The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-09
BONDITION OF ARMY IN CUBA
ND tYJsl Low FEvEW. nU.r GRE\r MANY
GASES or NJ SLAKIA. q. ~ .'"'
2typshAtiROoa v 1t SRys--A Few Weeke SpCnt
Sk}sin Stl,o SOrth Ma'n Oaht ". ul,t Make
$thr Arn,y Feel I.ik" Fighting ~'
C,"'lsa-i ha Aitun,iun
,BSeS5S9S Plainly ToiL.-
slCopyright, 1903, Ivy Associated
E-'1.
81 PrpSS)

Santiago, Aug. 81 Summoned by
Gen. Shufter, a. meeting waA held
y this morning in the presence Of
every commanding and medical Off
Ger Of the Fifth army corps.
Gen. Shafter read cable message
i from Secretary Aly"r ordering him
at tho recommendation Of Surgeon
4 General Steruberg, to move the army
\ into the interior, to San Lnis, where
4 it is healthier Aa result OF tho
y conference, Gen. Shaftrr will insist
Il upon an Immediate withdrawal Of
tho army north within two weeks.
gAs al explanation of the situation,
t he following letter from Col. Theo.
1sdore Roosevelt, commanding the
First volunteer cnvalty, to Gen. Shat
ter, which WAS handed by tho latter
TO the correspondent here Of the AS
sociated Press for publication:
8t'Major General Shafter:
s s "Sir-In meeting tho general and
4 medical officers called by You at the
spalace this morning we were all, as
eEyou know, unanimous in our view of
what should be done with the army.
"To keep us here, in the opinion of
sSseyery officer commanding division
5sor brigade, will simply involve the
destruction of thousands.
There is no possible reason in not
Sshipping practically the entire COM
smand north at once Yellow fever
leases are very few in the cavalry di-
vision. l command one Of the two
brigades AMI not one true case of
yellow fever has occurred in this di-
EggS5yIsion except among men sent to the
hospital ut Sibony where they have
acontracted it.
slSS sBut in this division there have
been 1900 cases of malarial fever,
but not one man has diod from it,
bntStho whole command is so weak
ened and shattered as to be ripe for
dying like sheep when the real yell
lowSfever epidemic instead of fake
4epidemics like the present, strikes us,
sissit is bound to do if we stay here
s9tthe height Of the sickly season.
.If we are kept here it will, in all
$3iliman probability, mean an appall-
81 ing 8dsaster, for the surgeons esti
mate over one half of the army if we
ave kept here during the siclzly sea-
son will die.
sS"This is not only terrible from Il
SSSstandpo,nt Of individual lives, but it
s$ineans ruin from every standpoint of
the military efficiency of the flower
ofsthe American army, for the great
bulk Of regulars are with you.
E's.The sick list, large though it is,
sslAssrds but q faint index of the de.
Utilization Of the army and not 10 per
cent. are fit for r'aetual work
ssSix weeks on the north Maine
S5coast, for instance, or elseWh here,
Whore the yellow fever germs cannot
aspos 'ibly propagate, would make us
salas fit rs fighting cocks. Able as
sge8are and eager to take leading
part in the great campaign against
TiSsyana in the fall even il we are not
allowed to try Porto Rico.
WE will be moved north, and if
moved at once with absolute safety
any country, although it would
aSphavel been infinitely better if we had
been moved north or to Porto Rico
WoSWeeks ago. If shere is any OBJ
y in keeping us here we would
sSslyellow fever with rs much in
difference as we faced bullets, but
there q no object in it. -Four i'm
n1nne regiments have been ordered
lere and ale sufficient to garrison
he city and the surrounding towns
sndthere is absolutely nothing for
isto do and there has not been since
ihe citysurrendered.
iii isimpossible to move into the
interior Every shifting of camp
Idoubiessthe sick rate in the present
weakened condition and the interior
jistrather worse than the coast as re
have found by actual reconnaissance.
Oar present camps are healthy and