Qass -^au=L BookiiLi^L — T>ri X Price Twelve and a half Cents. LIRE OF GENERAL LOPEZ, AND HISTORY OF THE LATE ATTEMPTED REVOLUTION IN CUBA. T| l -• W0 BY A FLIBUSTIERO. ^ N E W Y R K : DEWITT & DAVENPORT, PUBLISHERS, rnrnrxK buildings. PRICE 50 CENTS. TIE G HALS OF NEW TOR a Jfrwel. BY NED BUNT LINE! Author of " The Mysteries and Miseries of New York." No work ever published in this country created more excitement or met with a more extensive sa than the far-famed Mysteries and Miseries of New Yof.e ; and the reason is obvious, — they presei in a form easy to be understood, a most startling Picture of the Vices and the Virtue*, the Morai and the -Manners of the huge part of our community who are called the Working Class ; and n man has had more opportunity of becoming acquainted with the details of their life, in all its lights an shades, than Mr. Judson, who has been emphatically called the Friend of the Working Man. 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We have hitherto been accustomed to find his heroes Kings or Warriors, and his heroines Queens or Maids of Honor ; and a natural sequence was, that we were kept in a continual whirl of intrigues, plots, and duels. But here is a book which, while it has less of these accessories, at the very opening lays hold of the attention by its quiet, truthful, and affectionate detail of the thoughts, feelings, impulses, and aspirations of a fond Mother and doting Daughter. The development of the mind, as it progresses from Infancy to Childhood, and from Childhood to Maidenhood, is most pleasingly portrayed ; and one can fancy that Cecile has a mirror in her breast, through which we behold each thought and purpose. Seldom have we read a work in which the unities are so carefully studied. Every thought and act follows so naturally on some antecedent, that the illusion is complete, and we think we are studying a fact while we are but perusing a fiction. THE LIFE OF DAN. 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LBAp'15 LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ TOGETHER WITH A DCTA.CLED HTSTORf OF THE ATTEMPTED REVOLUTION OF CUBA, FROM ITS FIRST INVASION AT CARDINAS, THE DEATH OF LOPEZ, AT HAVANA. BY A FLIBUSTIERO. NEW YORK: DIOWITT k DAVENPORT, PUBLISHERS, TRIBUNE BUILDINGS. Uf Eutekeb, according to Act of Congress, in the y ear one thousand eight hundred and fifty-™ e, by DEWITT & DAVENPORT, in the Clerk's Office of the United States' District (fiarf for the Southern District of New York. /5 - ^sas- LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. CHAPTER 1. THE DAWN OF THE AGITATION. Early in the spring of 1847, public at- tention was called to Cuba by a series of articles in the columns of the New York Herald, having reference first to its re- sources, then to its government., and last- ly to the sufferings of its people. The first was represented as unnaralleled in its brilliancy and abundance ; the second was pronounced cowardly, treacherous, cruel, exacting, and fiercely oppressive ; the third were pictured us at once incredibly Gainful and appalling. Each of these iitions was strongly forlified by graphi- cally told facts, ai^u the three united cre- ated a serious stir both among the people and the press. It was charged by The Herald that the agricultural and mineral wealth of Cuba were without precedent ; that notwithstanding this glaring fact, its inhabitants were wretched and impover- ished to an indescribable degree, in con- sequence of the despotic and oppressively exacting character of its government, which beggared them to enrich and up- hold the power and standing of the mo- ther country, Spain, of which Cuba was -che chief support, reliance, and purveyor ; that the suffering Cubans, having at length determined to shake off the iron hand which thus robbed and reduced them to the most abject bondage, and by virtue of that magnetic sympathy which runs betwten freemen and those who would be free, claimed the good wishes as well as the assistance of the people and government of the United States. To strengthen this appeal, and popularize the subject among the people, U was art- fully suggested that Cuba was i lie key of the Mexican Gulf, and as such that it was dangerous to the well being of this Re- public to allow it to remain in the hands of a monarchical power, allied like that of Spain to the crafty and unscrupulous cabinets of Europe, which might at any moment with the Spanish sanction, run their fleets up the Gulf, and, if they felt so disposed, hurl their troops upon our shores, and lay at their mercy our whole Southern coast. These articles which were written with considerable force, were extensively copied and commented upon by the leading journals of the Union, and had the effect, as has since been learned, to strike the authorities of Cuba with terror. Suddenly, however, for some unexplained reason, The Herald ceased for a brief season all further allusion to the subject ; and on resuming it, look a stand the very opposite of what it had previously maintained. While the community was wondering at this singular conduct, while reports were Hying that its notorious editor had been brought over to this astonishing change by certain agents of the Spanish government, who had been seen dodging in and out of the door leading to his edi- torial sanctum, — among others, a leading merchant of this city , largely interested in Cuban commerce — the interest felt in the matter was still further heightened by the sudden announcement on the part of the New York Sun, that measures were in progress for revolutionizing Cuba and transforming it from a Spanish depen- dency into a free and independent repub- lic. This announcement was received at first as a mere gasconade ; the public was was smilingly incredulous ; its faith in the statements emanating from that jour- nal was somewhat weak; and it was subsequently but slightly strengthened when the proprietors of The Sun raised the Free Flag of Cuba in front of their establishment, and got up a small proces- sion composed of Cuban exiles and others, which, preceded by a band of musicians performing martial airs, marched through the leading thoroughfares of the city to "hurry up an excitement." The efforts of The Sun to popularize the subject LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPJEZ. weTe greatly neutralized by statements in other metropolitan journals, to the effect that its leading proprietor was largely in- terested in Cuban properties, and that the success of a revolution in that Island would enrich him by millions ; that it was with him a mere monetary specula- tion, to secure the success of which he was bending every energy to lure brave, penniless adventurers into a cause which, if triumphant, would render him a Croe- sus in wealth, and if disastrous, plunge them into irretrievable ruin, and perhaps death. Notwithstanding these attacks upon his motives, the proprietor of The Sun calmly persevered in his course, and day after day the columns of that jour- nal continued to agitate the subject, and to advocate with apparent earnestness and force the necessity of immediate emancipation in Cuba. By degrees, the attacks upon its proprietor lost their force, the subject gradually became notorious, if not popular, and The Sun began slowly to be regarded as the organ of the self- styled Revolutionists. Gradually items of interest in connec- tion with the matter leaked out.