The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-30

oiitt dSSuIlltu CHdTSt, reporting TO l4e
secretary of war. All of the subsequent.
business of the surrender was entire'y
in his hands, as shown by tie fact that
the war department communicated
with him direct, not even mentioning
General Skaters name in the numsr-
Gus dispatches. The following dispa ten
from Alger is an excellent example:
Washington. u. c., July 13, 1898.
Major General Miles: You may accept
surrender by granting parole to officers
and men, the officers retaining their
sidearms. The officers and men, after
parole, will be permitted to return to
Spain, the United States assisting. If
not accepted then assault, unless, in
your judgment, an assault would fail.
Consult Sampson and pursue such
course as to the assault as you joint
ly agree upon. Matters should be set
tied promptly
This dispatch recognizes Miles as
the commander and gave him authority
to act. Secretary Alger. through Gen
eral Corbin, sent a dispatch to General
Shafter, assuring him that General
Miles did not come to Cuba to super
sede Shafter in any way. This dispatch
General Miles refers to as secret for
he says he did not know it had been
sent, not having been notified from
Washington and General Shafter say
ing nothing to him about it. After the
surrender. General Miles still retained
control. He authorized Shafter to ap-
point peace commissioners and. judging
from Skaters report, that all was over
ne instructed him as to the disposition
of the troops.
July 10 General Shafter wired Gener-
al Miles that the surrender was not as
complete as was thought, and said:
Please do not go away with the rein
forcements, as l may yet need them
Miles promptly replied by wire from
Baiquiri that the surrender lis complete
and the Spaniards must surrender
'On July 16 Shafter wired Miles that
the surrender was finally complete and
General Miles replied through Adjutant
General Gilmore as follows: The COM
manding general is very much gratified
to hear that the surrender is complete.
He directs that you telegraph anything
of Importance and the condition Of your
command daily
General Miles then reported the con-
dition of affairs to the secretary of war,
with whom he had been i'm conference.
In one of his kilograms to Miles, Secre-
tary Alger says: AS soon as Santiago
falls the troops must all be put in
camp as comfortable as they can be
made and remain, l suppose. until the
fever has had it's run
1t Comes to a Point.
Miles did not agree with Secretary
Alger, for July q, in a letter already
published in the Star, the general com
manding urged the return of the army
to the United States as soon as possible
July II, after the surrender was COM
plete, General Shafter wired as follows
to General Miles:
'Siboney. July II. 1898. $40 p. M
Received July Is, 1898. General Miles,
on board Yale.
Letters and orders in reference to
movement Of camp received and will be
carried out. None is more anxious to
get away from here than myself 1t
seems from your orders given me that
you regard my forces as part of your
command. Nothing will give me great
er pleasure than serving under you,
general, and ] shall comply with all
your requests and direction, but | was
told by the secretary that you were
not to supersede me in command here.
/ will furnish the information called for
as to the condition of command to Gil
more adjutant general A. II. O.
General Miles very promptly replied
as follows:
playa del Este, July is. 1898 (Guan-
tanamo), 11:3O a. m.-General Shafter: |
Telegram received: have no desire and |
have carefully avoided any appearance |
of superseding you. Your command is |
a part of the United States army. which |
nave the honor to command. having |
been duly assigned thereto, and direct |
ed by the president to go wherever | |
thought my presence was required and |
give such general directions as |
thought best concerning military mat
ters, and especially directed to. go to
Santiago for a specific purpose You
will also notice that the order of the
secretary of war of July 13 left the
matter to my discretion. / should re-
gret that any events should cause
either yourself or any part of your
command to cease to be a part of mine
Very truly yours,
NELSON A MILES.
Major General Commanding L. s A
General Miles then gave General
Shafter final instructions and left hur-
'iedly for Porto Rico for reasons al
'eady known to the readers Of the Star
IN view of the situation, as revealed bv
he above kilograms, the following
statement contained in the New York
Herald of recent date is quoted:
Alger's Instructions.
"'If my cablegram to Major General
'hafter, informing him that Major Cen
,ral Miles was not sent to supersede
him in supreme command Of the troops
n the field at Santiago de Cuba. pre-
rented the storming Of the city on
he day of its surrender and resulted in
he saving of lives which otherwise
would have been lost in the attack.
hen ! am repaid for sending il a thou
and fold
This statement was made to me this
ifternoon BY Secretary Alger apropos
4 the publication in the Herald of yes
erday, setting forth the doings of
Major General Miles during his brief
tay in Cuba The secretary told me he
lid not propose TO enter any contro-
'ersy regarding the Santiago cam
align with anybody; the results spoke
or themselves. and they were a suffi-
lent justification for the policy which
ad been pursued by the war depart
nent in the conduct Of the operations
gainst Santiago.
" My cablegram to General Shafter.' |
e continued, was simply due 20 my
esire To assure him that / intended