Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-06

-, = - -szss=rz- tntlt aiter niost
-r-...s- brilliant victory
the army was
compelled TO retreat in tho face Of an
enemy moro terrible than Spanish bull
let's. The physical wrecks Of this army
which had leen spared by the Mnuscrs
at Santiago reached Camp Wikof, Long
Island, between the / 9th Of August and
the end of that month, and l consider it
the happicst episode Of my career Us a
writer that was commissioned TO go
to Montauk and spare neither time nor
expense nor labor in covering the camp
from end to end in order to CLEAN from
tho lips Of participants of all ranks the
true story of SKATER campaign at San
tiaCo.
The moment / stepped from the cars
into n thrOng and jam of war worn fig
urcs clad i'll stained and begrimod uni
forms around tho landing at MontGuk,
the 33 years that have elapsed since |
marched with the conquerors of Peters.
burg, back from Appomattox over the
blood stained course to the army land
ing on tho James, were wholly obliter-
ated 1t seemed that | was soldier
| again, touching elbows with Heroes,
thinking their thoughts and sharing
with thcri the after emotions of events
seldom finding parallel i'll the life Of
one man. From that time on until the
camp was practically abandoned / lived
among the soldiers, sharing the tents
and the fare of officers and men. Around
their campi;res on the chilly nights and
under the welcome shade OF canvas in
the heat Of the August days they told
hue of tho battle, made sketches Of the
position and explained the movements
of the regiments. brigades, divisions
and tho vantage ground of batteries.
There came together to take part in
these recitals officers who had not COM
pared notes since tho fight of July /.
Whenever there was doubt or contro-
varsy upon any point, absent officers or
soldiers who could testify in the mat
/ ter were summoned. Moreover, soldiers
of every rank finding the strain Of weeks
/ lifted at last were in the mood To recall
I stirring incidents which, when pass
ing, had left no impress except as they
hurt CT startled. II point uf fact,
found tho army emerging from horri'
+ Bic nightmare and for the first time
/ feeling that it was all over and time tC
take an account OF what had happened.
was conscious from the first moment
of my entrance to Camp Willof that
was in the midst Of q superior body OF
so!diors. The type / could recognize rs
/ having existed in 1860, but the army
! has kept Eaco with the march of i'm
| provcment, and the ideal soldier of 1855
! is tho real and universal soldier OF
SKATERS regular regiments today.
There was no posing III the camp, nc
standing hat in hand to be ga2ed al
and applaudod as hero, bnt u bustling
dead earnest, soldiorly activity, which,
with cool self control, was broken of
long enough TO sit down and discuss the
details OF the campaign. There was ne
difference whether the soldier inter
viewed was tho leader of battalion OF
q regiment or u commander of brigade
or division; no, not excepting the chiefs
Of tho corps, two of whom were in com
mand during my stay in camp-that il
to say, General Shafter and General
Wheeler.
| As this is to be story of tho fight
ing as tho soldiers in limo Of battle re
member it, it is not necessary to discus,
moot questions, but could not better
preface the stories of the marvellous
deeds of Skaters army than by saying
that it had leader who in the opinion
of u host of the best soldiers in the serv
ice was in every way worthy of It,
Whatever he may be or may not be-
whatever no may have or lack, he has
qualifications for high command
William Il. Shafter is no accident
was so fortunate as to pass whole
forenoon in General Skaters headquar
tiers tent the second day after he tool
command of the camp at Wikoff, where
/ could witness his method of admins
tering affairs calling for prompt and en-
ergetic action. The business of tho adj
ministrat!on being over, he devoted
more than an hour to general and off
hand calculation of the difficulties o.
the Santiago campaign.
AS to Skaters army in the Santiago
campaign, could not help saying t.
myself again and again at Camp Wikon
that the equal Of his corps as ! saw It,
barring the fever wrecks lying on the
ground and in the hospitals, could no
have been paralleled by any single corp
in tho Army of the Potomac in 1864
This notwithstanding the fact that a
the beginning of the Wilderness cam
paign the Army of the Potomac wa
thoroughly reorganized and consolidat
oil.
In the first place, this country ha
progressed more than quarter of a cen
Jury since that time, Military ideal
have been fostered and followed up I
their very highest point, and tho YER