- It was first privately understood and then pub- licly announced that an extensive organi- zation was on foot to liberate the suffer- ing Cubans, exterminate the Spanish power in their isle, render it a republic, and then tender it for annexation to the United States : that in this organization were some of our most able and widely known citizens ; that money was to be had to any necessary amount, and that no less than six millions was already in the treasury ; that this organization was known to the initiated by the name and style of the Cuban Junta, and that this Junta consisted in part of wealthy exiled Cubans, and the remainder of some of our most prominent, and influential men, whose names if made public would startle the public ; that this Junta had its secret agents all over the country, and that these were quietly and industriously engaged in gathering and selecting men of known strength, courage and intelligence, for the enterprise ; that the places of rendezvous "were principally at the South, say at Jacksonville, Fla.,and New Orleans, La., to which localities men and munitions were being daily and quietly transferred ; that steamers of a first class character had been bought and fitted up to trans- port the revolutionists to the shores of Cuba, and that ere long the contest wooild be begun under the command of an ex- perienced and skilful General, who had already acquired a wide and enduring fame in the revolutionary struggles of Central America, and whose very name was a guarantee of success; that th& Creoles of Cuba, numbering some one hundred and eighty thousand, were anx- ious for freedom, had the utmost confi- dence in the brave officer referred to, and stood ready to place themselves in a body under his command at the moment of his landing, and to furnish him and all who might follow in his train with provisions, and everything else essential to their comfort and safety ; that they — the Cre- oles—were ripe for revolution, and desired only arms, sympathy, and a small degree of help, to drive the Spanish despot from their Isle, and to achieve the darling wish of their hearts — the independence of their country. All this, by persevering and long-con*, tinued iteration on the part of The u- York Sun, and its Southern coadjutor in the cause, The New Orleans Delta, vae editors and proprietors of which later journal, were also of the Junta, was at length so far credited by community, as to enable the Junta to carry on its opera- tions with a certain degree of openness,, and to considerably popularize its move- ment. The agents of the Spanish govern r- at however, though deeply alarmed at e activity and extent of the Junta's ope a- tions, were not idle. Hired spree T " t upon those suspected of connecj , >> the enterprise ; their steps were a •&, their movements watched, their letters in many instances abstracted, opened, and the information in them copied,- a dupli- cate despatched to the captain general of Cuba, and another to the Spanish minis- ter at Washington, and then, to obviate suspicion, the originals despatched per post to their places of destination ; mar 1 !*' — the most dangerous — were retained by the Spanish agents altogether, and their failure to reach those to whom they weie- directed warned the Junta, and those is its interest, that the most scrupulous cau- tion was required to ensure the transmis- sion of intelligence and to baffle the " fa- miliars" even at their heels. But net- withstanding the secret surveillance th vis arrayed against it to neutralize its opera- tions, the Junta succeeded in obtain ifcgL men and munition, as well as eluding the- interference of the United States govern- ment, which had been brought into action at the suggestion of the Spanish minister? at Washington. At length the hour had cime, in the opinion of the Junta, when the initiatory step should be taken, when the long-tail- ed of promises should be redeemed, whex the blow essential to give confidence u< the numbers engaged that the Junta wad in earnest, should be struck. Accord) 111 LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. |y, word was sent by the Junta to the offi- cers engaged in the enterprise, and by them transmitted to the wavering, that " ihe General" was about to proceed to the future sceue of action to open the ball ; and then, for the first time, was given to the initiated the name, character, qualifications and previous achievements of the man chosen by the Junta to con- duct the affair. That man was General Naeciso Lo: j kz, and the following is his history ; from which it will be seen that if he was to be the commander of the expedition, it was of an enterprise origi- nating wholly and exclusively with him- self. LIKE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. Narciso Lopez was born in Venezuela, 3 year 1798, or 1799, and was, ac- cort '.ngly, about fifty-two years of age. — His father was a wealthy lauded proprie- tor, owning large estates on the llanos or plains, swarming with cattle, horses, &c. His mother, who is still living, is said to be a woman of rare moral dignity, com- bined with mental strength. Her children, imbued with that noblest inheritance of nature, are stamped from the outset as born to command. Narciso was the only sou ?hat lived beyond childhood, though of cnughters his parents had some four- teen or fifteen ; and according to the ha- i life of the llanos, he passed almost rotn the cradle to the saddle, or further, we may perhaps say, to the back of a wild horse, without anv saddle — a traili- ng well calculated to lay the foundation <>f that character and habit of fearless lardihood, energy, and resolution, which has been illustrated by his subsequent military career. Though so successful as a soldier, and h that access was achieved only by he display of extraordinary capacity, as veil as courage, it is singular that Lopez van d of a military profession aid life. He did not enter it from choice, 'lit .simply as a resource of desperation, .under circumstances forced upon him, at ■ he age of fifteen, by the civil war then . nil ihe Spanish South Ameri- i an provinces. His lather had been l trip] l . iy all lus property, or had s ee:i it gendered wholly unproductive, through the operation of that cause : and, such means as he was able to re- s lize, he entered into commercial life at (paraceas, assisted by his sop, who, boy sis he was, was able to bear the burden elf a large share of its responsibilities. At the town of Valencia, in the interior, he Mail the charge of a branch of his father's on establishment at Caraccas, at the j sod of the sanguinary, and, for the c 1 time, decisive battle of La Puerta, in 1814, in which Bolivar, at the head of the in- surgent troops, was defeated by the Span- ish army, under General Boves. Bolivar, though routed, sent orders to the garrison at Valencia, to maintain the place, which was done with heroism to the last mo- ment, so long as resistance was possible — the inhabitants, who knew that massacre and plunder Avould immediately ensue on the entrance of the victorious army, uni- ting in the defence with the few soldiers of the garrison. The town being an open one, this consisted simply in defending the approaches to th« plaza or square, in which were hastily collected all the pro- perty and effects which it was considered most important to protect. The house of Lopez's father happened to be situated at one corner of the square, and the boy took an active part in the defence at that point, and before long found himself re- cognised by those collected at that point, soldiers and citizens, without suspecting it himself, as their leader dc facto. His father, however, who was in Valencia at the time, but a man of different mould from the boy who then made his maiden trial in arms, took no part in it. The re- sistance was prolonged three weeks, but no relief came from Bolivar, who, mean- while, abandoned, indeed, all that part of the country which he had thus compro- mised, and made his way along the coast towards Barcelona. The inhabitants of Valencia felt bitterly resentful at this treatment by the patriot leader, who had sacrificed them for the escape of the rout- ed fragments of his own force, by direct ing them to make a resistance, only justi- fiable on the idea of his coming to their relief; while it could not fail to provoke even a redoubled degree of the usual fe- rocity with which, in that terrible civil struggle, the conquering party was in the habit of treating any town falling into their possession. Massacre of the men was the general rule — a rule often enough made to include a proportion of women and children. After the surrender of the place, Lopez was separated from his fa- ther, being turned oil' as a child, while his father was herded with tlio men, sup- posed, in spite of the capitulation, to be reserved for massacre that night. The boy himself, indeed, escaped that very narrowly. With some other companions, he had joined a couple of negroes* slaves of his family, aino, at number more who had huddled together in one spot for safety, that class not being usu- ally included in the massacres of such oc- casions : but, during the night, fortunately issued forth with his two servants, in the hope" of