Naturally the rifles of the garrison were trained most of the time upon the man sighting the Hotchkiss in the captured fort, and there, leaning over his gun in the early morning, the intrepid Osgood was shot through the head.  He was carried off by his comrades under fire, and died four hours later.  The death of this gallant young soldier was universally lamented, and the Cubans honor his memory as one of the first Americans to give his life while fighting for their cause.

With Gomez, with Garcia, and with Maceo, in every insurgent camp, there were brave men, American born, who fought for the flag of Free Cuba, side by side with the native soldier, and who gave their lives in the war against Spanish tyranny and misrule.

CHAPTER XXII.

Filibusters from Florida.

First Expeditions—­Expense to the United States—­President Pierce’s Action—­The Uprising in 1868-The Patrol of the Coasts—­ An Expedition on the “Three Friends”—­Arms and Ammunition for the Insurgents—­Desperate Chances—­A Successful Landing.

The record of the last fifty years is the clearest and most convincing evidence that can be offered against the Spanish contention that the United States is not concerned with the question of government in Cuba, and has not been tremendously injured by the inability of Spanish administration to furnish the Cubans with a peaceful and satisfactory government.  The first bit of evidence to be submitted comes from away back in 1848, when President Polk, on behalf of the United States, announced that while the United States was willing that Cuba should be continued under Spanish ownership and government, it would never consent to the occupation of the island by any other European nation.

It was pointed out at that time by the American government that were the United States to admit that Cuba was open to seizure by any government that was able to throw Spain out the fact that it was nearly surrounded, in Central and South America and in other West Indian islands, by territory belonging to twelve other nations would make it the ground of interminable squabbles.  And these squabbles were not matters which would be without interest and damage to the commerce and peace of the United States.  This was followed by an offer of $100,000,000 to Spain for the island of Cuba.  The offer was promptly declined, and the United States was informed that Cuba was not on the market.

First filibustering expedition.

Nevertheless, there was formed in the United States the Lone Star Society, which had as its object “the acquisition of the island of Cuba as part of the territory of the United States.”

The “Conspiracy of Lopez,” which is fully treated of in previous pages of this work, was the first filibustering expedition that attracted particular attention from the authorities, and it was hoped that its disastrous end would deter others from like attempts.  But the hope was a vain one, for within two years a similar expedition, led by General Quitman of Mississippi, was organized in the United States.  Many men were enlisted and vessels chartered, but the expedition was suppressed by the government of the United States.