The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-10
THE WAR WITH SPAIN,

Condition of the Troops Around Santiago
Colonel Roosevelts Letter TO General
Shafter - Round Robin" Signed by
General Officers Demand to be Moved
North-And the Army is Coming North
Roosevelt to Alger-The War Secretary
Under Fire.
The notable matter OF the week has been
neither battle nor the conclusion of peace,
but an aftermath OF war and battle from
around Santiago.
SICKNESS AT SANTIAGO.
Summoned by Major General Skater, a
meeting was held at Santiago, August 8, at
headquarters, and, in the presence of every
commanding and medical officer of the fifth
army corps, General Shafter read cable
message from Secretary Alger. ordering
him, at the recommendation OF Surgeon
General Sternberg, to move the army into
the interior, to San Luis, more salubrious
region. As a result of the conference, Gen
eral Shafter insisted upon the immediate
withdrawal Of the army to the North within
two weeks.
In explanation of the situation the fol-
lowing letter from Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt, commanding the First Volunteer Cav
airy, to General Shsfter has been published.
"In meeting Of the general and medical
officers called by you at the palace this
morning, we were all, as you know, unani-
nous in view of what should be done with
the army. To keep us here, in the opinion
of every officer commanding division or
brigade simply will involve the destruction
Of thousands. There is no possible reason
for not shipping practically the entire COM
mand North at once. Yellow fever cases
are few in the cavalry division, where 1
command one of the two brigsdes, and not
one true case of yellow fever has occurred
in this DIVISION except among the men sent
to the hospital at Siboney, where they have,
believe, contracted it,
"But in this division there have been
1900 cases of malarial fever. Not a man
has died from it, but the whole command
is 80 weakened and shattered as to be ripe
for dying like rotten sheep when a real yell
low fever epidemic, instead OF fake cpl
demic like the present, strikes us, as it is
bound to do if we stay here at the height OF
the sickness season, August and the begin
ming of September.
Quarantine against malarial fever is
much like quarantining against the tooth
| ache All Of us are certain, as soon as the
authorities at Washington fully appreciate
the conditions of the army, to be sent home.
If we are kept here, it will, in all human
probability, mean an appalling disaster, for
the surgeons here estimate that more than
holt tho armv 10 liant bara DUNNO tba e;ol,.
ly season, will die This is not only terri
BILE, from the standpoint of the individual
lives lost, but it means ruin from the stand
point of the military efficiency of the flower
Of the American army, for the great bulk OF
the regulars are here with you.
"The sick list, large though it is, exceed
ing 1000, affords but faint index of the
deblitation of the army. Not ten per cent
are fit for active work. Six weeks on the
north Maine coast, for instance, or else
where where the yellow fever germ cannot
possibly propagate, would make us all as
fit as fighting cocks, able as we are and
eager to take leading part in the great
campaign against Havana in the fall, even
if we are not allowed to try Porto Rico.
once, with absolute safety to the country
although, of course, it would have been in
fnitely better if we had been moved north
or to Porto Rico two weeks ago. II there
were any object in keeping us here we
would face yellow fever with as much in
difference as we face bullets. But there is
no object in it. The four immune reg-
har Rot
son the city and surrounding towns, and
there is absolutely nothing for us to do
here, and there has not been since the city
surrendered. 1t is impossible to move into
the interior. Every shifting Of camp doubles
the sick rate in our present weakened con-
dition, and, anyhow, the interior is rather
worse than the coast, as ] have found by
actual reconnaissance.
"Our present camps are as healthy as
any camps at this end OF the island can be.
write only because 1 cannot see our men,
who have fought so bravely and who have
endured extreme hardship and danger so
uncomplainingly. 60 to destruction without
striving, so far as lies in me, to avert a
doom as fearful as it is unnecessary and I'M
deserved"
After Colonel Roosevelt had taken the in
itiative all the American general officers
united in a
ROUND ROBIN
Addressed to General Shafter. It reads
1--WE, the undersigned officers commanding
the various brigades, divisions, ETC., Of the
army OF occupation in Cuba, are of the
unanimous opinion that this army should
be taken at once 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 its efficiency is destroyed, and
that it is in a condition entirely to be de-
stroyed practically by an epidemic of vel
low fever, which is sure to come in the neal
future.
1--WE know from the reports of competent
officers and from personal observations that
| the army is unable to move into the int