The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-11
- EN-. JOSEPH WHEELER has gal
J, ioped anew through the campaign

- EN-. JOSEPH WHEELER has gal
q ioped anew through the campaign
VI OF Santiago. careiesssy sweeping
minor details OFT Of his way and
Needless 80 sDeeulation or criticism ne has
lived through again the main events OF me
greatest campaign Of the war. All this
Cen Wheeler has done In book winch
he has just published. His yo.sme ne
calls simply THE Campaign OF santiago
and in IL he proceeds onhand without
apology or introduction 10 tell OF the
things ne saw and the tHlEgs he did in the
days Of the fighting in Cuna.
Like a gallant hero on horseback. Gen.
Wheeler stoDs occasionally to throw bosi-
Quet or two at the brayest and best OF the
suSordinates or 10 give a glad SMILE 70 his
commanding officer. bat IN the main be
presses forward AXE a businessiike warrior
with an object 70 gain. Following the yex-
ample OF the fighter OF old. Gen. Wheeler
might have called his book his com
mcntaries." With direcfness and lack OF
unnecessary ycrbiage the general has de-
Scrtbed the incidents of the campaign from
start TO anish.
Difficulties, advantages and results make
up the substance OF the narrative. tx
tracts from his diary. comments made at
night in his tent. dispatches. even newspa-
per clippings and extracts from personal
correspondence. al join TO furnish the
material out of which the chapters are
pat together. II is not the generals way
70 tell things twice over. If a dispatch or
n report seems to best give the meat OF
m event IL runs I'm its place In the text
far ffs
In that form.
Farthest OF all from the purpose OF the
book l. IL to advocate any theory as to
what ought to have been done in the war
or to give praise or blame In general.
Credit for each happening IL given. Ocea-
sionaiiy the vaior and manhood at the sol
diers calls forth words or admiration. Bat
In the main the deetis accomplished are
considered 10 b" sufficient praise for the
doors. and no word more need be said. Yet
In spite OF all, as in other similar MARIA
tives the writer himself Is the hero OF his
book Miles and Alger are del * machina.
6hafter is mighty spirit in the back
ground. bat Wheeler IL the man who di-
xccts the giving Of the actual blows which
laid the Spaniards low.
=
Indeed for n work OF just this kind per-
haps no man Is better fitted than Fight
ing joe himself. One OF the first officers
to land 1T Da.quir. ne was In PRACTICAL
command of all the forces on sno.e for
some time. and later commanded nearly
Ill the troops at the front. The mer I'M
der him were those who Won the battle
of Las GuasImas and the Rouge Riders
and the other cavairymen who fought at
San Juan all acted under his orders. Then.
400, he was the ranking member OF the
American commission whien received the
surrender. and later he was the command
1ng officer at Montauk Point.
The book - published by Lamson. Wolfe
= Co.. and makes a good appearance.
though spoiled 10 some small amount by
careless proof reading The large type
that Is used make its 800 pages less for
mjdable to the reader and IL Is well pro-
yiaed with maps of the different battle
fields and of the American arm. in the
different stages of it's advance. A portrait
OF Gen. Wheeler in full uniform forms the
frentispsece There Is no Introduction
ITO the brave officers and soldiers OF
the cavalry division. army OF Santiago,
the book In dedicated This Is what the
Eeneflt mas 10 1otht isst"'s
..ro their superb courage IN battle and
their endurance and fortitnde when SUB
,acted 20 the discosnforts, diseases and
hardshipe OF the tropical climate OF Cuba,
Is largely due the glory achieved by Anneri-
can arms In the campaign OF santiago.
Their good conduct in bivouac. upon the
march and In battle has never beer sur
passed by any soldier. and l shall remefn-
her each ana all Of them with eyer in
efessing gratitude and admiration
With ten lines, which were evidently
penned a, Santiago just after the surren-
der. ana which barely record the fact Of
American victory. the fr-s chapter opens
Then the general mentions his appoint
ment. and By the end Of the dozen pages u
the chapter he has brought himself and his
cavalry division 10 the alsenioarklnss place
near Santiago Next he describes hts ad-
vance toward Las Guasinias. tie uses his
Official report verbatim rs a description
or the battle.
The next chapters treat - the fghtine At
San Juan aili Dispatches ard memoran-
ds showing the reasons fer the advance
In the face Of tire strong Spanish force are
given. ard the events If tha battle arc told
snaialy through the reports of the i,ading
commanders As - the conduct 81 the
men. oSsn. Wheeler says:
''it x hard 80 conceive 81 any more sal
iAnt conduct than WAS d.llayc! hv these
troops in this engagement, T'hey had MAD
ell the San Juan river formed liae under
ere. advancsai uran sae cnesny. with nota-
Ing - shelter then from the deaJ,y nre
charred over enc hgl aud u the cres; q
another, and taken works which the Soan-
saris felt conaaeu; were .mpseeattt..
They were then exhausted They number
Cd not more tasn thousand men That
morning. Nearly IL Thousand hAa been
killed or wounded. they had been cornrs &
ed 10 tafow down nearly every hiss bus
their guns ana ammunition IN their ad-
vance, aa3 were able 10 secure Ntt}s faes
except rlc~ AID other articles whsea ira
spsnlArsts had lefs ia TIA tTvacl,es Yet
these ev,.ant mes wee uaoonplaiusnE."
, -
Seaae az them the general a<i,3<. wsrr 50
weakened that ttey Nee apnrc0eastvr shat