April 24th, 1898
Words by Arthur Lambert
War in the Caribbean!
Richmond Ultimatum Ignored!
Spain mobilises!
Confederate Fleet Steams South!
Photograph of the armoured cruiser, CSS Sumter
The powder keg of Cuba has finally been struck. Following a joint resolution by the Confederate Congress for “the liberation of Cuba from imperial hegemony” on April 20th, Spain swiftly broke diplomatic ties. After several days of tension, the sinking of a Confederate torpedo boat two days ago by a Spanish naval patrol saw President Lee request a declaration of war against the Kingdom of Spain, which he was granted unanimously yesterday. Now the largest military contingent assembled in North America in thirty years is preparing to sail the short distance from Florida to the Jewel in the Crown of the Spanish Empire.
As expected Emperor Napoleon IV led opposition to the war, and along with his close ally King Leopold II of Belgium criticised the CSA’s actions, denouncing them as “hypocritical”. The United States too has shown their displeasure, with several prominent politicians leading anti-war protests. Socialist Congressman Eugene Debs spoke to a 20,000 strong crowd in Brooklyn on Saturday attacking what he called “colonial warmongering”, seeing a Confederate Cuba as no better than a Spanish one. Theodore Roosevelt, a rising star in the Republican Party was vocal as well, criticising Richmond’s apparent insincerity towards the Cuban independence movement that they would “snub out like a flame, to allow the darkness of tyranny to remain”. He also attacked the Democrat administration for not acting to halt the war.
Meanwhile Westminster has remained relatively silent on the matter. Yesterday the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey did comment, praising what he saw as Confederate patience over the destruction of the CSS Alabama in mid-February and the crisis that followed. He also criticised “Spanish belligerence… buoyed on by French military backing”. When asked if French intervention would initiate British involvement on the Confederate side, Sir Edward refused to comment.
Although no reports have surfaced regarding naval combats since the declaration of war, with the Confederate States Navy steaming south at the present time and word here in Havana of the Spanish home fleet arriving soon under the command of the revered Admiral Cervera, the war looks set to be the first involving modern steel battle fleets. Although neither navy contains anything along the lines of all-big gun battleships like the
HMS Dreadnought or the French
Danton, both have made concerted efforts to modernise in recent years, with substantial numbers of armoured cruisers.
This possible watershed moment has in turn seen the world’s journalists both in the CSA and here in Cuba being supplemented by military observers from a score of nations. Despite an obviously busy schedule I was able to talk briefly with the observer for the Kingdom of Hanover, His Majesty, Prince Ernest Augustus, heir-apparent to the throne. Having come personally, the Prince discussed his intense interest in the coming conflict. He said “Due to the unstable nature of the German states at present, one must always prepare one’s nation for its defence… here I and the other foreigners shall witness modern warfare and draw lessons from it”. Touching on modern technology he noted the lack of Maxim machine-guns in either army, while the Confederates still maintained a force of hand-cranked Gatling guns. His Majesty believes that although outdated, the Gatling gun will give the Confederates superiority in open battle, although the hilly terrain and fortifications of the Spanish may reduce this...
