(CUBA) Pair of descriptions of the Ten Years War

Sale 2273 - Lot 151

Price Realized: $ 780

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600

(CUBA.) Pair of descriptions of the Ten Years' War. 2 partial ink-press manuscript copies, and an accompanying Letter Signed, all in English. 3 pages on 3 sheets, each about 11 x 9 inches; right edge of earlier report imperfectly printed, top edge of later report torn with loss of a few words. Havana, March to May 1869

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The earlier account is dated 12 March 1869: "So far as we can judge, the insu[rgents] do not occupy any important town in any part of [the] island. . . . There are apparently bands of insurgents in vari[ous] parts of the districts of Sagra, Remedios, Villa Cl[ara] and Cienfuegos. . . . It is to be feared that there is much lawless violence [and] private vengeance on both sides." The author of this report is unknown, but it is accompanied by a routine letter dated 13 March from Havana merchant James C. Burnham to Lanman & Kemp of New York, noting that "we inclose a statement of political circumstances." Burnham apparently produced multiple copies of this account for distribution to his New York customers.
The second report is in a similar vein, but in a different hand. It was apparently produced in late May of 1869. It described a rebel force which had been routed: "Killed 60, wounded 160, took 7 cannons & 3 flags, one of which was inscribed as having been presented in New York on 27th April. . . . An uncle of Quesada was executed in the district of Puerto Principe. . . . We are carried back to the days of chivalry by an animated description of an attack made by 9 men on 60 or 70 insurgents in the district of Villa Clara." In addition to their historical value, these reports take an interesting approach to small-scale news distribution in the days before the mimeograph and photocopy.