Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-07-15

The Fall of Santiago.

war news on the Sd page of this paper.
Further attack on the city was post.
poned until Wednesday, and again unit |
! Thursday, in the hope that Gen. Toral
might surrender. Wednesday Gen. Shat
ter held an interview of an hour and
half with Gen. Toral, during which he
once more pointed out to him the hope
lessness of further resistance, with the
city securely invested by our army, siege
guns in position, and the navy ready to
pour in a hail of shells. Gen. Torars re-
ply was that he thought it doubtful if
authority to surrender would be given him.
As fnality Gen. Shafter informed the
Spanish general that there could be no
further delay, and he gave him an ultim-
atum of which he informed the war de-
partment at Washington in this despatch:
"It he refuses / will open on him at II
noon tomorrow with every gun have and
have the assistance of the navy, who are
ready to lombard the city with 13-inch
shells"
During Wednesday it became known for
the first time, through a despatch from
Gen. Miles, that, while our government
had insisted that there should be no terms
short of unconditional surrender, propo-
sition had been made to Gen. Toral to
transport his troops back to Spain, his Of
icers being allowed to keep their side
arms.
The result of Gen. Skaters final and
positive demand was awaited with anxiety,
and there was the universal hope that the
city might be surrendered without further
and needless bloodshed.
Thursday morning Gen. Shafter in
formed the war department that Gen.
Toral had asked for the appointment of
commissioners to arrange terms of sur
render The department answered that
the only terms to be considered would be
unconditional surrender on the basis al
ready indicated.
Soon after o'clock in the afternoon the
country was in possession of the welcome
informal that the surrender was an
actual fact, that the whole of eastern
Cuba would be given up and that the
Spanish army would be carried back to
Spain.
Thus ends campaign which has been
desperately fought on both sides, but
which has been brought to a close in
shorter time and with less loss of life
among the American troops than could
have been reasonably expected. The cam
pagn began with CeIvera's reckless and
fatal action in taking his fleet into the
haIbor of Santiago, there to be bottled up
by the American ships. As soon as Ger.
vera's presence there was definitely as
sured the transport of troops from Florida
for the capture of the city was begun.
Whatever mistakes, if any, may have been
made, the work of our land forces was
brilliant and heroic. They fought at FL
Caney, against overwhelming odds, an
enemy securely inuenched while the
Americans gained their advance in the
open and up hillside under terrific fire.
The loss in dead and wounded seemed
large, but the end has justified the sacri-
h,e. Il was cheaper and better that 1900
men should be hit by spanish bullets than
that many times that number should die
from disease during long exposure in the
malaral summer atmosphere of southern
Cuba
1t is a case where both army and navy
have covered themselves with glory and
won respect OF a very genuine kind.
The surrender of Santiago includes that
of all eastern Cuba beyond the line indi-
Gated. 1t does not include Holguin and
Manzanillo, where there are considerable
bodies of troops, as they are west of the
line indicated. The surrender of the terri
tory included in the agreement is complete,
it only remaining for the commissioners to
arrange the details.