being able tc do something for LIFE OF GENERAL NARCI80 LOPEZ. his father, or to hear something of him. In this hope, indeed, he was mistaken, (though his father, as he afterwards learn- ed, did succeed in effecting his own es- cape,) but the next morning, on returning to the place which they had left for that purpose, they found the ghastly spectacle of eighty-seven bodies with their throats cut like sheep. After hiding about for some time, feeling himself constantly lia- ble to the same fate, and reduced to a condition of entire desperation, he deter- mined to seek safety in the only situation in which it was to be found, by enlistment as a soldier in the army ; and selected an opportunity of offering himself to a ser- geant of more encouraging countenance than the others, by whom, not without some entreaty, he was accepted as a re- cruit — the sergeant Utile suspecting that the boy of 15, and small in stature at that, whom he at first told to be off and play, was hereafter to become one of the most distinguished officers in the service. The former did not indeed live to see it, for this good-natured sergeant fell shortly af- terwards, it having been Lopez's lot to convey to him, amongst others, the order for the service which was his last. This was on the occasion of the first battle of Maturin, when the Spanish General Mo- rales, who was defeated, made good his E'etreaf, only by sacrificing a column which he ordered to defend a certain po- sition, a service which was certain death, in a war in which prisoners expected no quarter, and were not disappointed. Ex- actly three months afterwards, a second battle was fought near the same spot, in which Morales was victorious, and they found bodies of the column in question — that is to say, their bleached skeletons — to the number of six hundred, laid out on the ground in regular array, by the patri- ots, in rank and file, as though by a moc'kery of discipline in death. Such Were the circumstances which tiirew Lopez into the military career, and which threw him into it on the Spanish side of the civil war of that wretched pe- riod. He was a mere boy, and it was the only chance of life — while, at the same time, there was probably then no inhabi- tant of Valencia who would have hesita- ted to shoot Bolivar, the chief of the patriot side, as the bitterest of enemies, had they had the opportunity. Spain was then, moreover, under the republican con- stitution of 1812— so that, in the civil war at that period, the cause of liberty did net appear to be solely on the patriot side. The battle of La Puerta was deemed then to have completely crushed the re- bellion in that region, though in fact the struggle was renewed and protracted, with various success, till the final evacu- ation of Caraccas by the Spanish army, in 1823. At the end of the war, Lopez, who had thus entered in the ranks, found himself a colonel, having attained that rank at the age of twenty-three, through the brillian- cy and daring of his services. The first occasion that attracted attention to him, was shortly after his enlistment, during an attack upon a certain place, which was defended by field-works, there being two bastions connected together by a cur- tain of about fifty yards in length. The Spanish force being divided into two por- tions, engaged in attacking the two bas- tions, the ammunition of the one portion gave out, and signal being made to the other to that effect, the commander called for volunteers to lead three mules, loaded with ammunition, from the one end to the other, a service requiring a passage along the line of fire of the enemy, stationed behind the curtain connecting the two. Lopez was the only one who volunteered, and he set out with the three mules in a siring, according to the custom of the country, the head of each fastened by a cord to the tail of the one before it. At about half the distance across, one of the mules fell dead. The mule killed being unluckily the middle one, it was necessa- ry to untie the cord, and re-fasten the first and third together, all under a severe fire, which was anxiously watched by both parties. He succeeded, however, in reach- ing his destination, unwounded, though his gun was broken by one ball, his pan- taloons cut by another, and his cap pierc- ed by a third, with the other mules wounded, but not to death ; and the place was taken. The next day the inquiry was made in a general order, for the volunteer who nad offered for this decisive service, with a view to his receiving an officer's commis- sion. The commission, however, he de- clined, considering himself not entitled to be thus raised over the heads of many men, both grown and better qualified, for an act which had proceeded more from the despair and recklessness of his situa- tion, than from any other spirit, and in truth, still hoping for escape from service, to which he was still strongly averse; and the only reward he accepted was that of exemption from the drudgeries of a soldier's work, and of being mounted in- stead of marching on foot, to which he had never been accustomed. Still, once in the service, the genius of the soldier, and the spirit of emulation of military honor, prevailed over his own aversion to the career, and, at nineteen, he found LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. himself commander of a squadron of horse, a select force designed for critical eccasions, to decide pending contests, a corps into which none but picked men were admitted, and with which it was a point of honor never to turn the back ; and, at the age of twenty-three, a highly esteemed colonel of a regiment of cavalry. Besides other distinctions, he received during this war the rare military honor of the cross of San Fernando, of the second (the most distinguished) degree, a reward not bestowed at pleasure, but which is to be obtained only by a public demand by the person claiming it, and on the institu- tion of a formal process for and against his right, everybody being free to inter- pose an objection, or to depreciate the merit of the act for which it is demanded. In the whole army there was but one other individual who possessed this cross. Lopez, not attaching much importance to the act for which he was urged to apply, and caring little, moreover, for the honor himself, was only induced to demand it by the commander-in-chief, General Mo- rillo, who taunted him with being afraid of a rejection of the demand, and who demanded his secretary to draw up the application, almost forcing the reluctant young officer to sign it. The occasion on which he received the cross of San Fer- nando, was as follows : — Morillo, at the head of a force of seven or eight thousand men, was pursuing the patriot army of Paez, numbering about 3,000, over the tlanos or plains of Venezuela, trying in vain to bring the latter to an engagement. This the latter had, of course, no difficul- ty to avoid, his whole force consisting of first-rate cavalry, while the Spanish army was mainly infantry. Lopez was, at this period, as has been above-mentioned, at the head of a picked squadron, reserved for decisive moments, with which it was a point of honor never to turn their backs. He had lost halt of it in a severe engage- ment that morning, and with the rest, thirty-eight in number, was marching on the extreme flank of the army, when he received an order from the general to gal- lop forward and harrass the rear of Paez's retreating army. Morillo had not recog- nised, at the distance, the fragment which remained of Lopez's squadron ; which he would never otherwise have ^ent on suchi a service, especially after the morning's work. Rash as the order was, it was of course obeyed. On the perfectly level prairie, which was the scene of the ope- ration, what ensued was in view of both armies. Paez, provoked at the insolence of ihe little squadrou, halted and put him- self in person at the head of a splendid corps of about 300 men : his guard, the well-known flower of his army, in scarle. uniforms, and every man superbly mount- ed ; and this corps was seen to detach itself from the main body and rapidly ap- proach the little band, whose destruction seemed inevitable before the swoop of that force. Lopez asked his men if they would stand or turn. The reply was that they would do as he should. His answer was to fling himself