The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-07-29
TEE sAETIAao cAnPA1aH.

TIE SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN.
According to a report of a CORE
spondent Of the Kansas City Star, pub
Ished in the Sundays issue, the San
tiago campaign was grossly misman-
aged. In the article referred to he
says:
! The selection BY the war department Of Gen.
/ Shafter for the task Of capturing Santiago was
unfortunate. Through no fault Of his, Of course,
he was absolutely unfit physically for the task
assigned, and he had other disqualification.
| Through his enormous bulk, and the distress
! ing physical condition produced thereby, Gen.
/ Shafter was unable to do more than receive the
tardy reports Of his subOrdinates, delivered
piecemeaI, and with great difficulty, owing to
the nature Of the country across which they had
| to be carried.
Gen. Shafter is a man whom thirty years Of
garrison life has robbed of the daring decision,
push and energy which he is credited with hav-
ing possessed In the earlier part Of his career
He Is, also, man Of violent, uncertain and IN
reasoning temper.
The article hints Of the generals in
ability to grasp the situation and pro-
vide for the exigencies and emergen-
cies of such an extensive campaign.
There was a want Of sufficient supply
Of transportation facilities, artillery,
medical stores, physicians, ambUlances,
lighters and every other form Of equip
ment. There was plenty of time, for
the entire expedition laid five weeks at
Tampa under arms to be ready to start
at a moments notice. The general
may not have been to blame for all this
lack of preparation, but he should
have made a vigorous kick until his
requisition was filed.
Tons Of supplies were left behind at
Tampa and an entire ambulance train,
so sadly needed at Santiago. There
was only ten days travel ratiOns is
sued to the troops, and these were de-
Iivered to the men several days before
leaving Tampa and gave out four days
before reaching Santiago. After ar
irving at their destination the trans
ports were kept two days floating
around while the general decided where
landing would be made. The land
ing was necessarily made in detail and
the troops were pushed to the front in
a struggling, disOrderly advance.
Gen. Castillo, of Garcia's command,
had advised the leaders in the advance
that they certainly would be ambushed,
and that the Cubans should be detailed
as scouts to lead the advance, but these
leaders had assumed determined at
titude of contempt toward the CUbans
and ignored the warning. Gen. Garcia
said:
We should have been put in the front. There
is where we belong and where we want to go
We know the country and we know the Span
iards, and we have been fighting here for four
years. We viii go TO the front as soon as they
viii let Us land.
Garcia finally prevailed upon Gen.
Shafter and he was soon abreast Of the
front of the American advance. There
seemed to be hardly a semblance Of a
plan Of attack, and for nearly the whole
time of the engagement with the enc
my Gen. Shafter was two miles to the
rear and reported to be sick. The cor
respondent hints that for some reason
there was contempt and disrespect felt
by the officers for Gen. Shafter and
that, at one time, at headquarters there
was contemplated an order to retreat
and fall back from ground taken at
tremendous sacrifice. Men at the
front were without food and the
wounded without means of reaching a
hospital where they could be cared for
and that the seriously wounded were
either jOlted in stretchers or trundled
in baggage wagons over a rocky road
some miles to the rear.
Now, when the fighting was over,
Gen. Shafter was himself again, and
superintendent the details of the sur
render that the magnificent bravery Of
the troops had made possible.
Without leadership, hungry, drenched,
scOrched by a tropical sun and stepped
in miasmas American manhood and
unexampled bravery had won, but no
thanks to Shafter. Now this is the
man that snubs and Offends the grand
old Cuban, Gen. Garcia, and does not
invite him to be present at the surren-
der, and to take part in the fOTmalities
Of the raising Of the flag. Let the
whole truth be known about the San
tiagO campaign and little, if any, credit
is due Gen. ShafteT, aud deep regret
that our heroic men were Unnecessar-
lily called upon to endure such hard
ships aud that the feelings Of the Gu