The record-union., 1898-12-11
As a Glorious Victory for the Land Forces
of the United States.
His Army as Perfect a Force as
Gould be Found in the World
Declares That if the War Had
Taken the Course Originally
Mapped Out, a Great Battle in
the Autumn in and Around Ha-
vana, Fifty Thousand Americans
Would Have Been Lost.

NEW YORK, Dec. 1O.-General
Shafter, in the course of a speech at
meeting of the New York Genealogical
and Biographical Society, referred to
the war with Spain as the war which
has resulted so gloriously for the land
forces OF the United States at Santi-
ago." adding that it was unnecessary
to say that the navy had also per-
formed it's work in the most efficient
manner-'.if the absolute destruction OF
the enemy was what they were after.
General Shafter then went on to say
that the United States began the war
with an army, on paper, of 2o,OOO
This army was to attack Spanish sol
diers who for 400 years had been
known as gallant fighters, and for the
last $50 years noted for their stub
bornness in defensive campaigns.
In the course of the ensuing remarks
the speaker said that the officers of
the fleet contended when Cervera's s
squadron was in the harbor of Santi-
ago that the city could be taken, and
the Spanish vessels destroyed in forty
eight hours, should a force of 10000
infantry be sent to assist. He said
that the army which marched against
the city was as perfect a force as
could be found in the world. 1t con-
sisted practically of the whole regular
army of the United States with three
regiments of volunteers. for whom
room was found at the last minute on
the transports.
Speaking of the fight at FL Caney,
General Shafter said that an officer of
his (the speaker's) division contended
=, fol- fhn vN1n hyy
o'clock in the morning without fail,
and much against his better judgment,
he (Shafter> allowed him to make the
attempt Instead of being taken by
9 o'clock in the morning, Ell Caney
was not captured until nearly o'clock
in the evening, AID with a loss of life
as great as at San Juan Hill, greater,
indeed, in proportion to the number
of troops engaged. Proceeding, the
speaker said that the army in Cuba
had as competent staff of Quarter
masters and subsistence officers as the
world has ever seen. There was a
great deal said about the suffering
among the American troops in Cuba.
He would not expect his hearers to be-
lieve him if he told them that there
was no suffering.
Inc more effective the WOTk OI lHt
army, the greater the amount of suf
fering that was necessary. But he
could say with certainty that there
was not one hour after they landed in
Cuba that all the American soldiers
did not have bread, meat, sugar and
coffee On one day only, half rations
of the two last named provisions were
given to part of the troops, but the
deficiency was made up the next day.
There had been some talk of the Sew
enty first New York and the Second
Massachusetts Volunteers not standing
fire The only reason for this was the
fact that some of the men of these two
regiments got among the regulars, who
were using smokeless powder. The VOL
unteers had the old powder, and the
regulars simply would not have them.
Every shot fired by volunteer
brought hail of bullets from the
Spaniards, and the regulars rightly OBJ
jected to this.
The speaker then spoke of the re-
markably good feeling that existed be-
tween the American and Spanish
troops after the fall of Santiago. In
conclusion, he said he took little credit
to himself for the successful result of
the campaign. That was due to the
best army brought together in the
United States. If the war had taken
the course originally mapped out ana
hostilities had begun in the autumn
with great battle to decide the fate
of Cuba between the Americans and
Spanish army in and around Havana,
$4,000 Americans, he declared, would
have been lost.