from his horse, and command them to do the same, thus burn- ing his ships, and then to form his men in line, to stand their ground as long as they could, with the lances and carbines, which were their arms. He thus repulsed the charge of Paez and his guard, refusing to surrender, maintaining himself till Morillo could hasten up all his cavalry to their support, and till the able Paez, with whom his retreat was of much more im- portance than the annihilation of this handful of gallant fellows, whom none admired more than himself, withdrew his guard, and left Lopez, with what remain- ed of his dismounted squadron, to receive the cordial embraces of his general, and the plaudits of the whole army, who had witnessed the scene. In the negotiations for the withdrawal of the Spanish army, he contributed much to cause the Spanish general. — who could have protracted the contest much longer, though with no hope of eventual success — to relieve the country from the further pressure of the evils of war, by his influ- ence, exerted in every manner consistent with military honor ; and it is no small proof of what must have been the appre- ciation of all his character, conduct, and motives, entertained even by those against whom he had thus served — having been thrown, by the circumstances above ex- plained, on the Spanish side of the civil contest thus terminated — that, on the con- clusion of hostilities, he was invited by the patriot government to enter its service in the same rank held by him in the Span- ish army. He declined the offer, not con- sidering that that honor which had kept him in the service, permitted him to ac- cept it, and he retired with the evacuation army to Cuba, in the year 1823. On one occasion, in South America, landing with an expedition, somewhat a la Cortez, in a wild and unexplored re- gion, occupied by a highly warlike tribe of wild Indians, (Indios bravos), who never had, nor never have, been tamed, and with whom they had a severe engagement on landing, the whole party came well nigh perishing for want of water. Striking iu- to the interior in quest of water, after marching in a tropical climate for a whole day without finding stream or spring, they were at last approached, at about IU1 LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. by an Indian warrior, mounted on a mag- nificent horse, cream-colored, with black rnane and feet. Lopez was in advance, with a small column, when the com- mander summoned him to consultation. The vessels from which they had landed the afternoon before had sailed, so that they had no return. A number had al- ready died of exhaustion and thirst. They contrived to make the Indian understand their want, and he, in return, conveyed to them that he could conduct them to wa- ter, which they could reach by daybreak. But here arose the perplexity — how far he was to be trusted. His purpose might be to decoy them away from the relief which they might otherwise, perhaps, find in the direction they were pursuing, and to lead them off astray to a certain and horrible fate. In the midst of this anx- ious uncertainty, Lopez solved the diffi- culty in a mode little likely to occur to another, by proposing to mount himself behind the Indian, on the powerful and fresh horse of the latter, and to go at the utmost speed in quest of the water, to verify what was understood from the signs of the Indian ; telling the commander that if he returned all would of course be well, while if he did not return, it would prove that he was killed — that the Indian was playing false ; and that, therefore, they should in that case infer that, by pushing on in the direction they were going, they would probably find relief. The offer was accepted, and his companions remained on the spot to await the result, all the bands of discipline being meanwhile wholly relaxed. As it resulted, the In- dian conducted him truly, though of course Lopez had to plunge into the depths of the forest and of the night, mounted behind a guide who might lead hiim only into the midst of enemies. He reached the water, returned ; and by con- ducting them to it, saved the lives of the whole expedition. It proved that the In- ■ dian was of a tribe hostile to those against whose territory the expedition was pro- ceeding. Some of his wives had beenj carried off on a foray, and he was in pur- suit of them when he came upon the! strangers, whom he supposed, of course, ■• the enemies of his enemies, and therefore x his friends. The Indian Orpheus was re- warded not only by the recovery of his two or three lost Eurydices, but by liberal i presents, and he afterwards proved a ser- / viceable guide. ' From 1S23 he was a Cuban, having married and established himself in the island. The re-establishment of absolu- tism in Spain, by the aid of the French intervention, overthrowing, for the second time, the constitution of 1812, wholly prevented his resumption of service ; though retaining his nominal rank. The system then adopted was, to require a " purification " from all the officers of the army, especially those suspected of too much liberalism, a process consisting in the adjuration of such sentiments, and in an oath of devotion and support of the new order of things. Always not only liberal, but democratic, in heart as well as in principles, he would never consent to compromise with his conscience in that respect ; and he accordingly remained in retirement until, on the death of the old King, Ferdinand VII., the long-smothered liberal party broke out from under the despotic incubus which had pressed it down, and assumed the ascendant in the government of the country. Maria Chris- tina, the brilliant, bold, but unprincipled widow of the old King, after having caused the latter by his will to devise the crown to her infant daughter Isabel, 3 (ib disregard of the Salic law, which had heretofore regulated the succession of the throne of Spain, and therefore to the ex- clusion of the rights of Don Carlos, the King's brother, and next male heir, threw herself on the liberal party for support, and even resuscitated from its grave the constitution of 1812. The absolutist or royalist party soon prepared to rise for the maintenance of the right of Don Carlos, whose character and views made him moreover their natural head. Christina, in anticipation of the severe civil strug- gle, which all knew to be about to ensue, adopted the vigorous measure of disarm- ing at a blow the whole royalist party throughout the kingdom, so far as it was practicable ; a service to which the people were summoned, and came forward eager- ly enough to perform, with the aid of the troops that could be counted upon by the government. This movement, beginning at Madrid, was at each important point the work of a day, and by its suddenness so successful, that throughout the king- dom, six hundred thousand stands of arms were wrested from the hands in whick they would otherwise have soon been em- ployed for the re-establishment of Don Carlos, the priests, and absolutism. It was in the midst of theHumult of this memorable day at Madrid,/ that Colonel Lopez, (who happened to be at the capi- tal with his wife, to reclaim, a large sum of money arbitrarily seized from the family of the latter by the government in Cuba,) reappeared on the scene, signally distin- guishing himself by the activity and bold- ness which he exhibited in heading bodies of the people, in this operation of disarm- ing the royalists. Always a thorough re- publican in heart and conviction, he was J LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. one of the most enthusiastic to welcome the revival of the old constitution, and the constitutionalist party, and his joy took the natural form of zealous daring, in the performance of this practical ser- vice to the cause of his principles — a ser- vice which was not at all one-sided, a considerable part of the national guard and some of the troops being royalist, and several attempts being made by the latter party to rally, and make a stand against the tide of popular enthusiasm that rose and raged round them, and finally overbore all resistance. More than once in the course of the day, Lopez was seen driving before him, singly, with his sword, considerable bodies oi the royal- ists, armed with their guns, to the prin- cipal guard-house, to deliver up