The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-09-03
Tnf CAMPAIGN IN CUBA
r. co1rHENTED ON BIZ GENERAL
SKATER
SOME SICKNESS, OF COURSE
Considering the Conditions, the Work
Done Was Brilliant and the Sue
cess Was Overwhelming
Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2.-The World prints
an interview with General shafter' IN
which he is reported as saying:
Eat Santiago we had to deal with things
as they were, not as they should nave
been. OF course there was sickness ~
was inevitable In a summer campaign. But
nobody was neglected. The doctors were
scarce at first, but we had boatloaos OF
them as soon as they could get there. Inc
doctors got sick like the rest. They were
overworked and exhausted, but their work
was unQuestionable- Look at the low per-
oentage Of deaths from WOUNDS. II never
visa lower In any army. Why, in the Civil
War, lay on the battlefield myself until
maggots developed in my wounds, and was
right near by, not down In malanal, SUD-
tropical country, far away.
1.-THE men who ordered summer cam
paign in fever-!nfested country are re-
sponsible for the natural and unavoidable
consequences.
"None of our wounded were allowed TO
lie on the battlefield as I was In the Civil
War. Nothing Of the kind happened. An
esthetics were plentiful 1t was the heat
the midst Of the torrid heat shower would
fall. 1t would drench everybody without
cooling the air. In a few minutes, under
the suns rays, every man would be steam
ing. Men Of the strongest constitutions
succumbed.
"Our first case of yellow fever developed
at Ell Caney. But the army was ripe for
It, and 1t spread like a prairie fire. Many
a man had yellow fever who never will
know II. And, to tell the truth. It is not so
dangerous as the calenture, or heat at
tacks, that unacclmated men have in the
malarious regions Of Cuba. Why, 1t is
common thing for a mans temperature to
rise from a normal state to los in few
hours. That means death in most cases.
ut can give cards and spades to yellow
fever In, tho game Of death. I would rather
have yellow fever. tell you when a
man burns UP inside there's little hope for
him.
"Our men were all unacclimated. They
never had faced constant sun. Many of
them had never slept outside before they
went into camp. How could they be mold
ed into proper material for such a climate
and such a campaign? 1t could not be done.
These men you see coming back with the
thin bodies are suffering from the parasite
Of the low fever Of the Santiago plateaus.
1.-THE good home treatmen: and cold air
will cure them. That malady seems to de-
stroy the red corpuscles in the blood. The
veins are filled with water. There's man
on deck suffering Just that way. Take a
good look at him. If he were pale you
would say he was IN the last stages of
tuberculosis, but he Is as yellow as his
uniform. Very well. ne has 1t. He Is weak
and will require care. But good air in a
decent climate will make him we'll again.
He has had the fever within three weeks.
He does not know how narrow has been
his escape from death. Wait until October,
or better still, the first frost. They will
be all right when they get wholesome, nu-
tritious food.
1--WE had to choose the lesser of the
two evils-to ship the men north to a
healthy climate. or to keep them there
where they must have died. Therefore, we
did not wait to let the fever have it's run.
We wanted to save life. Now, the problem
was to save the most lives possible. We
have never had foreign war since 1924.
The United States has no hospital ships.
1t was not question Of using what was
best, but what we had. We used the trans
ports that brought the troops down.
'If I could have had few weeks 10
equip hospital ships the conditions would
have been better. If the war had contin-
ued we would have stayed right there,
fever or no fever. The sudden end of the
war was unexpected. We were not prepar-
ed for the unexpected. I made 1t an in
variable rule to send home Is per cent less
on transport than she had brought south.
That was fair view to take.
Il am satisfied with the Santiago cam
paign. When. 1t Is fully understood, with
all Its difficulties, 1t will receive just place
in military history. We were hurried off
to Cuba. We landed and could not have
gotten our stores back on boa I'd If we want
ed to. When the invasion was planned it
was obvious that It must be q rush such as
1t was. And it was a success, complete and
unequivocal Many things, it is true, were
done that were forced upon US by the ex-
igencies Of the hour, but the means en-
ployed even under such stress proved to be
wisely chosen. I was compelled to do
great many things that under different
circumstances would not have been con-
sidered.
sIAeO up tHe SpdHldTUS correctly. tOr
instance, at San Juan l was sure they
would not come out from their works and
attack u.s. The Ell Caney fight 1 hoped
would be finished at 10 am, but IL took
until o'clock In the afternoon, and l
rather feel now that 1t was for the best
Had 1 had Lawton on the right of the
line we would undoubtedly have taken
the city Of Santiago that night, In which
case only the garrison would have surren-
dered to us, whereas later. all the troops
In the region surrendered. The men out
side OF Santiago on July I'd could have gone
10 General Pando. / knew that the war
was over as soon as Toral spoke to me
about surrendering the troops in the east
ern province. l almost fell over. We never
had on the fighting line at any one time
more than 1900 men, and with these we
captured $1,000.
Mine thousand Span!ards were fortified
in the best intrenched positions I ever
saw. Indeed. the intrenchments were of
such a character that Smelling with the
guns we had did not do them serious dam
age Where a 13-inch shell from our ships
cropped Into house in the town 1t demol-
!shed the dwelling; but all the occupa nts
were gone"
"Did Cervera's men help in the San Juan
Hght?" was asked, TO clear up a mooted
point.
eyes, indeed. He had 1000 men ashore
from his fleet In the battle of July LIST. His
Chief of staff. Bustamente was killed. His