Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-18

and see the ground, saying / should
like to get it for our own troops, to
which Gen. Wheeler assented." In ac-
cordance with this arrangement, he
moved out at five o'clock next morning
to fight the battle of Guasima, sending
the volunteers and rough riders by one
road and the regulars by another. He
declared that there was no surprise in
this fight and no ambuscade had been
reported. He had reconnoitered the
Spanish camp with glass for half an
hour before the fight began. and he
had attacked the Spaniards and not the
Spaniards him. Speaking of the rough
riders, he said there had been no
greater per centage of casualties
among them than among the regulars,
and that they were not led into any
situation not to be expected in war.
THE report that they were allowed
to be ambuscaded was due" he said,
entirely to the demoraliZed reporter
and the demoralized adjutant of the
regiment, who had left the service
soon afterwards" Gen Young said he
had occupied the enemy's camp that
day, land it was a very good camp,
he added, naively. In reply to ques-
ton as to what aid he had secured
from the Cubans in this fight, re replied
none whatever. The Cuban guides
had deserted him upon the first fire.
Gen. Castillo, on the night before, had
told him that he would send 500 Cubans
with him, but when next morning he
had sent to notify Castillo that he was
prepared to proceed, his messenger had
found a card on the Cuban command
ers door saying that he must not be
disturbed. He had therefore proceeded
without the Cubans.
After the fight was over, some OF
the Cubans had come up under the
command of a F'renchman, who sa-
luted very tragically with his saber,
saying that he had been ordered BY
Gen. Castillo to follow the enemy and
fight him wherever he could find him.
Gen. Young said he simply ordered the
Cubans to the rear, and the service
they performed was to gather the bag
gage that the American soldiers had
discarded. Gen. Young said he had
been the only one in command at La
Guasima who was mounted, and that
he rode a mule. He carried no bag
gage except rubber slicker, a pajama
and a toothbrush. The wounded were
carried back to SibOney, and while the
hospitals there were somewhat con-
gested, the men were attended to.
Gen. Young said that Immediately
after the Guasima fight, he had looked
the ground over towards Ell Caney and
had informed Gen. Wheeler that he
was confident he could take the place
that night with his brigade if allowed
to do so. Gen. Wheeler had replied
that his orders from Gen. Shafter were
not to advance without notifying him
and that he would notify the General
of his (Gen. Young's) wishes. He had
not heard anything more officially in
regard to the matter. With this, Gen.
Young's service in Cuba ceased, as he
was taken down with fever on June
80 and was sent back home. After
period of sickness he was sent to
Montauk Point to establish Camp
Wikoff He detailed the difficulties of
preparation of the camp. He said it
had been impossible to get in floors
and that he had not considered them
necessary either for health or comfort.
Il gave them lumber and hammers and
nails, however, and told them TO make
themselves floors if they wanted them.
l thought they were being treated too
much like babies"
He said the privations of the war
We're not so serious as Indian cam
paigns he had been engaged in. There
had been occasions when he and his
command had had TO 1--we on corn ana
others when there was nothing to be
had except horse meat or burro meat.
But that" he said, was not in the
newspapers" He was satisfied that
most of the complaints against the
camp were unfounded Many of these
complaints were made by men and
women who had never seen men in
camp. Approaching the situation. the
soldiers had played it on" the visitors.
making complaints that were without
foundation in order to get delicacies..
Soldiers like to be made babies of
he said and some OF them soon got so
they would not eat their regular ra-
tons"