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Murray, Hugh, St. Pau, Spain, to James Alphonsus McMaster, New York, New York, 1873 October 13

 Item
Identifier: Calendar

Scope and Contents

The columns has marched from Prats to Artes which is three hours distant from Mauresa, after passing through Campredon, Casseras, and Gironella under the command of Colonel Don Francisco Tristany. General Rafael Tristany commands during the absence of the prince and has moved with the main body and artillery to Luria. The previous day, they passed the site of the battle of Sept 23 and 24 which they would have won if they had ammunition. Lavalds will probably be disgraced for disobedience. Murray has seen three places where the Republicans have burned their dead with the blackened earth still hearing a pungent odor. The royal forces always bury their dead and in the last battle they did this before retreating. They have seen six farm houses burned by the enemy and also the graves of 40 who had died from wounds. In the last battle at Porreig, they were outnumbered by the enemy 8000 to 1500, and many of the men had to use cap guns and blunderbusses. On the 23rd Sept. 1873, 9000 cartridges were received but they were filled with sawdust instead of gunpowder. The enemy have cannon and modern equipment but they lost 500 men to our 60. The Carlist forces refuse to stop until the last catridge has been fired, and this determination has taken them and their leaders out of the mountains and into the valleys. The previous day they halted at Valserny and slept at Laliente. On Sept 13, they slept at Avinon where Dr. Freydus and Baron Forstner were murdered by volunteer Republican forces. The ranks of the enemy are made up of regulars, Cipazos, who are French Communists, Sons of Liberty, and some volunteer troops. Dr. Freydus' assistant, who escaped to Murray's battallion said to him that the regulars opposed the murder of the men by the volunteers and almost came to blows with them over it. When the Republicans capture a place, the clergy is forced to move. The majority of the people are Carlists but they do nothing about it. There are few Catholic newspapers in Spain. Our official paper is the Honor Catalan and there is a good Carlist paper printed in Navarre and one in Madrid.

Dates

  • Creation: 1873 October 13

Language of Materials

English.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Notre Dame Archives Repository

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