Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-22
SOLDIERS NEED A REST
Shaftcr Recommends that His Men
he Returned to the United
States.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 2O.-(Via
Kingston, Jamaica, July 21.)-General Shat
ter has opened a cable Office here and Is in
communication with Washington regarding
the disposition of the Fifth army corps,
which consists of those troops which came
with him from Tampa and the reinforce
ments from the four transports which have
since been unloaded. Except the Thirty.
third and part of the Thirty fourth Michi-
gan, none of the latter have been in action,
but are all camped in the same place, and
so far as health consideration 90 General
Mckibbin seems to have held the opinion
that the Fifth corps could join the Porto
Rico expedition under General Miles as soon
as Santiago should fall. This was the evil
dent intention when the invasion army left
the United States. but the condition of the
men now, according to the physicians and
commanding officers, Is such that the entire
corps should return north at once. General
Miles has cabled hat he does not want and
will not need a single man among them.
and he believes that after their hard cam
paign they should be given a rest of at least
two or three weeks.
General Skaters messages to the same
effect have been most urgent and the doc
tors say the men should be given a rest of
at least two or three weeks. The doctors
say the men should be sent into camp in
the mountains of North Carolina or western
Maine for a month. Washington agrees to
this and will do everything possible, the
caoie dispatches today say, to carry the
army away from here. But there Is a lack
or transports. In addition to the Porto Rico
troops, which will require forty steamers
Tor their conveyance, the authorities here
are still counting upon having to convey
the $4,000 Spanish prisoners to Cadiz. The
latter want to go as soon as possible, and
1t appears from here that our government
cannot get sufficient vessels and this fact
holds the Fifth corps here, doing nothing.
The men are anxious to get away.
The cavalry division has been sent into
the mountains at its own request to see If
It cannot get into shape to join General
Miles, and if no fever develops the men may
go to San Juan de Porto Rico.
The Twenty-fo urth infantry is acting as
guards and as nurses at the hospital at
Juragua and more of them are needed.
The colored troops are all likely to remain
here to attend the sick and hold Santiago.
General Shafter has cabIed to Washington
that it is imperatively necessary that he
Should have more immunes sent to him
quickly, and the probability is that a corps
Will leave within the next ten days.
All our men are now encamped on the
fighting line, where they have been for two
weeks, except General Wheeler's men, who
have been sent into the hills. General
Wheeler Is still i'll, but he resists the pleas
of his friends to return to the United States.
WASHINGTON, July 21.-Secretary Alger
said today that the troops which were in
the engagements at Santiago would not be
sent to Porto Rico, and there was no de-
sire to use them. They will remain in
Cuba until the yellow fever has been en-
tirely stamped out. General Miles did not
think it advisable to take any troops to
Porto Rico that were liable to have con-
tracted fever and in this conclusion the de-
partment concurred.