The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-17
NEW BooKa
Brief Reviews of Important and Interesting
New Publications.


Mr.. Richard Harding Davis's well-known and
much-admired account and criticism OF tho late
war is published under tho title Of The Cuban
and Porto Rican Campaigns" by the Scribners.
We believe that Gen. Skater has never 70.
yealed his exact and intimate thoughts regard
| ing the circumstance that he was obliged 10
conduct his operations at Santiago under the
| immediate eye OF Mr.. Davis, We say immediate
eye, though the fact is. according to the testi-
mony here afforded. that Mr.. Davis was per-
petually on the firing line or In approximate
trails that concentrated and enhanced danger.
whereas the General was satisfied to maintain
himself In q position so far away that he could
hardly have been conscious OF the battles roar.
After Gen. Shafter has read this book his one
consolation will DO that he took Santiago. or. at
least. that IL was taken. for Mr.. Davis strongly
intimates that IL was taken by itself.
Even II one Is moved to condemn. one must
| still sympathizo with Gen. Shafter. He prob.
ably did what he thought was for the best. Mr..
Davis does not question either his bravery or
his patriotism. His failinRs must have been 10
tho matter OF judgment alone, and here. par
t~lcularly. sympathy may extend itself. for IL 10
probable that Mr.. Davis spoke only after the
event and that In the emergency the General
had him self alone 'or a guide. The question
| arises whether Mr.. Davis ought not to have
counseled the Commander-in-Chie before the
fighting began. To be sure, It is barely possi-
BILE that he did. We know that he once gave
excellent advice to the Khedive Of Egypt. We
forget after this interval OF time what it was
about; whether IL was concerned with tho con.
duct Of the army or the treatment OF the Pyra-
mids but no lapse OF memory can permit us
to think that 1t was otherwise than ex-
cellent. It seems to be O mercy that Gen.
SKATER is a large man with an abundant re-
serve Of flesh. like the bears; he can worry as
much as is proper over Mr.. Davis's book and
still weigh a good deal. As Mr.. storm pointed.
the wind is tempered when circumstances seem
particularly to call for 1t. Still. we do not sec
how Gen. Shafter can ever again be easy under
Mr.. Davls's charge that It was criminal not to
supply the soldiers in tho trenches with canned
tomatoes. Perhaps he had some prescience OF
what Mr.. Davis was going to say in another
place. namely. that "the sauce Of appetite and
life In the open air made bacon and bareback
as sweet as White Mountain cake" We hope
so. 1t is painful to think that a General who
has forgotten the canned tomatoes should have
the thought Of that neglect for o nightmare and
On incubus forever.
1t was q clearly rough rider who stole Mr..
Davis's undershirt. Mr.. Davis had lost his
saddlebags. The rough rider found them and
brought them to Mr.. Davis. Their contents
were intact with one exception. The finders
blue shirt was unbuttoned as he handed over
the saddlebags. and on the undershirt that he
wore Mr.. Davis read. presumably in blue or
pink silk letters. "R. H.. Davis" The author
drew attention to this strange fact. Davis"
cried the rough rider. there was fifty dollars
OF yours in those saddlebags. and bacon and
quinine. and we never touched them. But that
clean shirt l had to have" 1t may be that Gen.
Shafter, as he fingers upon this anecdote. will
feel that he has already been avenged.
In his first chapter Mr.. Davis says: The
name OF Sylvester Bcovel is probably better
known in Cuba than that Of any other Ameri-
can. even that Of Fitzhugh Lee" Agreat deal
more. too. he says about Mr.. Scovel. and he
favors us with his picture. This Is new fame for
ayellow journal correspondent who was turned
out OF Cuba for trying to strike Gen. Shafter.
Very likely he is an interesting person. 30 was
Ram Gillett. an eccentric character OF western
Massachusetts, who used to go about leading q
bull and frightening children. There were no
yellow journals and there was no American
invasion OF Cuba in Ram Gillett's time. There
was no Mr.. Davis to embody the extravaRancfes
OF neurosis in picturesque history. Ram Gillett
missed it.
Things were not altogether as they should
have been on board the transports. 1t Is easy
to see how there could have been complaints
among the fastidious-complaints. for instance,
from the decent man who hooked Mr.. Davis's
undershirt. THE water on board the ship
was 30 bad that 1t could not be used for pur-
poses OF shaving. 1t smelled like a frogpond
or a stable yard. and 1t tasted as 1t smelt. b.
fore we started from Tampa Bay the first time
1t was examined by the doctors. who declared
that. In spite of the bad taste and smell, it
was not unhealthy. but Col. J. ]. Astor
offered to pay for fresh water. for which Plant
charged two cents q gallon. II they would
empty all Of the bad smelling water overheard.
Gen. shafter said 1t was good enough for him..
and Col. Astor's very considerate offer was not
accepted. So we all drank apollinaris water or
tea" Here. then. was Gen. Shafter showing
his monstrous incapacity before he got to Cuba
at all. No wonder he forgot tho canned toma-
toes: no wonder Santiago took itself. Since the
ship water could not be used for shaving. 10
would be interesting to know II Mr.. Davis. Col.
Aston and the others used apollinaris and tea
for that purpose. 1t seems as though It would
be very curious to shave ones self with tea.
Mr.. Davis speaks very highly Of the discipline
and watchfulness on board tho ships of war.
but the transports were another story. They
went along as they pleased. or as 1t happened.
and relied upon goodness to be good to them.
1t was a most happy-go-lucky expedition.
run with real American timi and readi-
ness to take big chances. and with the spirit Of
q people who recklessly trust that 1t will come
out all right in the end" For all the world
as though 1t had been an expedition
conducted by Spaniards or Mohammedans.
Ii committed itself to fate, and got to
Cuba by pure good fortune. To be sure
1t put back to Tampa once. through fear
Of the Spanish "spook feet" but that was
the barest eccentricity. or perhaps It was Q
device OF the stewards to extend the sales of
apollinaris and tea. Perhaps the transport
BARRIERS came to be In love with tea lather. or
the price oft. and invented the Spanish "spook
heet" for selfish reasons. Certainly anything
was possible under Gen. Skater. for whom the
stars fought. quite incomprehensibly. and who
was unquestionably the very worst General
that has ever come under Mr.. Davis OBSERVE
ton.
But everything is all right now. Santiago
has fallen; Havana 10 ours: the valiant regu-
airs and the gallant volunteers are back In
Gods W country" and presumably get
ling all the tomatoea thew want Mr. DaxIa