The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-08-10
THOUSANDS SICK.
Terrible Suffering Of Our Soldiers
at Santiago.
THE RAvAGES OF DISEASE.
General Ames Says If the Army
is Ever to Return it Must Do
So at Once" Action
Taken.
Taken.

Gen. Sharter read 4 cable message from
! Secretary Algcr, ordering him at the
recommendation Of Surgeon Gen. Stern
berg. to move the army into the interi-
or, to San Luis, where it is healthier
As result of Tie conference Gen.
Shafter will insist upon the immediate
withdrawal of thearmy north within two
weeks. As an explanation of the sit
uation the following letter from Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, commanding the
First volunteer cavalry to Gen. Shafter
was handed by the latter to the CORES
pondcnt here Of the Associated Press
for publication:
! Major Gen. Shafter.
Sir: Ina meeting of the general and
medical officers called by YOU at the
palace this morning, We were all, as
You know. unanimous in view Of what
should be done with the army. TO
keep US here, in the opinion Of every
officer commanding division or bri-
gade, will simply involve the dc>truc
ton Of thousands There is no posi-
bic reason for not shipping practically
the entire command north at once.
Yellow fever cases are very few in the
cavalry division where | command one
Of the divisions. except among the men
sent to the hospital at Siboncy, where
they have. | believe, contracted it.
But in this division there have been
l,500cases of malarial fever. Not man
died from it. but the whole command
is 50 weakened and shattered as to be
ripe for dying like rotten sheep when a
real yellow fever epidemic, instead of a
fake epidemic like the present, strikes
US, as it is bound to if We stay here at
the height of the sickness season, Au
gust and the beginning Of September.
Quarantine against malarial fever IS
much like quarantining agains, the
toothache. ali Of us are certain, as
soon as the authorities at Washington
fully appreciate the condition Of the
army, to be sent home. If We are kept
here it will, in all human possibility,
mean an appalling disaster, for the
surgeons here estimate that over half
the army. if kept here during the sick
ly season will die. This is not only
terrible from the standpoint Of the in
dividual lives lost, but it means ruin
from the standpoint Of the military ef-
fciency Of the flower of the American
army, for the great bulk Of the regulars
are here with you. The SICK list, large
though tits. exceeding 4, 600. affords but
faint index of the deliberation Of the
army. Not 10 per cent. are fit for active
work. Six weeks on the north Maine
coast, for instance, or elsewhere, where
the yellow fever germs cannot possibly
propagate, would make us all as fit as
fighting cocks, able as we are eager to
take leading part in the great cam
paign against Habana in the fall, even
if we are not allowed to try Porto
Rico. We can be moved north, if We are
moved at at once, with absolute
safety to the country, although
of course it would have been Indefinitely
better if we had been moved north or
to Porto kico two weeks ago. II there
were any object in keeping US here we
would face yellow fever with as much
Indifference as we face bullets, but there
is no object in it. The four immune
regiments ordered here are sufficient to
garrison the city and surrounding
towns, and there is absolutely nothing
for US to do here, and there has not
been since the city surrendered. 1t IS
impossible to move into the interior.
Every shifting Of camp doubles the
sick rate in our present Weekend condl-
ton and anyhow, the interior is rather
worse than the coast, as | have found
by actual reconnaissance. Our present
camps are as healthy as any camps at
this end of the island can be.
l write only because cannot see our
men who have fought so brayely and
who have endured extreme hardships
and danger so uncomplain:ngly, go to
destruction without striving so far as
lies in me. to avert doom as fearful
as it is unnecessary and undescrved.
(Signed) Yours respectfully,
Theodore Roosevelt.
Col. Commanding First Brigade.
After COL Roosevelt had taken the
initiative, all the American general Of
fcers united in a round robin addressed
to Gen. Shafter. 1t reads:
I'VE. the undersigned officers, COM
manding the various brigades, divisions,
etc.. Of the army Of occupation in Cuba,
are of the unanimous opinion that this
army should be at once ia ken out OF the
island Of Cuba and sent to some point
on the northern seacoast Of the United
States; that it can be done without dan
ger to the people Of the United States;
that yellow fever in the army at present
is not epidemic; that there are only i
few sporadic cases, but that the army is
disabled by malarial fever to the extent
that its efficiency is destroyed and that
it is in condition to be practically de-
stroycd by an epidemic OF yellow fever.
which is sure to come in the near fu-
ture.
I've know from the reports Of COM
petent officers and from personal OBJ
scrvations that the army is unable to
move into the interior and that there
are no facilities for such move ii at
tempted, and that it could not be at
tempted till too late Moreover, the
best medical authorities Of the island
say that with our present equipment
We could not live IN the interior during