Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-12-24
TOLD BY SHAFTER
Story Of the Santiago Campaign
as He Saw It.
He Has No Regrets and Considers
that the Success Attained was
Cheaply Bought by the Loss
of Only 500 Lives.

story OF the Santiago eNpedltlon.
Briefly summed up, his estimate of
the Santiago expedition was that it
had been military success and cheap
ut the cost of 500 men lost in the fight.
He considered the expedition to have
been as well fitted out as the time al
lowed would permit and said that in
looking back he had no criticism of
his plans to make and would not
change them if the events had to be
gone through again. He said he had
no complaints of any sort to make.
The commission stated that Gen.
Miles had communicated to the COM
mission his unwillingness to volun-
teer testimony. A message was ac-
cordingly sent to the adiutant general
directing him to request the appear
ance of Gen. Miles before the board.
Col. Heardy, of the Fifth Illinois,
whose regiment was the first to arrive
at Camp Thomas, was the first to tes-
tify before the commission. He said
that after the first few days there was
no difficulty in obtaining rations. The
quality was good. The travel ration
used on the train was unpalatable and
the men refused to eat the canned
corn beef. Sickness began in the reg
iment from ten days to two weeks
after arrival in camp. The sanitary
arrangement of his regimental camp
was good and the regulations prompt
ly enforced. He visited his men in the
division hospital. and found the ar
rangements decidedly bad.
Gen. Shafter went into detailed
account of his preparations for the
Santiago expedition. He said his plans
were changed three times by the de-
partment and once he actually start
ed, but was called back by the report
DfSpanish warships being off the coast.
He said the transport feet was not
sufficiently large to accommodate H.
300 men for any length of time at sea,
but all were so anxious to go that he
rislIed considerable crowding to take
all the men possible. He admitted
that he took chances in doing this,
| but said THE weather was good and
there was no mishap to regret. The
| men were regulars almost entirely,
fully equipped. and he saw that they
were made comfortable as circum-
| stances permitted.
AS to medical supplies. Gen. Shafter
| said: "You know medical supplies
are the one thing that commanding
| general never knows a thing about.
The surgeon is supposed to know
what he wants. My medical officer
said he thought he had enough medi-
cal supplies for the temporary service
| to which we were destined. Events
| proved. however, that the surgeon was
mistaken. The ammunition supply was
ample. AS to supplies, Gen. Shafter
said there was nothing essential left
behind.
"How about the amlbuances?" asked
| Gen. Beaver.
| "As to those ambulances," said Gen.
| Shafter, 81 take the whole RESPONSE
bility on myself. I ordered and su-
| pervised their loading. After events
proved that it would have been better
| to have taken 10 or Is additional ann
balances and left that many wagons
behind. BUT wagons can be used for
two purposes and ambulances can be
used for but one. | took the wagons
and the wounded had to be transport
ed in them after the first days fight.
l must say that on a rocky, muddy
road such as we had there that there
is little difference in comfort between
an ambulance and an escort wagon.
The men were put on straw in the
bottom of the wagons and we did the
best we could for them"
An interesting incident of the land
ing was brought out by Gen. Shafter,
who said he had arranged with the
Cuban general Castillo the day prior
to the landing to have 1000 men back
of Baiquiri to catch the Spaniards
when they were shelled out by the
navy. Castillo was three hours late
however, and all the Spaniards got
away.
'How about getting the supplies to
THE front for the men?" asked Gen
Beaver.
SIT was the one problem of the cam
paign and it taxed us to the utmost, VI
said he. "If it had not been for the
pack train we could not have done il
and the expedition would have been a
failure"
Gen. Shafter said he regarded the
landing of the expedition as eminent.
ly successful. They lost only two men
and Oanimals out of total of 10000
men. 1t was a remarkable record.