The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-03

Washington, Deo.2.--The annual re-
port Of Secretary Alger is d praotic-
ally complete official history of the
Spanish-American war
The secretary has given to the public
not only all the official dispatches that
passed directly between his own office
and commanding officers in the field
and camp, but has supplemented these
with short explanatory notes, setting
forth the reasons for various move
ments, and then, to complete the REQ
ord of events, he has included in the
body Of his report, the report of Cen
eral Miles, of all the generals who par
ticipated in the campaign in Cuba. Por-
to Rico, or the Philippines, and finally
the reports Of all the bureau officers OF
the war department.
Nowhere is there shown a disposition
to criticise, the official dispatches being
allowed to tell their own story. Gem
orally the SECRETARY finds much to
praise and cause for sincere congrat-
ulation in the results obtained.
The report proper begins with what
may be described as a chronological
history of the war, consisting of, a num-
Der of short paragraphs, beginning with
the declaration Of war on April Il, and
setting forth the date upon which any
event Of Importance occurred, but max
ing no comment whatever upon the
facts. The only exception to this rule
| Is In reference to the casualties at San
tiago. Some criticism having been
made that there was a. lack of surgeons
present, the report states that there
vera 14O surgeons in attendance. and
that of 1431 wounded, only Is died Of
their wounds
Touching the surrender of Santiago,
the report shows that Shafter demand
ed the surrender on the Sd, and renewed
this demand on the 4th. On the morn
ing Of the 18th another demand was
made. On the evening Of that day Cen
eral Miles arrived, and on the 18th and
Zach Of July he, with General Shafter,
met the Spanish commander under
flag of truce to discuss the surrender.
On the afternoon Of the 14th, General
Miles left General Skaters headquar-
tiers, and soon thereafter went aboard
ship. preparatory to sailing for Porto
Rico. July IT Toral surrendered 2900o
men upon our terms and the American
flag was hoisted by order of Smarter.
The secretary, coming down In his
history to the middle Of August when
an order was issued, and is now in eX-
ecution, to muster out 1OO,OOo Eoluh-
teers, says; o-o ooo -,
unteers and recruits for the regulars
was called into existence from civil
life. and. including the regular army
the total force was 274,717 men 1t was
organized, armed and equipped mo
supplies being on hand other imam lIlose
for the regulars, save Springfield mus
kets), and $4,000 men OF TINS force were
transported by land and sea to battle
fields in the tropics 10000 miles apart
where they won their victories
without a single defeat, and
all within the period OF III days
from the declaration Of war to the
signing of the protocol
1The deaths in the army from May !
TO October 1, including killed, died OF
wounds and of disease, were 29lO, the
s,,oaiiaet death rate recorded of an
army in history, remarkable lacI
when it is considered that over $4,000 or
orr troops. born and reared in the tenn
nerate zone. were campaigning IN trop-
,ca1 climates subject to rain and heat
almost unprecedented.
Under the head of increase in the
permanent establishment, the secretary
says: .,.4..
force in the islands occupied by the
United States. it is earnestly recon-
mended that the regular army be per-
manentlv increased to 100000 men and
the requisite officers; that portion OF
this army be recruited from the inhab-
itents of those islands, to be mustered
into the service of the United States,
and commanded by the officers or our
army, discretion, however, TO De given
to the president to make appointments
of officers from the force so recruited.
The statement of expenditures and
estimates presents some formidable hg-
ures. The expenditures for the fiscal
wear ended June 80 last were S62, 034,-
7S4. and the estimates for the next ifs
cal year beginning July l, 1899, are
s195. $50 77 OF this great estimate, the
sum of S55,430909 is charged to the
army. The estimates OF extraordinary
appropriations required for the six
months ending June 30, 1899, are $780,
IN. 5S9, and the estimates for that pc
riod, combined with those for the next
fiscal year, reach a total of S255,427,-
OH.
He then takes up the Geographic and
other correspondence relating to the
war. and that matter occupies more
| than a AourIh VI 'HS "N't0
report.
This part of the official story begins
with the statement that early in May
a movement upon Havana was con-
templated, and it was believed that the
city would be assaulted and captured
before the rainy season set in, but the
plan was subsequently abandoned on
account Of the reported movements of
the enemy's fleets 1t was proposed
to send a portion of the army of inva-
sion from Tampa and to gather an
other part of it to Key West, on ac-
count of the close proximity of the lat
ter place to Mariel, Cuba. The secre-
tary quotes one of the dispatches at
fclInNars.