The evening times., 1898-08-26
REVIEW OF fHE CAMPAIGN
Gen. Shafter Talks of His Oper-
ations Before Santiago.
PRAISES THE REGULARS
what Volunteers Lacked In Expera-
ence Was Made Up for In Enthusi-
asm and Patrfotfsm-TO Have Ia
ken the Town by Assault Would
Have Cost Multitudes of Lives.

Cost
New York, Aug. IA dispatch from |
Santiago to the Herald pf yesterdays |
date says:
Prior to the embarking on the steamer
Mexico Major General ShaIfter this even
ing consented to be interviewed. During
the interview he discussed in general
terms the campaign that has just enoeo-
The bare prospect of returning 10 the
United States caused him to be brighter
more cheerful and less harassed iookihs
than at any period since he erioafked at
,rar,rsa. General Shafter said:
..I hook ,rpon the campaign just closed
"a s,,ccessfu one in the highest degree
not only in regard to the military opera
,,,,s anrt more especially in regard to
the s-reat results achieved When we de-
ctded to attack Santiago we looked ~,
moth ng more as the immediate run Oh
yvnat mas heen achieved is the capituia-
ion of the entire eastern part of tne
nro,,,nca from a line at J!bari 10 She
scs.,b coast together with I1e enemy
fnpces amounting to Almost t"eh'9
Thousand men. Surely that WIS ho,a
f,ie achievement of the campaign, oeae
in mind the fierce opposition We el.eou @ af
tered and comparatively
our own forces. ,.r-
.From a military point of view / per
hans took steps which might not De oeeni-
ed iustifiable under other circums.anees,
hut I knew the temper ana caPaoi'
Of NV soldiers and the moral enect OF our
gradually cooping up the enemy "i'niA
his own lines
"My engineers were very apprehensise
that the Spaniards might break tnroush
on my left and cut on SiponeS. ihs,
from a purely military standpoint, might
have been truthfully correct, put per
sonally l had not for a moment any rear
on that score The result has, 1 thlnR'
nroved the correctness Of my conclusions.
"Our primary object was to drive Ger
vera out and next to take the town. we
had gradually driven the Spaniards oack
on his lines, circling the city, ana SLOWLY
advancing day by day. The enemy began
losing spirit as soon as our guns had been
placed in a position to cover the town
"when Cervera left the situation was
changed. The town was at my mercy,
and had given the order for direct as
sault 1t would have been taken within four
borrs believe that with the forces
then at my command. REINFORCED as they
had been. I was in a position to take the
city by force.
ssRut if / had taken a step of such a
character what would have been the re-
suit? I estimate that our casualties wouio
have beeu g. 900 men, and the action took
has had more brilliant real results with
out so heavy a loss of valuable lives.
1.-The town itself is admirably suited for
defense. and the fight would have been
a long and bloody one. Every house is
ta1 81 eStn nj
" different from the ordinary frane
buildings. Every house was little fort
ress in itself. Had the Spaniards. forced
nv desperation, fought the battle out in
the streets our loss would have been enor-
NOUS But from the moment Gen Ioral
made a proposition for conference
knew he was determined to give up, ano
1 acted accordingly.
personal reflections have been cast
upou me because 1 was not on the fight
ing line. That was not the place for a
general in command Of an army. Ii
must be remembered that I was connect
ed by telephone with the officers at the
front. and was better able to direct op-
eratfons from the position had taken
Save for two days when i'll l was IN dl-
rect command of this campaign, whicf
I consider unique in American history
for 1t was really the first time the United
the civil war was a war OF volunteers
but this campaign was fought and wor
by our regular troops.
.I did not notice the fact at first. bu
there were only three volunteer regi'
meuts engaged against Spaniards- Will.
the highest credit is to be given them
and they fought bravely and well. there
was the moral support of the regulars
back of it all.
"Our volunteers lacked the unity, CO
hesion and individual support noticeable
in our trained troops. but at the same
time no disparagement should be made
of the volunteer regiments in the cam
paign. What they lacked otherwise they
made up for In enthusiasm and patriot
ic sirit, and desire to command no bet
ter army than one composed of the clas;
of volunteers under me in the Santiago
campaign.
'The operations of the regulars in tn,
campaign have proved conclusively thei
superiority over some organizations o
State militia. in which the men ar,
partially compelled to serve by a sens,
OF shame but they do not show the en-
thusiasm of volunteers.
There has been some question con
corning the transportation facilities o
the army. The facilities were all there
and the transportation equipment pro
vided was all 1t should have been. bu
our difficulties were enormous. Their,
was only one road. To have built an
other would have taken two years Tn
nature of the country, the weather-al
these things-helped to disorganize thi
department. The use of wagons was al
most impossible"