The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-04


ago, where for the last three days thu
American forces have pressed forward
against an entrenched enemy, Genera
Shafter today sent the following dis
patch, summarizing the situation:
Playa del Este. July 3.-To secre
| tary of war, Washington: We have
the town we'll invested on the NORTH
and east, but with a very thin line
Upon approaching it we find it of sucf
a character and the defense so strons
it will be impossible to carry it b!
storm with my present forces.
Our losses up to date will aggregate
a thousand, but the list has not yei
been made. There is but little sick
ness outside of exhaustion from In
tense heat and exertion of the battle
of day before yesterday and the al
most constant fire which is kept up on
the trenches. Wagon road to the real
| is kept up with some difficulty on ac-
| count OF rains, but will be able 10
use it for the present. General
Wheeler is seriously i'll and will prob
ably have to go to the rear today
General Young is also very III; con-
| fined to his bed. General Hawkins
slightly wounded in foot during sortie
| somely repulSed. The behavior or the
troops was magnificent.
General Garcia reported he holds
the railroad from Santiago TO san LalS
! and has burned d bridge and removed
some rails also that General Pando
has arrived at Palma and that the
French consul with about 400 French
citizens came into his line yesterday
from Santiago; have directed him to
treat them with, every courtesy posi-
| BILE. SKATER, Major General
THE NATIONS GRATITUDE.
Secretary Alger sent the following
reply to General Shafter:
ITO General Shafter: The president
directs me to say that you nave tne
gratitude and thanks of the nation for
the brilliant and effective work OF
YOUR army on Friday, July l. The
steady valor and heroism of officers
and men thrill the American people
with pride. The country mourns the
brave men who fell in battle. They
have added new names to our roll OF
heroes.
(Signed) X A ALGEh,
Secretary of War.
FEELING OF APPREHENSION.
The dispatch speaks for itself, and,
as Adiutant General Corbin says, tells
what a desperate Sight our gallant
troops have been in. 1t was received
at noon today, after lull OF nearly
36 hours in the official information
from the field. At first, when it be-
came known that the American COM
mander had reported the defenses TO
he strong. and it would be impossible
to carry them by storm with his pres
ent. force, there was mOmentarlly
wave of deep apprehension. But this
was not shared by the military au-
thorities here. All their energies, all
their attention, was turned 10 meet
the situation as presented by General
Shafter. There was neither time nor
disposition to take account OF what
had gone before when the fact was
nlain that the American army had
fought it's way, inch by inch, under
hlazing sun, through a dense tropical
vegetation, steadily advancing ana
beating back the foe, taking position
after position. until, as General
Shafter remarked, the town was Wen
invested on the north and east by the
ione-drawn-out line of American
troops. That was a sufficient tribute
TO the valor of our brave men and
If siIenced all cavil over the conditions
now presented by General Shafter. 1t
was a time for action, for reinforce
ments. and toward the execution OF TINS
end every effort of the administration
was at once turned.
ENEMY TORN TO PIECES.
But there was other information of
a different tenor, coming about the
same time.
The American army was not alone
feeling the effects of this three days
shock of arms Definite, positive IN
formation was at hand that Santiago
had been literally torn to pieces ana
that in the wreck and ruin of demol-
ished buildings the Spanish casualties
numbered fully 1000. This was a Mt.
ting offset to any qualms raised by
the reports from the American lines.
This information came to one OF the
foreign consuls stationed at Santiago,
who reported to the representatives OF
his country in Washington the fearful
havoc within the city wrought by the
American army and the feet. The dis
tress of the city, even before the pat
tie. was clearly shown by the action oil
the consul in serving out rations OF
half mound daily to his fellow coun-
trvmen. a few hundred in number, for
the last month Evidently there was
no food to buy, the Spanish military
forces having taken every available
Mound Only by this official distri-
button of rations to the foreign colony
could they be kept from starvation
Then came the brief, but graphic re-
cital of the terrible effect of the Amer
lean attack from land and sea. The
bursting shells from our fleet had done
the greatest damage inside of the city,
its soldiers being moved down with
the shot and solid projectiles-
LINARES WOUNDED.
The Spanish General Linares was
seriously wounded. This last fact has
been grudgingly admitted from Ma
drid. but the report reaching here left
no room for doubt as to the seriousness
of this feature With it was the fur
Their fact that the Spanish casualties,
even behind the entertainments, ran
I'D to a thousand and was equal to
that of the fearless men who fought
in the open.
With all the lights furnished on the |
situation, official and unofficial. direct
and indirect, it was apparent that each
side had suffered terribly, with not a
period of lull for those in response !
bility TO measure their conditions, bury |
their dead care for their wounded and |
prepare for the greater conflict yet to |
come.
TIE president and his war advisers !
remained calm throughout the trying |
of the day. All their at
+ention was directed to the work of |
The future movements |
they had been made known in his |
dispatch, but it was deemed advisable |
lot to make this portion public, as it |