Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1898-08-05
Roosevelt Takes Leading Part and
Pleads With Shaiter TO Have
Them Returned.
OTHER OFFICERS ARE
EQUALLY AS POSITIVE.
They Say the Men Are In no Condition
10 Fight, and In a Worse Fix
TO Stand the Rayages Of
Yellow Fever.

copyrighted. ls9s. by H. Associated Pres.
Santiago de Cuba, Aug. 4-Summoned
by Major General shaiter to a meeting
held here at headquarters and in the
presence OF every commanding and med.
ical officer Of the Fifth army corps, Gen.
Shafter read a cablegam from Secretary
Alger ordering him, at the recommend.
alton Of Surgeon General Sternberg, 70
move the army into the interior at San
Luis, where il is healthier As a result
Of the conference, General Shafter will
insist upon the immediate withdrawal
Of the army within two weeks. As an
explanation OF the situation the follow.
ing letter from Colonel Roosevelt, com.
handing the First volunteer cavalry, TO
Shafter, was handed a correspondent Of
the Associated Press for publication:
Major General Shafter: sir-In
meeting the generals and medical Of
ficors, called by you at the palace we
were all, as you know, unanimous In our
view as to what should be done with
the army. To keep us here, in the
opinion OF every officer commanding a
division or brigade, simply involved
the destruction Of thousands. There is
no possible reason for not shipping pnc.
tically the entire command north at
once Yellow fever cases are very few
In the cavalry division, where ! com.
mRnd, and in one or two brigades, and
not one true case Of yellow fever has oc-
CURED in this division, except among
men sent to the hospital at Siboney,
where they have, | believe. con.
tracted IL. But in this division
there has been 1900 cases Of mAlarial
fever. Not man died from IL but the
whole command IL 80 weakened and
shattered as TO- be ripe for dying like rot
ten sheep when real yellow fever cpl.
demic, instead Of the fake epidemic, like
the present, strikes Us, as It Is bound TO
do II we stay here AZ the height OF the
sickness season, August and the begin.
ming Of September All Of US are Ger.
tain, as soon as the authorities at Wash.
ington fully appreciate the condition Of
the army will BE- sent home. II we Are
kept here, il will, in all human possibil.
ity, mean appalling disaster, for the sur.
geons here estimate that over half the
meo, II kept here during the sickly sea-
son will die
1.-THE four immune regiments ordered
here are sufficient 10 garrison the city
and surrounding towns, and there is
absolutely nothing for us to do here, and
has not been since the city surrendered.
II is impossible TO move into the interi-
OF. Every shifting Of camp doubles the
sick rate In our present weakened con.
dition and anyhow the interior Is ath-
er worse than the coast.
IL write only because cannot see our
men who fought so bravely and who en-.
dured extreme hardships and danger so
uncomplainingly, to 90 to destruction
without striving, so far as lies in me, 20
avert doom a. fearful as IL is unnecessa'
~ and undesesyed. "
ATt.r Colonel Dcoa,,.,tt b.d fsLau tho
initiative al the American officers unit.
cd in a "round robin" addressed 10 Gen.
Shafter. They say yellow fever Is not
epidemic, but the army is disabled to the
extent that Us efficiency Is destroyed and
in a condition TO be practically destroyed
by an epidemic Of yellow fever sure TO
come In the near future. lie says this
army must DO moved at once or perish.
As the army can safely be moved now,
the persons responsible for preventing
this viii be- held 10 account for the un.
necessary loss Of many thousand lives.
Major w NJ. Wood, chief surgeon Of
the First division, said the army must
be moved north, adding with emphasis,
or IL will be- unable 20 move itself.
General Ames sent the following mes
sage TO Washington:
Hon. Charles H. Allen, assistant sec.
Rotary Of war. This army is incapable
because OF sickness Of marching any.
where except to transports. lfitis ever
20 return TO the United States IL must
do 10 at once.