The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-09-15

shafter's Meeting WAth Gorcin-Early l Operations and skirmishes In Which Rough Riders Participnted-The Plan 1 of Battle Reasons for Forcing n Decisive Engagement-Garcia' Fai1- ure to Intercept Spanish Reinforce- ments-sampsom Was Asked to Force HarbOr-The Losses.
 | Washington, Sept. 14.-General Shaf- l ter's report Of the campaign, which l terminated in the fall of Santiago has been made public. He briefly recounts the organization of the expedition
 and ita authorization and then devotes the main body of the report to the ac- tive operations about Santiago. Gen. eral Shafter says the expedition was
 undertaken in compliance with tee-
 graphic instructions of May 30 from headquarters of the army, in which it
 was stated; Admiral Schley reports
 that two cruisers and two torpedo boats | have been seen in the harbor of San- | tiago. Go with your force to capture garrison at Santiago and assist in cap | turing harbor and fleet. The dispatch gives in detail the troops assembled at Tampa. The cavalry was dismounted because of lack of transportation for the animals and because 1t was believ- | ed mounted cavalry could not operate sufficiently near Santiago. This, Gen.
 eral Shafter says, was found subse-
 quently to be correct. After recitng
 the delay at Tampa due to inadequate facilities, General Shafter says that on
 June ' he received orders to sail with
 out delay, but not with less than 10000
 men. After some of the transports had already reached the lower bay, tele- | graphic instructions were received from
 the secretary of war directing that the
 sailing of the expedition be delayed,
 waiting further orders. This delay was
 occasioned by the navy reporting that I a Spanish war vessel had been sighted i in St. Nicholas channel. The ships in l the lower bay were immediately re-
 called. The expedition sailed on June l IA, with S15 officers and 16,072 men.
 Meeting With General Garcia. General Shafter briefly covers the l trip and landing and his first meeting with General Garcia, adding: During 1 the interview General Garcia offered ! the services of his troops comprising 1 about 4000 men in the vicinity of Ac- | cerraderos, and 1.500 under General 1 Castillo at the little town of Cujababo, | a few miles east of Daiquiri. I ac- l cer ted his offer, impressing 1t upon him I that l could exercise no military con- 1 trol over him except such as he would 1 concede and as long as he served un- der me I would furnish him rations and | ammunition" After conferring with | Admiral Sampson and General Garcia, l the plan of campaign was outlined by l General Shafter. The disembarkation l was to commence on the 22d at Dali quiri with feints by the Cubans on ! Cabanas and by the navy at various | shore points, in order to mislead the l enemy as to the place of landing | "These movements,' General Shafter
 says, committed me to approaching l Santiago from the east over narrow ] road, at first in some places not better 1 than a trail, running from Daiquiri
 through siboney and sevilla and mak- | ing an attack from that quarter This, l in my judgment, was the only feasible
 plan and subsequent information and | AV9bitG boiiill iilCo lily JuuBlllSuts
 Early skirmishes and Rough Riders. | Of the early operations, and the slxir-
 mish in which the Rough Riders parti- cipated, the report says: General YounG's brigade passed beyond LawLon
 on the nights of the 23d 24th thus talk
 ing the advance, and on the morning of the latter date became engaged
 with Spanish force intrenched in ! strong position at Laguisama, a point
 on the Santiago road about three miles
 from Siboney. General Young's force
 consisted of one squadron of the First l cavalry, one of the Tenth cavalry and l two of the First United State volunteer
 cavalry in all 964 officers and men. The enemy made an obstinate resistance 1 but were driven from the field with
 considerable loss. Our own loss was
 one officer and fifteen men killed six | officers and forty-six men wounded. The reported loss of the Spaniards
 were nine killed and twenty-seven wounded. The engagement had an in spring effect upon our men, and doubt less correspondingly depressed the en- ! emy, and it was now plainly demon- strated to them that they had foe to
 meet who would advance upon them under a heavy fire delivered from in- | trenchments. General Wheeler, division
 commander, was present during the en- gagement and reports that our troops
 officers and men, fought with the great
 est gallantry. This engagement gave
 us we'll watered country, further to
 the front on which to encamp our | troops.'
 Accommodating.
 | The report continues: Tt was not
 until nearly two weeks after the army | landed that it was possible to place on | shore three days supplies in excess of those required for daily consumption. On June 30 I reconnoitered the country
 and made my plan of attack. From a
 high hill from which the city was in plain view I could see the San Juan hill
 and the country about Fl Caney. The | roads were very poor, and indeed but | little better than bridle paths until the
 San Juan river and Fl Caney were ! reached"
 l Plan of Battle.
 | General Shafter explained at a meet
 ing of generals his plan of battle as 1 follows: 'LawtOn's division assisted ] by Capron's light battery was order l ed to move out during the afternoon