their arms, treating them with little ceremony, and making them acquainted with the flat of his sword, and indeed cowing them into obedience to his command, as though he! had been their own officer. The consequence of tins day was, that he was speedily despatched to join the army, as first aid-de-camp to the com- mander-in-chief, Gen. Valdez; and after! taking a most active part in war, being usually selected for the most daring mili- tary work, he found himself, at its close, a general, and covered with military de- corations, among which were fTie highly distinguished ones of the grand crosses of St. Hermencrildo and Isabella Catolica. General Valdez, the Captain-General of Cuba, to which post he was appointed, to a great extent through the influence of Lopez, who had urged it strongly as a means of afl'ording to himself an oppor- tunity of returning to Cuba, solicited per- mission that Lopez should accompany him, but without success ; and it was not till several months afterwards, that he finally effected his object, partly through his threat of resigning his commission, and partly from the Regent's personal at- tachment, as we shall presently explain. Even Carlist historians speak with high praise of their own most formidable ene- my, Lopez ; relating, among other acts, the manner in which he saved the army, and the bono; of General Carondelet, who was almost beaten, by a surprise, allowed Lopez, though only a colonel, to rally the dying troops, assume the entire command, virtually Bupercede the general, and to a great extent retrieve the disaster of the day. In Navarre, he saveduhe General Val- dez, and a division of his army, under the following circumstances: — Valdez had al- lowed himself to be surprised with only a small part of his army, in a village ;o, where he had established his head-quarters; the rest of the army being scattered in various directions, on different services. Suddenly, through one of those rapid movements of concentra- tion which marked the system of warfare of Zumalacarlegai, the celebrated Carlist commander-in-chief, he found himself sur- rounded in every direction with greatly superior forces. Durango was situated in a valley, encompassed with hills of mod- erate elevation, of which the enemy sud- denly took possession. Escape seemed impossible ; a bird alone, as it seemed, could carry the intelligence to the nearest Christino division, situated at Ermoa, ten or twelve miles distant, so as to summon it to the rescue. Colonel Lopez, how- ever, volunteered to do it, claiming it as his duty and right, as first aide-de-camp, and pledging himself to bring up the di- vision at Ermoa. The commander-in- chief, though regarding the attempt as desperate, yet yielding to his demand, told him he might then take what force he re- quired for the purpose. " I could not do it with the half of the division," was the answer : " but let me have your pie- bald horse, which you bought on my ad- vice." It was brought, and Lopez mount- ed it, taking with him only his orderly, (a fellow on whom he could trust to fol- low him over and through anything,) the latter being mounted on Lopez's own fa- vorite charger. Directing him to keep close to him and to regulate his pace by his own : and since it was not likely that both would escape, instructing him as to the order to be carried to Ermoa, he set out at full speed from Durango, along a road which passed between two eminences, both occupied by the enemy. Slackening then his speed, as he got well clear of the former place, and approached the elemy, but riding with entire confidence, he and his companion preseri*»d the appearance of deserters; and two squadrons, which had at first detached themselves from the enemy on both sides to intercept them, slackened the pane at which they moved down the road for that purpose. He then, with a nice calculation of ihc distance at which he might venture it, suddenly clap- ped spurs to his horse, and rushed through the shower of balls which immediately poured down from both sides, and, in the pursuit, cleared the gauntlet before the; could cut him off, and the thing was done. In the words of Vald< z'9 certificatioi . the astonishment of the enemy, and of the army, both of whom were watching the operation, he traversed the line," and the army was saved. Between himself and Valdez, (after- wards Captain General of Cuba,) a devot- ed friendship arose, which never sustain- 10 LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. ed any diminution. Valdez was always regarded by Lopez as the most virtuous man breathing. In all the acts of heroic daring, on the part of Lopez, which are familiarly cur- rent among the Spanish soldiers, and which, together with his humanity, kind- ness and freedom from the arrogant pride habitual to the Spanish officers, made him so popular with them, it is to be remarked that the boldness is never recklessness ; but is always elicited by a worthy occa- sion, and combined with that quick and acute calculation of the possibility, which is the essence of military genius. We are unwilling lo omit another inci- dent in the military life of General Lopez, in which your readers will not fail to re- cognise the ' high Roman fashion.' To- gether with a large number of others, he was at one time a prisoner in the hands of the Carlists, at a place named Conta- vieja, a fortified place in the depths of the mountains of Aragon, which was suppos- ed a safe place of custody. There were about seven hundred prisoners collected there. Lopez was the highest in rank among the prisoners, and was confined in a small room apart from the rest, with four other superior officers. The gover- nor of the place was a brutal and bloody wretch, who lost no opportunity of out- raging his prisoners. He was greatly en- raged when a Christino army, under Gen. San Miguel, now one of the most respect- able officers in Spain, began to approach the place to besiege it, overcoming by ex- treme exertions, the difficulties which had been supposed to make it inaccessible. The Governor thereupon declared that the first gun fired against the place should be the signal for death of all the prisoners in it, from Lopez down, (an act perfectly in accordance with the system of war of Cabrera, who commanded for Don Carlos in that quarter ;) and offered Lopez per- mission to write to San Miguel to that effect — in the beRef of course, that he would dissuade him from the enterprise. Lopez accordingly wrote, indeed simply mentioning the "Fact which he had been requested by the governor to communi- cate; but adding, that Gen. San Miguel , would, of course, carry out his own plans, without regard to this circum- stance, which was, morever, a proof that the governor was afraid he would not be able to maintain the place against ihe ap- prehended siege. San Miguel, at length, made his appearance before Contavieja, and began to throw up his siege works. The governor then went to the room in which Lopez was confined, and told him that he deeply deplored the necessity un- der which he was now placed, of ordering the execution of the prisoners, but offered them another chance, by saying that Gen. Lopez might go out to San Miguel's camp, to explain, in person, the state of things, so as to induce the latter to withdraw — giving his word of honor that he would return immediately. Lopez accepted the offer ; and, presenting himself to San Mi- guel and his officers, who welcomed him as a favorite friend, sat down to a cheer- ful breakfast, at which he explained the errand on which he had been sent. He executed it, however, in his own way, by advising San Miguel of the best mode of attacking the town by storm, giving him. the benefit of the observations he had been able to make of its defences inside ; and it was agreed that the attack should be made the next day. The prisoners had contrived to obtain the promise of some forty muskets from some of the Navarrese soldiers in the place, with which they would make at least some resistance to the amiable pur- pose of the Governor — a resistance which might thus afford a useful diversion during the attack. This being all discussed, to- gether with the breakfast, Lopez rose to depart, which he was not suffered to do- till he had overpowered the chorus of op- position he encountered, by the declaration of his inflexible