The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-11

not to supersede me in command here.
l win furnish the information called for
as to the condition of the command to
Gilmore, adjutant general, army head
quarters"
! Gen. Miles replied to Gen. shafter as
follows;
Telegram received. Have no desire
and have carefully avoided any appear
/ ances of superseding you. Your COM
mand is a part of the United States
army, which have the honor to com
m3nd, having been duly assigned there
| TO, and gave such general directions as
! l thought best concerning military mat
tiers, arm was especially directed to go
/ to Santiago for a specific purpose. You
will also notice that the order of the
secretary of war of July 10 left the
matter to my discretion. I should re-
greet that any event would cause either
yourself or any part of your command
to cease to be q part of mine"
On July 20, the report says Gen. Gill
more, by command of Gen. Miles, sent
| the following message to Gen. Shafter:
LAS there appears to be decided in
crease of yellow fever cases in your
present location, a move should be
made of the entire command to the
highest ground practical, where the
disease is not prevalent. In some cases
you can send the troops to the noun
tains."
On July q Gen. Miles sent the follow
| ing dispatch to Secretary Alger:
| There is not single regiment of
regulars or volunteers with Gen. Shat
ter's command that is not infected
with yellow fever. from one case in the
| Eighth Ohio to SO in the Thirty-third
| Mirhipan pn1ocis1finor with tho
best medical authorities. it is my opin-
ion that the best mode of Kidding the
| troops of the fever will be as [ have
directed, namely, the troops to go up
as high into the mountains as possible,
selecting fresh camps every day. If
| this does not check the spread of the
disease, the only way of saying a large
portion Of the command Wall be to put
them on transports and ship them to
the New England coast, to some point
to be designated by the surgeon gen
eral."
Gen. Miles the day following started
for Porto Rico. He gives a narrative
of operations there, including much Off
cial correspondence largely Of a tech
meal character Gen Miles compli-
ments the skill and good generalship
of the officers commanding the differ
ent divisions and brigades," and men
| lions especially SIlB- Ten J0iln l.
| Rogers, Lieut.. Col. Wagner Of the bu-
reau of military information and Col
! James Allen of the signal corps.
| Gen. Miles then says 1T is crafty
ing to record that during the war not a
| single defeat has been met and not a
! prisoner, color, gun or rifle has been
captured by the enemy. In this re-
spect the war has been most remark
able, and perhaps unparalleled. Under
all circumstances, and in spite of many
most trying difficulties, the troops have
maintained the fortitude of the Ameri-
can character and the honor Of their
arms.
1.-THE experience of the last few
months, ! trust, will be valuable TO the
people and the government of the
| United States. The value of proper de-
| fenses for our ports, harpors and sea-
port cities-of inestiraable wealtn-''las
been demonstrated, and / trust tnat the
system already adopted for coast defen-
SEES, the completion of which has been
SO long delayed, may be carried cut
without unnecessary delay
Gen. Miles renews his former recon-
mendation that the government au-
thorize enIistments in the army at the
rate of one soldier to every 1000 of the
population. This would practically
continue in service the same number
4
| April IS, 1898, authorizing the increase
of the regular army provided for, viz:
! 81, 579 men, but unfortunately, says
Gen. Miles, there was a provision in
that act which requires the army to
be reduced to its former peace basis.
The general also recommends that
congress authorize an auxiliary force
of native troops to be officered princi-
pally by United States army officers,
for service in Porto Rico, Cuba and the
Philippine islands, not to exceed two
soldiers to every one thousand of the
population of those islands. This, he
says would give the United States
most valuable auxiliary force. 1t would
pacify the native elements of the is
| lands and would be in the interests
Of economy and good government
Gen. Miles, then says: Il recommend
that congress be required to take imme-
date action upon this question of IN
creasing the army. and ] consider it
of vital Importance. If the system
have suggested is adopted, it wcdld
give us nearly an available force of
100000 men, and would enable the vol
unteers who enlisted for the war to be
returned TO their homes without de-
lay
General Miles concludes thus: I de-
sire to make special mention of the Of
ficers on my staff: Brig. Gen. j. G.
Gilmore Col. Charles r. Greenlaad and
Lieut.. Col. Marion p. Maus. who rem
! dered very important service at San
tiago de Cuba and in Porto Rico, be-
ing exposed at the former place 10 yell