, because the Spanish authorities themselves knew
nothing about it. Spanish statistics are notoriously unreliable
and incomplete. No census of Cuba worthy the name ever has been
taken, and there are few schools and few sources of accurate
information. With all this handicap it was a foregone conclusion
that the casual traveler should confine himself to the things that
were visible and that were near to the usual paths of travelers.
So until the beginning of the Cuban war for liberty no books could
be obtained which told the things which one really cares to know.
Picturesque descriptions there were, more than one, of
considerable interest, but the information was scattered. Demand always creates supply, even if material is scant. When the
war began, the people of the United States wanted to know
something of the people who were striving for their freedom, of
their characteristics, their conditions and their personality.
Moreover, it was an immediate necessity to know the geography of
Cuba, its history, its natural conditions, its material resources,
and a host of things that unite to make a comprehensive knowledge
of any country. There were men who knew Cuba from years of
residence there in industrial and commercial enterprises. They
were drawn upon for their knowledge. Then the newspapers of the
United States gave another demonstration of their unvarying
enterprise and covered the points of interest in the insurrection
most exhaustively. Their correspondents shared the camps of
insurgent chiefs, witnessed the daring machete charges of the
Cubans, saw every detail of armed life in the field. Others kept
close watch of the movements of the Spanish forces in Havana and
the fortified towns, as well as in the field... Continue reading book >>
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History |
War stories |
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