The Portland daily press., 1898-07-25
THEIR Splendid WORK.
More Tributes to The Valor Of Our
Soldiers,

Washington, July 24-With the week
just closed, the United States saw the end
OF the third month of the war with
| Spain and the responsible officials, from
the President down to the lowest employee
who has had to do with the shaping the
course OF events, feel nothing but salts
faation at the progress made. An army
| OF quarter of million of men has
been mobiiized, armed and equipped land
much of it has seen service. The battles
preceding the capture of Santiago have
been remarkable in many respects and in
| tie opinion of military experts have COW
cred the United States army engaged
with imperishable glory. Modern warfare
OF type developed in these engagements
was absolutely new and untried, not only
to the United States army, but to the
world No such charge is recorded in
history as that made upon the stone forts
| and the blookhouses browning the hills of
Ell Caney. There have been engagements
between trained troops and savage races
in the jungles of India and on the hills
| of South Africa of late years, that con-
tOyCo 1ii q 6AAEAu IIlfhAAitOE Uuo
of modern weapons, but these battles
fought by the fifth army corps have been
the first in which large bodies of troops
of civilized nations on both sides have
been engaged with all the implements of
modern warfare and this is bound to be
highly instructive to the military stu
dent and to extort admiration for the
splendid fighting qualities of the United
States soldiers from the most unwilling
critics.
Few officers in any army have had
more experience in hard fighting, espeo-
tally in rough country, than that other
Indian fighter, General Guy V. Henry, SO
that some weight must be attached to
the opinion of our officers and troops ex-
pressed by him in the following personal
letter addressed by him to Adjutant GEN.
eral Corbin, dated in front of Santiago
July ~:
1--WE had pleasant sail down, but,
having to row the men ashore, took some
time to get off. We left Siboney at
H., yesterday with the eighth Ohio and
came into camp here about three miles
from the front. In company with Gener-
al Breckenridge, rode to the front to
General Wheeler's headquarters and,
flag of truce being up. had an opportuni-
ty to see the lines We are almost on top
of them, in front of Wheeler, being about
800 yards from Them but the country is
rough, going down to falling and as
centling, all covered by their fire. The
country all the way is the toughest ever
saw. You have to follow roads or trails
and come under heavy fire, their position
commanding every approach. The work
done by these troops since landing, their
heroism and patience under discomforts,
heat and rain, calls for the highest praise,
and the work accomplished by Shafter,
his pertinacity and 'go-aheaditiyeness'
| under adverse circumstances and discom.
forts,sis revelation to me. doubt if
| there is another officer who would have
gotten through as he did. Our loss was
most unfortunate, but the character of
| the country could not have been avoided
| if we had to get there. Last night the
eighth Ohio were almost drowned out,
and it pours today, that's the climate,
and to get out of it it would he cheaper
to lose more by fighting and success than
by sickness which is sure to come by
| staying. We have about thirty cases of
yellow fever and many of malaria, but
the men are cheerful. General Dufield
and Captain Wilcox have yellow fever,
they say in mild form. gotten from
sleeping in infected buildings which are
now to be burned. Miss Clara Barton
and Mrs. Addison Porter rode to the
front in an army wagon over rough roads
and raining; they are unselfsh women.
Too much credit cannot be given to the
heroism, pertinacity, pluck, patience and
endurance of the men who have borne
the bruut Of this work"