THE INSURRECTION IN SPANISH ST. DOMINGO.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 42, 12 February 1864, Page 8

THE INSURRECTION IN SPANISH ST. DOMINGO.

mftil we v haye r¥^eive<| ; t^ ;^Up^iii|[. emails .yespeoting - - tHe ■ '-.: 4nauweptJo|a: , m^i|aytiy.eo?Qfise£|: $$&#ti&?^ '#oo^e't| i^s' ims themselves. . ftiu} -J?ftsj?. % wHjft 1 into, OrSpaflMie^to?y to%i ib&eel '„%&.).: , nf ; 3D|Q ftb^n t s»vmneti* 5: &nS" :&ifiini^ 'Wfoii w* '-gKfift < 66v---pwfe- $■■■ ihfii=Spftnifth. w.Oßjps-'j ■«ftflw» i idesiiroyiag --the l&fcterplaea m-\ ■ fly& i fttf ■ Well • AB" : ftß%nßßi.ii&ti9i| -'Wftv-ftijjfcj j addifflti \a i&o. kospitali RtTi6imtin|itol about 78, iaoluditti „ths ftJW»^] ants. On the 20tK Mgusi i\ Spi^vfeH 1 ; 1 column of about 800 intorft pi cavahy, and; two Jpiewiß -of WiOunt^A 1 artillery was despitched from Ssvniiftgo to the frontiers ; this was .\yaylaid on' its route in the vicinity of (Juayaoanes: by a superior number of fehsla, anddriven back into Santiago with heavy loss in officers and men, f J?he Governor* G-eneral of the Cibao, Brigadier Buceta, ; , with an artillery escort of* 12", soldiers and an officer, who left on the 13th of August for . the frontier, had been attacked half-way in the neighborhood of Tibon by a party of 40 rebels lying in ambush, who killed' many of the escort, the G-eneral himself being permitted to escape by the merest chance to the woods, where, after six days, stiffering every conceivable privation, he was enabled by the sound of a cornet to join a column of troops that had been despatched from Santiago to proceed to the frontier. Greneral Buceta, with the remainder of his escort, afterwards arrived safely at Santiago, resumed his former command, and commenced the necessary measures for defending the town against a body of rebels consisting of about 2,500 or 3,000 men, having three pieces of artillery, and stationed about one league distant from Santiago. These events took place on the 26th of August; on the 27th Porto Plata was invaded by a body of 2,000 insurgents, who had gathered in its vicinity and that of Isabella. They took j^ossession of the town, after driving back a garrison of about 200 Spanish troops, who had to take refuge in the fortification. On the same evening, at 9 o'Clock, the (Spanish Avar steamer Isabel 11. entered the harbor with two battalions of Spanish troops fro^n Santiago de Cuba, who, under the protection of the fort, were landed at two o'clock in the morning, and at once commenced an attack on the rebels, whom the}'- repulsed during the day of the 2Sth, after a severe fight on both sides, leaving a considerable number of dead aud wounded in the streets, where the fighting had taken place ; the Spanish troops having to deplore the loss of their colonel, with seven killed and thirty severely wounded. Shortly before the departure of the Malis iroin the city of San Domingo, fugitives from the towns of Moca and La Vega had arrived in the city, bringing the intelligence that the whole province was in open rebellion, the towns of La Vega and Moca being in possession of the insurgents. The latter town was partially burnt down, and many of its inhabitants assassinated, with acts of horror and great brutaility committed on inoffensive women and children. Large bodies of troops from Havannah and Porto Hico had been despatched for Cibao. Anxiety and distress prevailed all over the country, and it was apprehended acts like those that disgraced the first revolution would be repeated. A j>:ri va te letter, dated from Porto Plata, on the sth September, gives a more detailed account of the rising in San Domingo than has yet been received. The writer says: — " For some days rumors of serious riots on the Haytian frontier had been flying about, and at length, on the 20th ult., news arrived that the town of G-uayavin had been .taken and burnt by the insurgents, who were reported to have committed horrible atrocities on the troops lying sick in hospital, and on some of the natives who had incurred their displeasure. As the insurrection was reported t to be spreading, and the troops stationed in Porto Plata did not exceed some two hundred and fifty men, it was necessary, for the authorities to bestir themselves vigorously, and accordingly next morning a schooner (there being no steam vessel in port) was despatched to the nearest*point of Cuba,and another to Samania and Porto Rico, to convey the intelligence and request immediate assistance.! jFor the next feAy days things went on here much the same as before, till, son i the morning of the 26th, iiiformatidn ! was received that the nisurgents/were; !■ within a few leagues^ of this i place. - The foreign consuls and merchants were summoned to the Government House, where they were informed the enemy might be expected to attack from one moment to another, and wore recommended to form patrols for the purpose of preserving their own property, which was accordingly done, the British vice-consul, Mr. Cushman, superintending the formation of the British company, , numbering some eighty men, principally natives of Turk's Islands. About eight p.m. news was brought that the insurgents were at San Marcos, only one league from Porto Plata, upon which the alarm gxms were fired, and all foreigners requested to keep within doors or to go on. board, vessels in'-the harbor. . The British vice-consulate was soon crowded by people anxious to keep out of the way of the firing which it was forseen would shortly commence, — which it did abput midnight.! f The,

