Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-09-07
DID THE BEST He COULD
Admitted that Conditions at San
tiago Were Bad.
SKATER INTERVIEWED
Men Who Ordered n Summer Cam
paign Are Responsible, Says
Fifth Corps Leader.

an interview WIN zen. w lltlam IL. SndI-
ter in which he is represented as saying:
''At Santiago we had to deal with things
as they arc, not they should be. Of
course there was sickness. 1t was inevita-
bic in summer campaign. But nobody
was neglected. The doctors were scarce
at first, but we had loads of them
as soon as they could get there. The
doctors got sick like the rest. They were
overworked and exhausted. But their
ability is unquestiOnabe. Look at the
low percentage of deaths from wounds.
1t never was lower in any war. Why,
III the Civil war, l lay on the battlefield
myself until maggots developed in my
wounds, and that was right near by, not
down in malarious, subtrOpical country
far away.
THE men who ordered a summer cam
paign in d fever-infested country are re-
sponsible for the natural and unavoidable
consequences.
''None of our wounded were allowed to
lie on the battlefield as [ was in the Civil
war. Nothing of the kind happened.
Anaesthetics were plentiful.
1T the heat that was so deadly.
And the rains Right in the midst of
the most torrid heat u shower would fall.
1t would drench everybody without cool
ing the air. In a few minutes, under the
sun again, every man would be steamlng.
Men of the strongest constitutions sue
cumbed.
Yellow Fever Not So Dangerous.
''Our first case of yellow fever devel-
oped at Ell Caney. But the army was
ripe for it, and it spread like a prairie
fire. Many a man had yellow fever who
never will know it. And to tell the truth.
1t IS not so dangerous as the calentura,
or heat attacks, that unacclimated men
have in the malarious regions of Cuba.
Why, it is a common thing for a mans
temperature to rise from normal state
to 1O3 in q few hours. That means death
in most cases.
1T can give cards and spades to yellow
fever in the game of death. I'd rather
have yellow fever l tell you when a
man burns up inside there's little hope
for him.
Our men were all unacclimated; they
never had faced such constant heat.
Many of them never had slept outdoors
before they went into camp. How could
they be moulded into proper material for
such 4 climate and such q campaign! 1t
could not be done. These men you see
coming back with the thin bodies and the
yellow faces are suffering from the para
site of the low fever of the Santiago plat
eau. The cool air and good home care
will cure them.
we had to choose the lesser of the two
evils-to ship the men north to a healthy
climate, not wanting to keep them where
they must die. We at the front did not
want to let the fever have its run We
was to save the most lives possible. We
never had a foreign war since 1S12-14
The United States has no hospital ships
It was not question Of using what was
best but what we had. We used the
transports that brought the troops down
End of the War Unexpected.
eff [ could have had few weeks to
equip hospital ships the condition would
have been better. If the war had con-
tlnUed we would have stayed right there.
fever or no fever. The sudden end of the
war was unexpected. We We're not pre-
pared Tor the unexpected. | made it an
unYarlable rule to send home - per cent
less men on a transport than she had
brought South. That a fair view to
take.
i am satisfied with the Santiago cam
paign. When it is fully understood, with
all its difficulties, it will receive just place
IN military history. We were hurried off
to Cuba. We landed and could not have
got our stores back on board ship if we
had wanted to. When the invasion was
planned 1t was obvious that il must be
rush. Such it was.
And 1t was success-compleJe and
unequivocal. Many things We're done it
IS true. that were forced upon us by the
exigencies of the hour, but the means en-
plOyed even under such stress proved to
be wisely chosen. / was compelled to do
great many things that under different
circumstances would not have been con-
Sidered
The Ell Caney fight, [ hoped. would be
finished at 10 a. M; but it took until 3
O'Clock and rather feel now that it was
for the best. Had I had Lawton on the
right Of the line we would have Undoub3-
cdly taken the city Of Santiago that night
IN which case only the garrison then there
would have surrendered to us, whereas
later all the troops in the region surround
ing were included. | knew that the war
was over as soon as TOral spoke to me
about surrendering the troops in the
eastern province. | almost fell over.
I'VE never had on the fighting line at
any one time more than $1,000 mel. And
with these we captured y ,000
Nine thousand SpaniardS were for(i-
fed in the best intrenched position | ever
saw. Indeed, the intrenchments were of
such a character that Smelling with the
guns we had did not do them serious
damage. Where Il 13-inch shell from our
ships dropped into house in the town it
demolished the dwelling; but all the oc
cupasts were gone"
Cervera's Men Fought Well.
did Cervera's men help in the San
Juan fght?" was asked to clear I'D a
m0Oted point.
Yes, indeed. He had 1000 men ashore
from his feet in the battle of July 1.
His chief of staff, Busamente, was killed.
His marines and soldiers suffered severely.
Cervera put them all back on board July
THE Spaniards were down to their last
bit of rice when he surrendered but they
chivalrously declined on the first day to
accept rations offered to them They said
that American charity Inundated them,
but l noticed that they came around for
the grub the second day"
"Why was our food supply short before
San Juan:f'
Il had to act quickly and shove my
men right into the field, because | knew
they We're growing weaker and weaker
every hour. We had plenty of ratons, I'M
loaded at the shore, but there was only a
single road, hub deep in mud, over which
they could be brought to the front, and
il we had had a thousand army wagons
we could not have got the provisions
where they were needed The pack
trains saved us. They We're invaluable"
What is the condition of Santiago to-
day." was asked.
1T is III a fair state Of health,' replied
Gen. Shafter. Under the military gov
hin now il, will coor, no