The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-07
SOME LESSONS OF THE WAR.

The Cleveland Leader has the following
remarks upep the criticisms OF General
Shaftcr as commando Of the American
forces in the operations before San
tiago:
Some OF Tire newspapers which are al
most sorry that Spain was defeated by
the United States are still criticizing the
management of the Santiago campaign
by General Shafter. AMI the recent speech
OF the General at banGue. In New YORK
has given them the opportunity.
In that speech General Shafter ad-
mitted that the campaign against San
tiago was devoid OF stratcgy-that 1t was
q sort OF improvised affair. lie re-
GREETED. OF course. that he could not take
his cavalry horses or land his ampu-
lances or heavy artillery but what was
the use Of complaining. the American
troops were brave and they pressed on 10
victory
But tho Generals critics say that II the
Spanish troops had been less slothiui
there would have been different re-
sult. What Of that? Who cares to specu-
late on what might have happened? The
fact remains that the Americans won a
s.lorious victory ana whether that was
because Of or in spite OF General Shat
tcr's presence or whether Providence
IS entitled 10 all the credit. matters but
little now The object Of the campaign
was 10 take Santiago and capture or de-
etrov CerVeras fleet. That object was
attained. and that is enough No good
will come out Of a continuation OF the as
cusslon as 30 whether The right thlhs o'
the wrong thing was done
This sort OF treatment Of tho case is
very superficial There are most I'M
portant lessons to be learned from
careful study of this campaign, and they
arc lessons which may have lasting IN
1uence upon the future of tins country
I'm the shape which they give to the iegis-
iation that is TO govern our military or
ganization.
We suppose that not even Alger himself
would attempt now to defend the wis
dom Of sending his Michigan favorite
sbafter in command OF the expedition
BY common consent Of this country
| shafter is accorded the place of about
| the most incompetent commander thar
could have been selected for the place,
| and nothing in his past life could posi-
| bly, have suggested him as the proper
| man except his relation to Alger and
| to Michigan politics When the public is
| as fully informed of the facts as 1t mas
| been i'm this case and has had as much
time for making up its opinion as it has
! had in this case, the public Judgment Is
always right and is n.yer afterwards re-
| versed. Shafter was saved, Santiago was
| captured, and a most Appearing disaster
was averted by the superb discipline ana
courage Of the officers and soldiers Of the
| regular army of the United States. Its
| officers are trained as soldiers in the best
| of military schools from youth upwards
! the politicians hand has so far been kept
| absolutely away from the school and the
| army. the officers drill the men and
| enure them to every requirement of
| soldiers life. the men are all selected
men. and the result is that a lighting
| machine has been produced that has not
| its equal. of its size, in the world. The
| American people should ever pray that
| the hand of the politician may be for
ever averted from their army and their
| navy Both are perfect now-both VIII
be enervated the moment the politician
| thinks them worth his attention.
There is one fact connected with the
| Santiago campaign which We are sur
prised to have seen receive so little at
| tention. The War Department has pub
| lished the diary Of Spanish naval Of
dcer who was in Santiago throughout
H.. arf14rt l1
the public as a fair and truthful narra-
tive. This officer tells US that El Caney
was defended by only 52j Spanish troops
| and that San Juan was defended by only
$50 Since the department tells us that
we are to believe what this Spaniard
! says. we assume these statements to be
facts, and. if they are facts, they dem
onstrate that lighting now In the open
| field. with troops armed with the long
range magazine rifle, is an impossiblllV
we lost 1900 men in killed and wounded
in attacking Caney and San Juan. What
would the loss have been If the forces
had been anything like evenly matched
The force that had Notifications must
necessarily have destroyed the force IN
the open. For it is to be noted that al
most the entire damage done our troops
was at a distance of more than six hun
dred yards. and most of 1t at thousand
wards. Commencing Its fatal work al
that great distance, and keeping up an In
cessant fire. protected force woulu
necessarily destroy the last vestise oil an
attacking force marching across an open
field
This battle has demonstrated that the
whole form and theory Of war as 1t mas
- Gov heen conducted must be changed
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