Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-08-11
WANT TO COME NORTH.
Roosevelt ana Other Generals Of shHftorS
Army Tell OF the Peril That Threatens
our Brave Boys mt Santiago.


Santiago, Aug. 5-As an explana-
ton Of the situation among the Amer
lean soldiers here, the following letter
from Col. Theodore Roosevelt, COM
handing the First volunteer cavalry
to Gen. Shafter was given out for pub
LEGATION:
Mai Gen. Shaftor-Sir; In a meeting OF the
general and medical officers, called by youat
this place this morning, we were all, Us you
know, unanimous In view Of what should DO
done with the army. To keep us here In the
opinion Of every officer commanding division
or Brigade will simply involve the destruc-
ton OF thousands. There Is no possible reason
for not shipping practically the entire com
inand north ut once In this division there have
been 1900 cases OF malaral fever Not man
has died from it, but the whole command
is so weakened and shattered as to
be ripe for dying like rotten sheep when real
yellow fever epidemic strikes us, as 1t is bound
to II we stay here at the height Of the sickness
season, August and the beginning OF Septem-
Der Quarantine against malarial FEVER Is
much like quarantlning against the toothache
II we are kept here it will, In all human possi-
bility, mean an appalling disaster, forth SUR
geons here estimate that over half the army,
II kept here during the siclSly season will die
the individual lives lost, but tmeans ruin from
the standpoint Of the military efficiency OF the
flower Of the American army, for the great bulk
OF the regulars are with you. The sclliSt, large
though it Is exceeding 1000. affords but u faint
index Of the debllltation OF the army Not ten
per cent. are fit for active work. Six weeks
upon the north Maine coast, for instance, or
elsewhere, where the yellow fever germ cannot
possibly propagate would make us all as fit as
q Doc ,,a1r., I,IA m n
leading part in the great campaign against
Havana in the fall, even il we are not allowed
to try Porto Rico, write only because cam
not see our men, who have fought so bravely
and have endured extreme hardships and dam
ger so uncompainingly, go to destruction with
out striving, so for as lies in me, to avert
doom as fearful as it is unnecessary and unde"
served
After Col. Roosevelt had taken the
initiative, all the American general
officers united in an address to Gen.
Shafter. 1t reads:
We the undersigned officers commanding the
various brlgades, divisions etc, of the army Of
occupation in Cuba, are Of the unanimous opin-
ion that this army should be Mt once taken out
of the island Of Cuba and sent to some point on
the northern sea coast Of the United States;
that it can be done without danger to the people
OF the United States that yellow FEVER In the
army at present is not epidemic; that there are
only few sporadic cases; but that the army Is
disabled by malarial fever to the extent that
it's efficiency is destroyed and that 1t is in
condition to be practically destroyed by an epi-
demic of yellow fever which is sure to come In
| the near future. We know from the reports Of
| competent officers and from personal observa-
tions that the army is unable to move into the
interior and that there are no facilities for such
move II attempted and that 1t could not be
attempted until too late Moreover, the best
medical authorities Of the island say that with
| our present equipment we could not live In the
interior during the rainy season without losses
from malarial fever, which is almost as deadly
as yellow fever.
| This army must be moved at once or perish.
| AS the army can be safely moved now, the per-
sons responsible for preventing such move
| will be responsible for the unnecessary loss OF
many thousand lives, Our opinions are the re-
suit of careful personal observation and they
are also based on the unanimous opinion of our
medical officers with the army We understand
| the situation absolutely.