The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-23
THE SANTIAGO ExrE1fnos
a Detailed Aceouns TO the war nvese1.
sasion Commission by General Shat.

a Detailed Account TO the War 1nvest1.
sai!on Commission by Genera shaf.
| ter.
Washington, December 20.-General
!! Shafter appeared rather Unexpectedly
before the war Investigation commits |
sion this afternoon and told his story
| of the Santiago expedition. He was
supported by his aide, Colonel Mi
ley, who was with him in Cuba, and
fianked by a large portmanteau Of pa
pers, to which his aide occasionally APP
pied for reference.
General Skaters story of the opera
tions around Santiago was tersely
told, but at times quite vivid in its re-
citaL and interesting in detail. Briefly
summed up. his estimate of the San
tiago expedition was that it had been
a military success and cheap at the
cost of 500 men lost in the fight. He
considered the expedition to have been
as we'll fitted out as the time allowed
would permit and said hat in looking
back he had no criticism of his plans
to make and would not change them
if the events had 10 be gone through
again. He said he a 40 complaints
of any sort to make and would be
loath to intrude them at this time IL
he had.
General Beaver asked: do you
know by whose request o were as
signed to command at Tampa?"
Il was informed it was General
Miles"
General Shafter said his first orders
were to organic a strong
sance force of about 5000 to 5000 to go
TO Santa Clara province and get into
communication with Gomez, but not
to bring on a general engagement. This
plan was checked by the appearance
Of Cervera's fleet in southern waters.
General Shafter was then instructed
to prepare to siege the port of Mariel
and make a strong ~entrenched camp
on high ground where the bulk of the
American army was to be Quartered
preparatory to the general campaign.
This plan was again checked by the
report of Cervera being bottled up in
Santiago and General Shafter was or
dered to prepare an expedition to
siege Santiago. The expedition that
left Tampa, he said, was supplied with
sixty days rations and he was old to
load six months supplies if he could"
but time did not permit.
AS to medical supplies, General Shat
ter said: you know medical supplies
are the one thing that a commanding
general or a line officer never knows
I'LL I'LL bOdl. SURGEON is sup
posed to know what he wants. MY
medical officer SAID he thought he had
enough medical supplies for the tenn
porary service to which they thought
, they were destined. Even this prov
ed, however, that the surgeon was mis-
taken. h loading of the transports
was under the supervision of a board
of officers, consisting of General Law
ton, Colonel HUMPHREYS and some 9TH
{ ers, and all necessary measures were
taken for the care Of the men, furnish
ing them with hot coffee, ETC."
General Shafter said: CAS- a matter
OF fact, / took some chances. which
did not result disastrously, in loading
/ as many men as 1 did on the trans
= ports. They were crowded, but as you
g know at that time it was a personal
= insult to leave any one and I took them
all. We had good weather and no one
suffered"
, AS to supplies, General Shafter said
, there was nothing essential left be-
hind.
How about the ambulances?" asked
General Beaver.
= AS to those ambulances," said Cen
eral Shafter, 81 take the whole respon-
s1Dll1ty on myself. I ordered and SUI
perv1sed the loading of them. After
o events proved that it would have bean
better to take ten or fifteen additional
ambulances and leave that MANY
wagons behind; but wagons can
De USED for two and
ambulances can be used for but one.
L took the wagons and the wounded
had to be transported in them the first
DAY. L will say that on a rocky, mud
dy road such as We had there there is
L little difference between an ambulance
and an escort wagon when the men
were put on straw in the wagons and
i, we did the best we could with them.
Ambulances would have been better,
but then hindsight is always better
i than foresight"
t Concerning the landing facilities with
the expedition, General Shafter said
that they had two large barges, one
L OF which was lost en- route. and a small
= tug, the Captain Sam, whose captain
$ deserted during the night. The boal
capaclty of the transport fleet was
= sufficient for the landing, as the events
: proved. General Shafter said the navy
= lent all reasonable assistance with its
boats and expressed surprise when q
communication from Secretary Ions
to the president was read protesting
against the navy being called upon tC
e assist in landing the troops.
An interesting incident of the land.
e ing was brought out by General Shat.
ter, VIC said he had arranged will
n the Cuban general, Castillo, the day
prior to the landing to have 1000 mer
back of Baiquiri to catch the Spaniard.
when shelled out of by the navy. Cas-
tillO was three hour late, however. ane
n all the Spaniards got away.
,e There has been considerable criti
cism from the medical officers" sait
General Beaver. Were any sucl
V complaints brought to your notice?'
) "A majority Of the regimental sur
geons left their medical chests on thei
Is vessels. When I found this out I pu
Doctor Goodfellow aboard the Mantle.
l. and had him collect these chests. A
d soon as they were landed they Wert
,f put on four wagons and distributed a
once to the men"
IL One Shoots Two Others