The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-02
General Skaters Report to the
Secretary of War.
HAD ENEMY PENNED in
BUT THEIR DEFENsEs WERE OF
GREAT STRENGTH.
Situation of the Spaniards Described
By General Linares In a Message
to His Government-Sick Soldiers
Were Kept In the Trenches With
out Food--A Pathetic Story.

Washington, Aug. 1.-The secretary
of war has received the following letter
from General Shafter, transmitting the
commissions report of the surrender OF
Spanish territory at Santiago:
Camp Before Santiago, July IS, 1898.
Il take the liberty of sending to you,
this morning, a copy of the agreement
between the commissioners on my part
and the commissioners on the part of
the government of Spain for the sur
render Of eastern Cuba. The schedule
Just submitted shows there TO be a
little over o. 900 men and officers
about 5000 more than 1 have had my
self-and 1 am very glad to say we
have got all these men with very little
loss of life, compared to what it would
have been had we had to fight them.
The city of Santiago is simply a net
work of Notifications at every street
corner.
Il had no proper conception of its
strength until 1 went into it, although
1 knew those old Spanish towns were
naturally very strong. Everything IS
going admirably, so far as the transfer
is concerned, and the Spanish troops
are behaving well, as they are perfectly
delighted with the thoughts Of getting
home.
4 send to you personally a telegram
which one of the consuls gave me. 1t
shows the straits to which they were
put, and the feelings that animated
them. He stated the case exactly. l
did have him so completely surrounded
5 that it was impossible for him to get
away, and 1 could wait and he could
not.
L send out tomorrow to receive some
thing over 1000 men from the interior,
and in two or three days viii send to
Guantanamo to receive the 1000 that
have surrendered there. They should
be shipped fromS Guantanamo bay di-
rect to Spain. There are also about
500 men each from Baracoa and Sagua
de Tanamo, on the north coast, who
will come into the port there for ship
ment 1 will send an officer around
with a Spanish officer to take their
arms and military supplies.
I'VE have gotten a great deal more
than l had any idea Of getting in the
way Of munitions of war. In every
thing but food, they were we'll SUD-
piled. Have got a few beautiful mod
ern, high power guns-about a dozen.
My only fear is that we shall have
some sickness, and it is for that reason
1 have wired you so earnestly about
getting these prisoners away, so that
we can go UP in the mountains with
my command, Is or 20 miles, at the end
VI Tie IdllIOdu VI Dan LUIS, WHICH, 10
said to be very healthy. 1t is, at any
rate, about 1900 feet above the sea
level. and has communication by rail
with Santiago.
so far there is no fever in Santiago,
I suppose, because there is no one there
except immunes. Three cases only so
far this year, and the English consul
tells me there was very little last year
"Of those here who served throughout |
the civil war, all declare they never |
had anything that could compare with |
it for hardship. With only one set of |
clothes, officers have been until now
rained on nearly every day, carrying !
three days rations, like the men, on |
their person, and suffering every pri-
walton that any man can; added to all |
these privations, in addition, all the /
horrors of disease in an unknown land |
should they be Wounded. The spirit !
shown by them and by the whole army
was simply grand. 1 can recall no in |
stance where a greater surrender had |
been made than this. The final sur
render of General Toral and his gener- |
ais to myself and generals was highly |
dramatic; also the raising of the flag
over the city of Santiago, one of the
oldest cities on this continent.
Il want to thank you and the presi-
dent for the words of cheer that have
come to US. and say that none of us
have ever doubted that everything pos
sible to make our lives as secure and
our situation as comfortable as possible
would be done -