resolution. The Gover- nor confessed himself very much aston- ished to see him back. The town was vigorously attacked the next day, and taken by assault, the prisoners escaping the impending fate (which, by the way, a certain cura, or priest, who was one of the principal Carlist officers in the garrison, was the most eager to inflict,) by the ra- pidity of the operation, and the terror with which the garrison was impressed. "They had no time, and they were afraid of reprisals, that was all," was General Lopez's modest commentary, on a recent occasion, when the inquiries of some friends elicited the particulars of this story, in which we see a ray of the classic giory of Regulus, though he him- self was the only one who saw nothing in it remarkable. In his political sentiments, General Lo- pez never wavered from his fidelity to the democratic party, known in Spain as the liberal exalta&o party. As a known and reliable member of that party, he was ap- pointed commander-in-chief of the Na- tional Guard of the kingdom, a post crea- ted for him at a critical period. He, at different periods, filled the post of com- mander-in-chief of various provinces. Though excessively caressed by the queen mother Christina, he early learned to de- spise and distrust her and her false, selfish?, and intriguing politics. i LIFE O: GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. 11 On the occasion of the popular insur-| constitution which gave to those deputies rection at Madrid, which resulted in the the same rights with those whose votes expulsion of Christina from the Regency, repulsed ihem — had already awakened a Gen. Lopez was earnestly solicited by the deep feeling tf resentment in his breast, people to assume the command of the! as in that of all his Cuban compatriots, capital, as Governor of Madrid, which,] Though a soldier from childhood., he had when he found it incumbent on him as a never had other than an American heart, duty of humanity at a difficult and criti- and he soon learned to regard with self- cal moment, he consented to do. The | reproach his own glory acquired in the city being threatened by the army, he ; Spanish service, and to despise the glitter made the most energetic preparations for of his own uniform as a mere livery, m its defence ; but happily the withdrawal 'more honorable in his eyes than that of the obnoxious queen mother to Paris! which bedizened a rich marrs negr< averted the necessity of the struggle, for lealtsero in his own country, which he had braced the nerves of ihe! Such thoughts in the breast of a man, people, by the firmness of his resolution; so honest in conviction, so resolute in will, and the vigor of his measures. Espartero ' so fearless in execution, was no barren on whom the government then devolved, sentiment ; and he deliberately determin- and who was soon after appointed Regent, !ed to devote the rest of his life to the lib- by the Cortes, was anxious to induce Lo-|eration of his country, and the recovery pez to retain the post of Governor of Ma- 'of his own dignity — measuring the latter drid ; but the latter would not remain be- by a far^higher standard than the vulgat yond the period of emergency for which one of rank, military distinction, power, he had been called upon by the people or court favor. Resigning" his seat as a themselves, in a situation in which it! Senator, he insisted with Espartero on be- might become his duty to act against thejing allowed to return to Havana — a per- people for the repression of tumults, and (mission which he did not obtain without three times pressed upon the R.egent his! extraordinary difficulty, nor until after a resignation; which was only accepted, long resistance on the part of the Regent, when he positively refused to take a nega-iit being contrary to the jealous policy of tive answer, and he relieved Espartero Spain, in the government of her rich eol- from the difficulty of filling his place, by.ony, the Queen of the Antilles, to allow himself recommending a competent sue- 'an American born officer of rank, of im- cessor. portance, to go there. An intimate friend- Anterior to this period, he had been ap-l ship with Espartero, ihe noble head of pointed a Senator of the kingdom by the the liberal or progressist party in Spain, liberal city of Seville. Authorized by the 'alone made practicable the importunity constitution to nominate three persons for [with which Gen. Lopez insisted on hi? the Senate, from whom the crown had to! demand, which he even enforced by ma- select one, Seville took effectual means to king it the alternative to a resignation of make good its desire to be represented by his commission ; and it cannot be denied Lopez, by naming as his colleagues in the that his own determined purpose in going, nomination, two candidates whom it was and the consequences which have resulted impossible for the court to adopt, the one 'from it, prove clearly enough the policy being the Infante Don Francisco de Paula, of that rule, on the part Thos - HudwalL dred and eighty on board, and with this R^imevt of Arlillcrn.— Officers of the Staff. number, the Pampero proceeded to Key ~ 0h } ef \ \ m - Ll , Cr '"enden ; Adjutant, R. L. West, for stores, where Lopez found a ^^anford; Second Master of Commissariat, Fe- letter from a correspondent at Havana,! ^"^ L ° A urge P on ' f J : udo £ c Y^ii « , stating that Pina d/lley, and almost all L233T#a3BSS IJrtSiFt of the Vuelta de Abajor, were m open ;] y owen8 . Third do.. J. 0. Bryce. insurrection, and that he had better pro- Company B.— Captain, Jas. Sounders; First ceed thither at once with his forces. I Lieutenant, Philip Van Vechten ; Second do., This letter, as has since been learned, i Beverly A. Hunter ; Third do., Wm. H. Craft. was written by the treacherous corres-j Company C— Captain, Victor Kerr; First pondent, a well known speculator of Ha-; Lieutenant" James Brandt; Second do., Wm. vana, and a former friend of Lopez, at JT. Vienne. the instigation of Concha, the Captain! Regiment of Cuban Patriots. — Company A. General of Cuba, and was false in every | — Captain, Ilde FouseeOverto; First Lieuten- oarticular. Deeming it accurate, how- ! ant > De Ji S a Hernandez ; Second do., Miguel ever, supposing it to have been written | L _°P ez ; Tnil 'd do., Jose A. Pianos; Fourth do., with the most friendly motives, not ; fr^T Lopez. dreaming for an instant that it was an I v ™? im % d ? f - ^O^ns.-M^ox George infamous snare to lead him to destruction, iB °/ lll % ; Ca P tam ' ^ adlsla " s P°lank; Iaeuten- t . l j . c l • 'ants, Sermerby, Johan Petroce. Adambert Lopez at once resolved to forego his or.g- ^ fe and & mfid Richner inal intention, which was to go to Port , German Regiment.-Captzin.KugoScblyct; Principe, to act upon the advice of the Lieutenants, Paul Michael, Biro Cambeas ; letter, and to proceed and land at some Captain, Pietra Muller; Lieutenant, Giovano point ol Vuelta de Abajor. He communi- Ipiacasee. cated his wish to Capt. Lewis the com-l After heari tne rt of the , et mander of the Pampero and that gent e- theofficers affr | ed w [ lllLopez> thatit was man turned the vessel s head in the de- their best p ° licyt0 proce £ d at once t0 sited direction. Lopez then summoned Vuelta de Abajor his officers, and laid before them the con- tents of the letter. ■ The following is a lis: of the force un- der his command. Six companies of infantry, including officers. Thither, then, the Pampero was head- ed ; and about 11 o'clock on the night of the 11th of August, she landed Lopez and his men at Morillo. As he touched the shore, he perceived,' 219; three artillery, 1 14 ; one Cuban patriots. 'by the clear moonlight, that the place 19; one Hungarian, 9; one German, 9 _ | was comparatively deserted: the build- List of OFHops-General-m-chief Narcwo jn werc < and forsak Lopez; second in command and chief of the; w f lh , he ^ { f ^ f starr, John Pragay ; officers of the staff, Cap-i, ■ a j c j- l ** if tain Emmrich Radwitoh; Lieutenants Joseph wh ? fled "J* ^ d,scha T rgeS ' Monllo J was Lewohl, and Jigys Rodendorf ; Adjutants Col- , without inhabitants. Lopez turned to engen and Blumenthal ; Captain Ludwig Captain Lewis, and bade him return to Schlessen^er ; Lieutenants Ludwig and Miller; *londa tor further recruits. The Pam- Surgeon Hega Leramgue. Commissary, G. A. P ero accordingly moved off, when Lopez, Cook. (leaving Col. Crittenden with fifty men, to Staff of the Regiment of Infantry. — Colonel look after the unnecessary arms and pro- R. L. Dorman, Lieutenant Colonel W. Scott visions, advanced to the next town, Las Harness, Adjutant George A. Graham; Com-'Posas, without encountering anything but missa'ry Joseph Bell. Adjutant of the Bfegi- a few countrymen, who fled as he ap- ment, George Parr. iproached. On reaching Las Posas, he Company A.