Secretary of the Navy John D. Long to Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, Commander, North Atlantic Fleet
NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Washington, July 16, 1898.
Sir:
I have to transmit, herewith, for your information, a copy of an extract from a letter, dated the 13th instant, received in this Department from Gonzalo de Quesada, of the Cuban Junta,1 in this city. in regard to the aid being rendered the Spanish Army in Cuba by the Spanish Colony in Mexico.2
Very respectfully,
Secretary.
“The Spanish Colony residing in this Republic is providing the Spanish Army with food; the steamer “Villaverde” which sailed from Vera Cruz to Saint Domingo3 landed its cargo at La Colonia, in the southern coast of Pinar del Rio; from Campeche four vessels have sailed, one has returned to reload and the other has gone to Trujillo, Honduras, to get cattle, intending to return to Batabano.”4
Source Note: TD, DNA, RG 45, Entry 29. Addressed below close: “Commander-in-Chief/U.[S].Naval Force,/North Atlantic Station.” In right-hand corner: “John D. Long,/Secretary.” Typist’s initials “EH” is centered under the stationery heading.
Footnote 1: Gonzalo de Quesada y Aróstegui (1868-1915) was an instrumental figure in the Cuban independence movement. The Junta was a group of Cubans living in the United States who actively advocated and promoted independence for their homeland. W. Auxler, “The Propaganda Activities of the Cuban Junta in Precipitating the Spanish-American War, 1895-1898,” The Hispanic American Historical Review 19, 3 (Aug., 1939): 286-305.
Footnote 2: This line is handwritten.
Footnote 3: That is, Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the Dominican Republic.
Footnote 4: Batabanó, located on the southern coast of Cuba, was a desirable port for blockade runners from where provisions were sent to Havana. James W. Beull, Behind the Guns with American Heroes: An Official Volume of Thrilling Stories, Daring Deeds, Personal Adventures, Humorous Anecdotes, and Pathetic Incidents of the Spanish-American War and Our Battles with the Philippine Insurgents (Chicago: International Pub. Co., 1899), 49-50.
