North Atlantic Fleet Squadron Bulletin No. 7
Squadron Bulletin.
U. S. Flagship New York. Off Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 1898.
THE Yankee went West last night to blockade Cienfuegos. The Dixie arrived from the North, convoying the refrigerating and supply steamer Celtic which immediately began the distribution of fresh provisions to the vessels of the fleet.
The Dixie was sent to blockade off Cape Cruz.
The Yosemite arrived from Jamaica, and was sent to Guantanamo to coal.
The Chief of Staff1 went down to Aserraderos in the Vixen to examine the facilities for landing at that point and the points between there and Santiago de Cuba. He returned bringing with him General Calixto Garcia, General of Division Lora and several officers of their staffs.2 General Garcia has about four thousand men back in the country—probably forty-five miles by road from Santiago de Cuba—two day’s march. He left behind him three thousand men who are engaged in observing the Spanish forces, numbering about eight or ten thousand, at Holguin, in order to prevent their moving South to the relief of Santiago. All of these seven thousand men are well armed and supplied with ammunition, the Florida expedition3 <which landed at Banes> having supplied all deficiencies.4
The Yosemite brought from Jamaica official information from the Navy Department that the Army Corps had sailed on the sixteenth.5
The St. Louis, dragging close in shore last night, lifted and cut two cables south of the Morro, and in all probability telegraphic communication with Jamaica has been cut off.6
Information has been received that the Army convoy is expected on the afternoon of the 20th.7
Source Note: Printed, DNA, RG 313, Entry 56. This bulletin was produced on a printing press on New York (the flagship of RAdm. William T. Sampson’s North Atlantic Fleet) and was distributed to the vessels. It is listed as number 7 in Squadron Bulletins, 17-18.
Footnote 1: Capt. French E. Chadwick.
Footnote 2: Maj. Gen. Calixto García Iñiguez and Div. Gen. Saturnino Lora y Torres.
Footnote 3: Someone here added a “˄” as a subscript with a line at the bottom of the page with “which landed at Banes” in handwriting. A bracket around paragraph was also evident with the number “3” in the margin.
Footnote 4: For more on Florida’s expedition, see: Cosmas, Army for Empire, 112. In the printed version someone handwrote the phrase in angle brackets.
Footnote 5: The Army convoy steamed from Tampa on 14 June.
Footnote 6: For cable-cutting operations, see: Telegraphy and Cable Cutting.
Footnote 7: The Army convoy arrived on 20 June.