— Captain, Robert Ellis; Lieu-!f oun( } tQe town abandoned, nor could all tenant, E. McDonald ; Sub-Lieutenant, J. L. La, his besC efforls persuade its inhabitants to Hascan; ditto, LH. Beslmbridge. retum< He remained at Las p osas , lU Company B. — Capcain, John Johnson; First ..„ i-n~ • , ■ Lieutenant, James Dunn; Second do.. J. F .,^e following morning, when he wa, Williams ; Third do., James OReilly. ,acked bv ***** hundred of the Qu Company C.-Captain, J. C. Bridghum : Fir8t| troo Py who - in , the pnd w you can conceive of, cooped on board with 400 or 500 men. We arrived on Sunday last, I believe — datet I have almost forgotten. The next awning so LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. Lopez, with General Praguay and all the com- manding officers, left us — (I mean Crittenden and his bataliou.) "We heard nothing more of him for two clays, when Crittenden dispatched a note. He then requested we should join him at a Utile town some six or eight miles off, leav- ing us in the mean time to take care of all the baggage, &c. We started for him on Wednesday morning at two o'clock, and had proceeded only three miles when we were attacked by 500 Spanish soldiers. In the first charge I received a very severe wound in the knee. We repulsed them, however. They made another charge, and completely Touted us. We spent two days and nights, the most miserable you can imagine, in the chapparal, without anything to eat or drink. We mads the best of our way to the sea- shore, and foond some boats, with which we put to sea. Spent a night upon the ocean, and the next day, about 12 o'clock, were taken prisoners by the Habanero, were brought to Havana last night, and condemned to die this morning. We shall all be shot in an hour. Good bye and God bless you. I send the Masonic medal enclosed in this, belonging to my father. Convey it to my sister, Mrs. P n, and tell her my fate. Once more, God bless you. STANFORD. From J. Brandt. Havana, Aug. 1(5, 1851. My Dear Mother : — I have but a few mo- ments to live. Fifty of us are condemned to be shot within a half hour. I do not value life, but deeply regret the grief it will cause you to hear of my death. Farewell, then, dear mother, sisters and all ; we may meet again in another world. Think of me often; forget the causes I have given you for grief: remember only my virtues. Farewell, again, dearest mo- ther, and believe izo to be your affectionate son, J. BRANDT. Mrs. Maria E. Brandt. From H. Vienne, On Board the Man-of-War Esperanza, \ August 16, 1851. S My Dear and Affectionate Sisters and Brothers :— Before I die, I am permitted to address my last words in this world. Deceived by false visions, I embarked in the expedition for Cuba. We arrived, about four hundred in number, last week, and in about an hour from now, we, I mean fifty of us, will be lost. I was taken prisoner after an engage- ment, and with fifty others, am to be shot in an hour. I die, my dear brothers and sisters, a repent- ant sinner, having been blessed with the last rites of our holy religion. Forgive me for all the follies of my life, and you, my dear and affectionate sisters, pray for my poor souL A , go to my dear mother and console her. Oh ! my dear child, kiss her a thousand times for me. Love her for my sake. Kiss my brothers and all your dear children, To Father Blackney, my last profound respect ; to Father Lacroix and Father D'Hau, a mass for the re- pose of my soul. My dear mother-in-law, farewell ! Poor Ta- cite is shot and dead by this time ! I give and bequeath my dear child to you and you alone. Good bye, H ; good bye, G and T . I did my duty. Good bye, all. Tour dear Son and Brother, HONORE TACITE VIENNE. Mr. Antonio Costa has promised to do all he can to obtain my body. If so, please have me buried with my wife. From Patrick O'Rourke. The following letter we find in The Natcliez Free Trader of the 27th inst., from a young Irishman of that city — one of the sacrificed : " The letter below is from Patrick O'Rourk, to his poor widowed mother and sisters, living in this city. He was a brave and chivalrous youth, who never feared danger. His distress- ed mother and three sisters are left to mourn his untimely death. Havana, Aug. 16, 1851. My dear Mother and Sisters : — My day is come at last. We were taken yesterday on the coast of Cuba by a Spanish steamer, and we are to be shot in an hour from this time — fifty of us in all. I have to say it is my own doings. For God's sake pray for me, and tell Father Raho to do so too. I have made my confession to a Spanish Priest. May God bless you ! and keep his eye on you ! Farewell, dear mother ; farewell dear sisters — Maria, Margaret and Kate. But my last words are, may the Lord have merey on my soul, and I hope to see you all in heaven, with my father. Your affectionate son and brother, PATRICK O'ROURK. From Thomas H. Hearsey. Havana, Aug. IS. Dear Mother : — I now sit down to write to you these few lines, hoping that you are well, and to inform you that your son is condemned to death. I hope that we will all meet in hea- ven. Dearest mother, bid them all good-bye for me, and kiss them. Forgive me, dearest mother, for what I have done. God bless you all. Tell my dear sister and brothers that I shall never see them again on earth, but hope to meet them in heaven. I have not seen James for several days. — When I last saw him he was welL We got into an action a day or two after landing, and were separated ; but I think he will escape. I have had a hard time, dear mother, since I arrived, but do not fret. Dear mother, we part to meet again. Tell George I have remember- ed him ; he was a true friend to me. Tell Mr. Glenn good-bye — Claiborne and Letitia, good- bye, — Caroline and David, and all my friends and relatives, good-bye ! Forgive me, dearest mother ; I go to meet my Father in Heaven. Farewell, dearest — farewell ! Your ever devoted son, THOMAS H. HEARSE Y. LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. 3] I'iiIk Havana Victim — Another Victim. — The ibi lowing letter from one of those shot at Havana, is addressed to the editor of the Lou- isville Courier. The writer belur.ged to Louis- ville, where he followed the business of cup- ping and leeching. It will be seen that he fiercely attacks Lopez — probably under the influence of that peculiar irritation which takes possession of certain organisations when they find themselves in trouble. The idea that Lopez deceived his men, is simply and ludi- crously absurd. H+vana, August 16. Mli. W. HaLDEMAN, Editor of the Louisville Courier : Dear Sir, — I take this last opportunity and liberty of sending you this letter, for the bene- fit of those who will probably come to Cuba. Sir, Gen. Lopej has deceived us all. He is a traitor and no gentleman. There is no revolu- tion here as the papers have stated. Tell all those who intend to visit Cuba, not to come, for they all will be shot. There is uo chauce to get back again. If any officer has raised a company or companies, tell them through your paper, if you think proper, to disperse, for the expedition is all a great humbug. I don't like to see O'Hara bringing men here from Ken- tucky to be shot. Sir, I am condemned to be shot, and as I have only a few minutes to live, I thought I would inform you that fifty of us will be shot .shortly. Colonel Crittenden, of Louisville is "among the lot. Give iin best respects t© ali my friends. I would write more, but cannot do so for the want of time. Very respectfulh . J. FISHER, Hospital Steward of the Army of Cuba. From G. A. Cook. Havana, on Board a Man-of-Wae, J 8 o'clock A. M. Aug. 10, 1851. \ Stanton & Co. Mr Dear Friends: — About fifty of us — Col. Crittenden's command — were taken pris- oners yesterday ; have not received our sen- tence yet, but no doubt we will be shot before sunset. Lopez, the scoundrel, has deceived ns ; there is no