The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-22
.ALGER DEFENDS HIMSELF.
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 ''Concerning the Santiago campaign, when the ships left Tampa they had on board three months provisions and an abundance of hospital supplies. They had lighters to unload with at the point of debarkation. Those lighters were lost in severe storms on the way. As soon as we were notified of the fact, two tows of lighters were sent from Mobile and New Orleans, which were also overtaken by storms and lost. The navy supplied us with lighters and one of these was wrecked. The army dis embarked, getting off portion of its supplies and medical stores, and imme- diately marched to the front to fight the Spaniards.
 ''The great difficulty of landing sup plies subsequently was that the wind sprang up every morning at 10 and made a high surf rendering almost im- possible the use of small boats with one lighter, which was all they had left for this purpose. Of the packers who were employed, 60 per cent. soon fell sick and heavy rains falling every day. the roads Cf they could be called such), be- came impossible for vehicles, pack ami nlals had to be employed to carry food to the army which, being extended to the right from Santiago, increasing the distance from the coast every day and made the task more difficult. How ever, the result and the subsequent sickness that has broken out in the army showed the great wisdom of Gen. eral Shafter in moving forward to make the attack while his men were in vigor. It was movement bordering on audac- aty, but it succeeded and the persistence Of the attack, have no doubt, greatly disheartened the Spaniards The result was one of the greatest victories, for the men engaged, of modern warfare.
 ''The number of prisoners taken ex- ceeded the attacking force by nearly two to one. When yellow fever broke out and the fever list increased into the thousands, it was for a time supposed that it was principallly yellow fever. The bringing of troops north at once after the surrender, under such condi- lions would have been certain death to vast number, but upon inquiry it was ascertained that very few of these cases cenaparativ were yellow fever. Then it was at once decided to bring the army home as speedily as possible. Every thing that human ingenuity could de- wise has been done to succor that army, not the ingenuity of the secretary of war, but the result of the combined counsel of those who have had a life long experience in the field. That some men have been neglected on transports coming home is no doubt all against positive orders-due perhaps to carelessness and negligence, but largely on account of not having the medical force to spare, (many of whom were sick) from the camp at Santiago. Many medical officers sent with trans- ports were taken i'll on the way home.
 .'To give you little idea of the work that has been done I appended the fol- lowing: The work of the adjutant gen. erals department has been to muster and order to their station, to be pre- else, 216, 400 volunteers and 24,900 for the regular army. This with a reduced force, as many staff officers from all of the departments had been promoted and ordered to the field. The chief of engineers reports an expenditure of s5,- O30,00O for harbor defences, building emplacements of heavy guns, mortar batteries and mines.
 ''The surgeon general has had the enormous work of fitting up hospitals, organizing the medical corps, employ ing male and female nurses. contract surgeons, being surgeons who are en- ployed from civil life, besides those commissioned as corps, division and brigade surgeons, furnishing medical supplies and answering the demands from all over the country and from camps at Santiago, Porto Rico and Manila. The work done in this like is Almost beyond comprehension.
 s'The commissary general had pur- chased and distributed up to August l, 110, ,907, ,235 pounds of rations, which have been transported and distributed to all the armies in the field here and at San- tiago, Porto Rico and Manila, besides the large quantity distributed among the destitute Cubans.
 s"The Quartermaster generals report ss too long to even give an approximate idea of his work. In the way of trans portation to Honolulu, Manila, Santiago and Porto Rico and return home, there have been sent S2,36S men with artillery equipment and supplies. By rail in this country there have been transported 9.7OO officers, 233, ,346 enlisted men, also 40,3S2 animals, besides thousands of wagons, artillery and other quarter master, commissary, ordnance, medical and signal service stores. The total number of articles of clothing and camp eouipage distributed to the army by the uuartermaster department has been 6.274,4S3, of which I can only mention a few articles, as follows:
 Blshkets, 2SS, ,739; blouses, 2S3, ,762; Trousers, 4O6, ,429; hats 4,1O6: canvas field uniforms, S3,2QO; shoes, pairs, 511,- s72; undershirts 7S6,965; tents, 179,142, etc, etc. The total weight of food and forage distributed daily to the army is approximately 300 tons. Added to this is the large fleet of transports char tered and purchased, the management of the same in conveying troops, sup plies and ammunition.
 ''The paymaster has promptly paid the army and is deserving of very