The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-30
MILES SAYS THE
ORDER WAS SECRET
Continued from First Page)


had been sent not being notified from
WASHINGTON and General Shafter say-I
ing nothing about it. After the surren- |
der General Miles still retained control.
He authorized Shafter to appoint peace
commissioners, and, judging from Sh IT.
ter's report that all was over, he instruct
cd him as to the disposition of the troops.
July 18th General Shaftcr wired Gen
cral Miles that the surrender was not as
complete as was thought and said
"'Please do not go away with the
rcinforcemcnts as / may yet need them
miles promtly replied by wire from
Baiquiri that the surrender Is complete,
and the Spaniards must surrender
ION July 10th Shafter wired Miles
that the surrender was finally complete
and General Miles replied through Adj
jutant General Gilmore as follows:
1.-The commanding general is very
much gratified to hear that the surrender
is complete. He directs that you tele
graph anything of Importance and the
condition of your command daily
General Miles then reported the con-
dition of affairs to the Secretary of War,
with whom he had been in conference.
In one of his kilograms to Miles, Secre
tary AIger says:
AS SUM- lis IDdJilidSO ldllS lllt LIbOIlN
must all be put in camp as comfortable
as they can he made and remain, | sup
pose, until the fever has had its run
miles did not agree with Secretary
Alger, for July DIST, in Il letter the
General commanding urged the return
Of the army to the United States as|
soon as possible. July 18th after the
surrender was complete. General Shaft
f,II 10, (t,nI,,.,I Nj iInas.
'Siboney, July 18th 1S9S-S:4S p. IN.
Received July 18th, 1898, General
Miles on board Yale:
Letters and orders in reference tOI
movement of camp received and will be
carried out. None is more anxious to-
get away from here than myself. 1T
seems from your orders given me that
you regard my forces rs part of your
command. Nothing will give me great
CT pleasure than serving you, General,
and | shall comply with all your re
quests and directions, but | was told by
the Secretary that you were not to
supersede me in command here. l will
furnish the information called for as to
condition of command to Gilmore, Adj
jutant General, A. III. Q.
'SHAFTER,
Major General ,"
General Miles very promptly replied
as follows:
Playa del Este, July Is, 1895
(Guanantanamo)-1 a. III.
General Shafter:
Telegram received; have no desire
and have carefully avoided any appear
ance of superseding you. Your com
mand is a part Of the United States
army, which / have the honor to com
mand, having been duly assigned there
to and directed by the President to go
wherever | thought my presence re-
quired and give such general directions
as | thought best concerning military
matters and especially directed to goI
to Santiago for specific purpose. You
will also notice that the orders of the
Secretary of War of July 18TH left the
matter to my discretion. | should re-
greet that any event should cause either
yourself or any part of your command tOl
cease to be part of mine.
Every truly yours,
"'NELSON A. MILES,
"'Major General Commanding U. S..
Army
General Miles then gave General
Shafter final instructions and left hur
| Ilculy IOF IOflO RICO. III view OF Iuc
situation as revealed by the above telc-
grams the following statement contain
ed in the New York Herald of recent
| date. is quoted:
IF my cablegram to Major General
| Shaftcr, informing him that Major Gen
eral Miles was not sent to supersede him
in supreme command in the field at San
tiago de Cuba prevented the stOrmng
of the city on the day of its surrender,
and this resulted in the saving of lives
| which otherwise would have been lost
in the attack, then | am repaid for
sending it a thousand fold.
My cablegram to General ShafterI
| was simply due to my desire to assure
him that | intended TO be absolutely
fair. Before his departure from Wash
| ington, General Miles and | had talked
the matter over and he started for Gu
ba, knowing that he was not in any
way to interfere with the operations
which were under the control of Gen
eral Shafter That there could be mol
doubt whatever | cabled to General
Shafter informing him that General
Miles had left for Cuba with inStruc
tons not to in any manner superscde
him as commander of troops in the field
at Santiago de Cuba. AS | have said, i'll
my message prevented Il battle, on theI
morning of the day the city surrendered,
then | am repaid thousand-fold.'