doubt that all those reports about the Cuban rising were trumped up in New Or- leans. Lopez took nearly his command and deserted us. We were attacked by 6ome 500 or 700 of the Queen's troops the second day after we landed. Our own gallant Crittenden did all that any man could do — but we saw we had been deceived, and retreated to the sea- shore, with the intention of getting off to our country, if possible. Got three boats, and got off with the inteution of coasting uutil wc fell in with an American vessel, and were taken prisoners by the steamboat Habanero. Explain to my family that I have done nothing but was instigated by the highest mo- tives, that I die with a clear conscience and like a man with a stout heart. I send my watch to you, it is for little Benny, my nephew. Good bye, God bless you all. Truly yours, GILMAN A. COOK. BRIEF NOTICES OF THE LIVES AND CHARACTERS OF SOME OF CRITTENDEN'S COMMAND. COL. WILLIAM S. CRITTENDEN. From the Louisville Courier, Aug. 25. The Colonel Crittenden who was one of the AmericauB executed at Havana was, doubt- less, William Crittenden, formerly of this city, and brother of John Grittendan, late Marshal of the Chancery Court here. Patrick Dillon, Dr. Fisher, ant) Manville, who were also exe- cuted ' • Qe time, were from this city, and we understand some two or three others of the unfortunates were from Indiana. From (lie Nan Orleans Trut Delta. Long auu,well did we know him. We kuew him first in the Mexican war, and in many a bivouac shared his blauket Educated at West Point, he graduated with honor. At the open- ing of that war, he occupied the position of adjutant of the 1st. infantry, aud for several months discharged the highly responsible du- ties of post adjutant at Vera Oxuz, with morit- ed honor. He was the son of a brother of the distinguished gentleman who now fills the office of attorney-gcncAl of the U nited States. His father emigrated to Arkansas, when that state was in its infancy, and died in eaglf life, filling a community with universal regret for the loss of a man as highly endowed with the loftiest virtues, as he was gifted with the rarest genius. Will Crittenden, as he was familiarly named by his friends, was worthy of the stock whence he sprung. A nobler specimen of the Ken- tucky gentleman, a worthier servant or citizen of the Republic, we have never met. A lion heart, a love of truth, of honor, and of liberty, were his. An accomplished soldier, a votary of letters, he was as gentle as he was brave. At the close of the Mexican war, he resigned his military office, aud became a citizen of New Orleans, where he resided until he ombarked with Lopez. Our blood has boiled to hear the base inucn does of the argued lip-lovers of Cuban free- dom against him, as well as his companions, for permitting themselves to be captured. The dying missives of his compatriots reveal the causes that compelled his heroic soul to yield, ff ever a man fell a victim to atrocious deeep' n LIFE OF GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ. tion, it was he. A few days before he left, we met' him, and a wish that we would aceom- pany him was expressed. — We earnestly ad- vised him against embarking in the enterprise ; we spoke our incredulity of the reports that the Cubans had risen. He answered that he was no freebooter ; that he could not be in- duced to join the expedition, were not the peo- ple of Cuba in arms against their rulers. my brother, with whom he had passed through many dangers, and to whom he was warmly attached, was made but a few hours before the expedition sailed. He had no knowledge whatever of the plan of operation. My brother and myself, from motives of friendship and regard, knowing that he was the only surviving son of a large family, endeavored to dissuade him from going ; but his mind was made up, That a revolution had actually commenced, and he said he would shrink from no dangers that the Cubans were in -the iield, he assured us he knew from statements of parties who had given him their confidence. Against this faith, we had nothing but our incredulity to present, and we parted never to meet again. We have felt it a. solemn duty to state this, to remove the impression that he, from his position in the expedition, was a party to the cruel artifices practiced by the unseen heads of the scheme. which his old friend Thomas C. James might encounter. I am satisfied that he could have had no consultation with Gen. Lopez before he left. I would also add my belief, as one who- felt deeply the effects of the calamity, that the command of Col. Crittenden could not have been deserted by Gen. Lopez, but that the gallant old man no doubt did all that mortal could do to save the very flower of his little army, and that their destruction was effected somewhat in the manner described by General Huston, in Sunday's Delta— by the unexpected interposition of a large Spanish force between the party with Gen. Lopez, and the command of Col. Crittenden, which had charge of the kaggage. In justice to the old hero, I would oppose the charges of his assailants in this city, who accuse him of treachery, my own, knew .him g4L m days jaud what l bdieye ig the sei - ltimcnt of nea;rly our whole people, that his conduct was brave and honest. Ilespectmllv, your obedient servant, E. W. JAMES. LIEUT. THOMAS C. JAMES. From the Wilmington (N. 0.) Herald. Among the victims of the recent execution in Havana, a report of which will be found in another column, we were, pained to discover the name of Lieut. Thomas James, formerly of this place gone by, for he was a school- fellow of ours, and j we can bear willing testimony to the many ex- ! cellent qualities of his mind and heart. He was of an ardent, impulsive temperament, fond of excitement and adventure, and was de- servedly esteemed while a resident here. But he has fallen in the full flush of manhood, and whatever may be the shades of opinion with regard to the character of the cause in which he was enlisted, still the warmer emc our nature cannot but revolt at the inhuman sacrifice which robbed him and his daring asso- dates of life. One consolation, at least, re- mains to his kindred and friends — and it is that he died like a hero, without a sign of fear. From the Ne<«> Orleans Delta. We give below a letter sent to us by Col. E,. W. James, brother of that gallant young man, Thomas C. James, who was one of the fifty' so cruelly murdered in Havana. Col. James was also the intimate friend of Mr. G. A. Cook, (another of the murdered patriots,) having accompanied him thiough a long and perilous service in the reconnoisance of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec :— New Orleans, August 25, 1851. Though oppressed with grief for the loss of a beloved brother, and of my dear friend Gil- man A. Cook, who was brutally murdered in Havana, on the 16th inst, by the Spanish author - ities, I cannot refrain from performing an act of duty by stating what my intimacy with Mr. Cook enables me to say— that, ' in going to Cuba, he was neither deceived nor persuaded by any one, but acted from his own nobte im- pulses, which were always on the side of the oppressed. From the New Orleans Crescent. A letter from Alex. McAleer, one of the Havana victims, to Mr. John McGinn, was shown to us yesterday. Mr. McA. writes that on the 12th of August they had a fight with the Spaniards, killing thirty of them and losing- three men ; that they then returned to take a vessel for New Orleans, but not arriving in time, took four boats and put to sea, and were oaptured. The remainder of his letter is in reference to private matters. From the Washington Southern Press. We learn that Alexander M. Colchett, one of the victims of Cuban vengeance, was the son of a wealthy and highly respectable mer- chant of Charleston, S. C., and a brother ol John M. Colchett, of the firm of John M. Col- chett & Co., of New Orleans. He was be- tween 20 and 21 years of age, and a respecta- ble member of one of the most wealthy and respected families of South Carolina. He had resided for some time in New Orleans, and was a member of the Washington Artillery, of that city. The St. Louis Republican states that S. C. Jones and T. C. Veasy, included in the list of the persons shot at Havana, were two young His determination to accompany j and promising lawyers of that city,