mwHbbr'of tH"oiftsui i gentrwlio watered ■the tewti has been Vftfiou^ly estimated «^t from me to Wq t^Q«s^u4, wobftbty th^ truth lfty, b^'oeft the ,two e3{t?6^§a, Th§ troopPij "being n le\v ia mimbep, w\M nqti attempt to defend' the' town, which 1 is Wit §nWy (rf'wood, nnd has' no $nm Bflmfe mH\ flwMds, Ana, oflimotyiktfy, rvmi t6 m Mv M u *li{ fo^t, upon which thqv had planted tliroe pieces of wtiikrry and' hud p ij^ptompttt breftstwcu'k . ft? te«i}^ mk § 6 ?p Acbniv^tov of IfoYenttSi ftnft Seoau^ OdnunftnaflnH Qf Fwpwdo, Pan owoUm'ias Yivo«w .QllWi who. wi*h i ahcivit felx*y m<m-gHtt«n.th* d«M«d Sjl icWn^ tfio viwie af tho fittni > Abont eight in • tKe mining ft sally wna jnn^e fov the t^oop^j hdaded 1»y O*en©yjil Snero &nA Oo)e«el VelMimes, who, hftvittg iu^e the eii^' ewit of the best^ivvt ot the Hewn, jvna cloAVcd away the insurgents horn. th« immediate vicinity of the hill, yotired within thfciv t\sfe»6eß with »light loss, A£W this firing was vigoro\wly kept up on both siden all day, the troops playing with the .three pieces of artillery upon &ny point where my mm* of the insurgents could be discovered, and twice knocking away the flag-staff at the Government House, where the republican flag had been hoisted, During all this time the position of the occupants of the British Yiceconsulate was by no means agreeable, for the house being almost in a direct line between the hill held by the troops and the barracks held by the insurgents at about 200 yards from each, was literally between two fires during the whole day, and although We ai'e convinced that both parties respected the British "flag, , which was kept flying all the time, still it was not to.be expected that the house, of very slight wooden, construction, should escape from stray balls which every now and then came through the sides and windoAv shutters. Some forty or fifty balls, in all, were picked up, to say nothing of tliO3e which went cleat through and out at the other side. About sixty persons, men, women, and children, were crammed into this small house, which has only a ground floor, where they were for the most part lying about on the floor so thick that it was impossible to move about without treading on some one ; and at such times, as it was necessary to close all the doors and windows, a more lively illustration of the black-hole at Calcutta can hardly be conceived. Under these circumstances we may consider ourselves fortunate in losing only one of our number, who, poor fellow, was mortally wounded by a stray ball that came through the shutter. On more, than one occasion, when it was safe to open the front door, the Administrator, Don Gruellermo Vives, who, as alreadymentioned, was in command of the outer line of defence, beckoned to the occupants of the vice-consulate, wishing to intimate to them that their position was unsafe, and that they would do well to leave it, and make a dash on to the hill. His signs were however misapprehended, being understood to mean that they were to keep close, which was of course done. During all this time nothing could exceed the coolness and equanimity of. the vice-consul, who maintained the most perfect order among the motley throng congregated in his house, keeping every one in good humor and spirits by the exhibition of them in his own person. At sunset the fire slackened on both sides, and the night dragged heavily on. , It was probably the intention of the insurgents to take some hours' sleep (which the Grovernment troopsj being; so- feAv in number, could not venture to do), and at about three in the morning, by which time it was calculated that the^ troops would \>e worn out by twentyfour hours' constant exertion, to ; make the final assault upon the hill, and, if successful, upon the fort, which lies about a quarter of a mQe further oiij at the extremity of the point of land which forms one side of the -harbor. About midnight, however, firing was recpinmenced, and shortly afterwards military, music } was heard, hy which it was evident that succour had arrived from some quarter or other. In a very short time all doubt was set -at i rest by the triumphant sounds of the '"Marcha Real" pealing from the Government house in the Plaza. The ' war steamer Isabel Segunda, had arrived from Santiago de Cuba with about 700 troops on board., This sufficed to turn the scalej and the insurgents were driven out of the ,town pell-mell. Thus ended the last and only disturbance that has taken place in Porto Plata for, many years. Some military license has taken place, but the offenders have in most cases, been promptly arrested, and will "doubtless receive condign punishment. ■ Several other war steamers have since arrived with troops on board, and more are expected from one day to another.