Afterward, however, they were transported to the Cabanas hills, and
there, on the site of the fortifications (above which, in 1904, the
American flag last waved in token of possession in Cuba), Israel Putnam
and his Provincials joined the British troops. And they were welcome,
beyond a doubt, for nearly half the British army was incapacitated
through fevers, and many men had died.
[Illustration: Fort near Havana where the Colonials landed.]
The arrival of the sturdy Colonials gave the besiegers of the Morro new
strength, and fresh courage, and within a few days they were called upon
to assist at carrying the castle by storm. The English had been a long
time sapping toward the fortress walls, and a breach having been opened
near the bastion, the combined assailants poured through in an
invincible flood. The Duke of Albermarle, who commanded the British
forces, had informed the comandante of the castle that he had mined the
bastion and demanded a capitulation. But the heroic commander, Don Luis
de Velasco, spurned the proffer, and as a consequence the castle was
stormed, and he was included among the five hundred slain on that
occasion.
Pages:
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102