The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-27
He Might Have Taken the City by
Force. but 1900 Lives Would
Have Been Sacrificed.
PRAISE FOR THE REGULARS
AND ENTHUSIASM OF THE vOLUN-
TIERS WARMLY COMMENDED.
Spanish Steamship Company RObbing
Corpses as Live Passengers.

NEW YORK, Aug. ga dispatch to the
Herald from Santiago says: Prior to en-
barking on tie steamer Mexico, Major Cen
eral Shafter consented to be interviewed.
During the interview he discussed in gen.
eraI terms the campaign just ended The
care prospect of returning to the United
States caused him to be brighter, more
cheerful and less harassed looking than at
any period since he embarked at Tampa.
Critics and detractors were alike forgotten,
and with improved health and the
evident consciousness that whatever
might be the eventual verdict of the
operations before Santiago, a difficult cam
paign has been brought to a successful
conclusion he spoke with greater energy
and more vigor than at any time since the
capitulation. General Shafter said:
Il look on the campaign just closed as a
successful one in the highest degree, not
only in regard to the military operations,
but more especially in regard to the great
results achieved. When we decided to at
tack Santiago we looked for nothing more
as the immediate fruit of victory than the
capture of the city, What has been
achieved has been the capitulation
of the entire eastern part of the
province from line at Jibari to the south
coast, together with the enemy's forces,
amounting to almost $4,000 men. Surely this
was notable achievement of the campaign,
bearing in mind the fierce opposition en-
countereo and the comparatively small loss
of our own forces. From a military point
of view, l perhaps took steps which might
not be deemed justifiable under other cir
cumstances but knew the temper and
capabilities of my soldiers and the moral
off Of oil
envy within his own lines. My engineers
were very apprehensive that the Spaniards
might break through on my left and cut
off Siboney This, from purely military
standpoint might have been truthfully cor
rect. but personally I had not for a mo-
ment any fears on that score. The results.
however, 1 think proved the correctness of
my conclusions.
My primary object was to drive Cervera
out, and next to take the town. We had
gradually driven the Spaniards back on the
highlands circling the city, and were slowly
advancing day by day. The enemy began
losing spirit as soon as our guns had been
placed in position to cover the town.
When Cervera left the situation was
changed The town was at my mercy, and
had 1 given the order for direct assault
it would have been taken within four hours
I believed that, with the forces then at my
command, reinforced as they had been.
was in a position to take the city by force
But if had taken step of such a charac-
ter, what would have been the result? I
estimate that our casualties would have
been 5000 men, and the action / took has
had a more brilliant result, without so
heavy loss of valuable lives.
The town itself is admirably situated for
defense, and the fight would have been a
long and bloody one. Every house is
strongly constructed of stone, and entirely
different from the ordinary frame buildings.
Every house was a little fortress itself
fought the battle out in the streets, our loss
would have been enormous. But from the
moment General Toral made proposition
for conference, l knew he was determined
to give up, and / acted accordingly.
Personal reflections have been cast on
me because | was not on the fighting line.
That was not the place for general In COM
mand of an army. 1t must be remembered
that | was connected by. telephone with
the officers at the front, and was better able
to direct operations from the position had
taken. Save for two days when i'll, was
l consider unequaled in American history,
for it was really the first time the United
States had fought with its regular army
The civil war was a war of volunteers,
but this campaign was fought and won by
our regular troops. l did not notice the fact
at first but there was only three volunteer
While 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 that unity,
cohesion and individual support noticeable
in our trained troops, but at the same time
no disparagement should be made of the
volunteer regiments in the campaign. What
they lacked otherwise they made up for in
enthusiasm and patriotic spirit and / de-
sire to command no better army than the
one composed of the class of volunteers
under me in the Santiago campaign. The
operations of the regulars in the campaign
have proved conclusivey their superiority
over some organizations of state militia, in
which the men are partially compelled to
serve by sense of shame, but they do not
show the enthusiasm of volunteers.
There has been some question concern
ing the Transportation facilities of the ar
my. The facilities were all it should have
been. but our difficulties were enormous:
There only one road. To have built
another would have taken two years. The
nature of the country, the weather-all
these things-helped to disorganize this de-
partment. The use of wagons was almost
impossible