The San Francisco call., 1898-12-21
TELLS IF THE
 EXPEDITION
 ID SANTIAGO Shafter Before War
 Investigators. CUBAN CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS THE GENERAL PRAISES DOC TORS AND STAFF OFFICERS.
CUBAN CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2O.-General Shafter appeared rather unexpectedly before the War Investigation Commis- sion this afternoon and told his story of the Santiago expedition. He was supported by his aid. Colonel Miley, who was with him in Cuba, and flanked by large portmanteau of papers, to which his aid occasionally applied for reference.
 General Shafter's story of the opera tions around Santiago was tersely told, but at this quite vivid in it's recital and interesting in detail. Briefly summed up his estimate of the San tiago expedition was that it had been a military success and cheap at the cost of 800 men lost in the fight. He considered the expedition to have been as we'll fitted out as the time allowed would permit, and said that in looking back he had no criticism of his plans to make and would not change them if the events had to be gone through again. He said he had no complaints of any sort to make and would be loath to in- trude them at this time if he had.
 The commission stated that General
 
 mission his unwillingness to volunteer testimony. A message was accordingly sent to the adjutant general directing him to request the appearance of Gen eral Miles before the board. No reply had been received to this cOmmunica- tion when General Shafter rather un- expectedly appeared.
 After brief preface General Shafter went into a detailed account of his preparations for the Santiago expedi- tion. He said his plans were changed three times by the department He said the transport fleet was not suffi- ciently large to accommodate 17,000 men for any length of time at sea- but all were so anxious to go that he risked considerable crowding to take all the men possible. He admitted that he took chances in doing this, but said the weather was good and there was no mishap to regret. The men were regu- lars almost entirely, fully equipped and he saw that they were made comfort able as circumstances permitted.
 As for medical supplies, General Shafter said: You know medical SUD- plies are the one thing that a com- manding general or line officer never knows anything about. The surgeon is supposed to know what he wants. My medical officer said he thought he had enough medical supplies for the temporary service to which We thought we were destined Events proved, how ever, that the surgeon was mistaken The ammunition supply was ample
 General Shafter said he regarded the landing of the expedition as eminently successful. They lost only two men and thirty animals out of a total of 10000 men. It was a remarkable re- cord.
 There has been considerable criti- cism from the medical officers about getting medical supplies ashore" said General Beaver. Were any such con- plaints brought to you?"
 "A majority of the regimental sur geons left their medic"1 chests on their vessels. When I found this out, I put Dr. Goodfellow aboard the Manitou and had him collect these chests. AS soon as they were landed they were put on four wagons and "'4-ibuted at once to the men,"
 As to the care of the wounded, Gen eral Shafter said that they were cared for as carefully as the circumstances would permit. "The doctors worked like Trojans. They deserved and re- ceived commendation from every one. They worked till they were sick and worn out. The doctors were mostly young men. You can't get very old and experienced surgeons to go on a sum- mer campaign for $100 month. But they were splendid fellows. Compared with the civil war the wounded were better cared for in Cuba than they were then