To make a sortie
protected by the division at Holguin, it is necessary to
attack the enemy's lines simultaneously, and the forces of
Holguin cannot come here except after many long days'
marching. Impossible for them to transport rations.
Unfortunately, the situation is desperate. The surrender is
imminent, otherwise we will only gain time to prolong our
agony. The sacrifice would be sterile, and the men
understand this. With his lines so near us, the enemy will
annihilate us without exposing his own, as he did yesterday,
bombarding by land elevations without our being able to
discover their batteries, and by sea the fleet has a perfect
knowledge of the place, and bombards with a mathematical
accuracy. Santiago is no Gerona, a walled city, part of the
mother country, and defended inch by inch by her own people
without distinction--old men and women who helped with their
lives, moved by the holy idea of freedom, and with the hope
of help, which they received. Here I am alone. All the
people have fled, even those holding public offices, almost
without exception. Only the priests remain, and they wish to
leave the city to-day, headed by their archbishop. These
defenders do not start now a campaign full of enthusiasm and
energy, but for three years they have been fighting the
climate, privations and fatigue, and now they have to
confront this critical situation when they have no
enthusiasm or physical strength.
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