The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-18

NV EMDEh 10, loJos
he moved out at 5 o'clock next MORN
ing TO fight the battle OF La Quasima.
| sending the volunteers. the rough rid
| ers. by one road and the regulars GO
| Ing by another. He declared that there
was no surprise In this fight and no
ambuscade had been reported He had
reconnoitered the Spanish camp within
half an hour before the fight had be-
gun. and he had attacked the Span
iards and not the Spaniards him.
Speaking of the rough riders. he said
there had been no greater percentage
| Of casualties among them than among
the regulars. and that they were not
led into any situation not to be ex-
| pected In war.
The report that they were allowed
| to be ambuscaded was due" he said
entirely to the demoralized reporter.
and the demoralized adjutant Of the
regiment. who had left the service soon
afterwards
General Young said he had occupied
the enemy's camp on that date. "and
II was very good camp" he added
naively.
In reply to a question as to what aid
he had secured from the Cubans in
this fight, he replied, None whatever"
The Cuban guides had deserted him
upon the first fire. General Castillo. on
the night before. had told him that he
would send 500 Cubans with him, but
when the next morning came and he
sent to notify Castillo that he was pre-
pared TO proceed. his messenger found
a card on the Cuban commanders door
saying that he must not be disturbed.
He had. therefore. proceeded without
the Cubans. After the fight was over.
however. some of the Cubans had come
up under the command of a French
man. who saluted very tragically with
his sabre. saying that he had been or
dered by General Castillo to follow the
enemy and fight him wherever he
could find him. General Young said
he simply ordered the Cubans TO the
rear. and the only service they had
performed was to gather up the bag
gage that the American soldiers had
discarded.
General Young said he had been the
only man In the command at La Quas-
ina who was mounted. and that he
rode a mule. He carried no baggage
except a rubber slicker. a pajama and
a tooth brush. The wounded were car
ried back to Siboney and while the hos
pital was somewhat congested. the men
were well attended 10.
General Young said that Immediately
after the Quasima fight he had looked
the ground over toward FL Caney and
had Informed General Wheeler that he
was tofIlutnt ne COulu take the place
that night with his brigade. II allowed
to do so. General Wheeler had replied
that his orders from General Shafter
were not to advance without notifying
him. and that he would notify the gem
eral OF his General Young's) wishes.
He had not heard anything more off,
cially in regard to the matter.
With this General 1oung's service I'm
Cuba had ceased, as he was taken
down with fever luna
back home. After a period of sickness
he was sent to Montauk Point to estab-
lish Camp Wikoff. He detailed the diff
ficulties of the preparation OF the camp.
Ne said " hsa-been impossible to get
In floors and that he had not considered
them necessary either for health or
comfort.
Il gave them lumber hammers and
nails. however. and told them to make
themselves floors IL they wanted them.
I thought they were being treated too
much like babies
He regarded the commissary sup
plies. he said. as abundant. and that
enough had been allowed to spoil 90
feed 1900 men daily. The hospital and
quartermaster stores were also ample.
He had never I'm all his experience seen
army hospitals so well supplied with
medicines and stores of all kinds. The
controlling motive I'm selecting Montauk
was that OF selecting proper quaran-
tine and a very strict quarantine was
observed. He considered the camp very
healthful and the site very desirable.
"As to what was done there for the
soldiers" he said. II think I deserved
more credit for what did at Montauk
than for what I did at La Quasima. 1
think more was done than should have
been done for the soldiers
Telling of the hardships OF one COM
mand which had Just arrived from
Cuba, he said: They were not the
heroes being only regulars"
He said the privations OF the war were
not so serious as the Indian campaigns
he had been engaged In. There have
been occasions when his command had
to live on corn: and others when there
was nothing to be had except horse
meat or burro meat. But that" he
said. was not In the newspapers"
He was satisfied that most OF the COM
plants against the camp were unfound-
ed. Many of these complaints were
made by men and women who had
never seen men In camp. Approaching
the situation. the soldiers had played
IL on the visitors" making complaints
that were without foundation in order
to get delicacies.
Soldiers like to be made babies Of"
he said. "and some OF them soon got
so that they would not eat their regu-
lar rations."
General Young concluded his testi-
mony with the statement that the SOL
diers were far better cared for than
they had been in the civil war.