Evening star., 1898-07-08
THEIR SPIRITS GOOD
Gen. Shafter Reports on the Condition
of His Men.
FHE WOUNDED ARE DOING WELL
District Troops viii Arrive Tonight
or in the Morning.
THE FIG HT TOM ROW

CAMP NEAR SANTIAGO July Z.
Perfect quiet today. At request of Span
ish general employees of English cable COM
pany were sent in to him to telegraph his
government as to surrendering. Men are
III good spirits and are making themselves
more secure every hour Wounds are much
less dangerous than similar ones made by
caliber As. Among the large number of
wounded there are few amputations-per-
haps ten will cover it. General health of
the command is good; $50 cases of fever
which runs its course in four or five days
ard Is not serious. 1 am feeling much bet
ter. SHAFTER, Major General
All Quiet at the Front.
General Shafter reported that all was
quiet yesterday in the camp before Santi-
ago, and to the best belief of the officials
here that same state of affairs obtains to-
day. The army is losing nothing by it's
rest, but according to the generals ac
count is gathering strength. More rein
forcements are due today or tomorrow, and
when they arrive 1t is expected that the as
sault on the city will be resumed. 1t is
hoped that this will be tomorrow, though,
so far as the army is concerned, 1t is gath
cred from General Shfter's report that it
surely will not advance before reinforce
nents arrive, unless in order to repe
counter attack from the Spaniards.
General Shafter and Admiral Sampson
had their conference day before yesterday,
and as result the fleet is going to make
another try at the Notifications at the
mouth of the harbor tomorrow. If the
army is ready this will partake of the ma
ture Of a general attack; if not, then the
navy's action will be simply in the line of
execution of a policy of reducing Santiago
by stages, according to regular siege meth
DDS.
Work of the Navy.
While cooperating as far as possible with
the army, the navy is not to be sacrificed
in this attack upon the Spanish forts. The
dropping of a 6-inch shell from on high
through the deck of the Indiana three days
ago during the trifing engagement with
the forts when the Mercedes was sunk
strikingly verified the predictions of naval
experts as to the dangerous effect of ele-
waited fire upon warships at close range.
1t was more by good luck than by good
management that the Indiana escaped de-
struction or an awful loss of life from this
one she'll
The President is determined that the navy
shall not be sacrificed for a small stake
such as Santiago. To his cabinet officers
he has pointed out the extremely dangerous
position that the United States would occu-
py among nations if left exposed by tlse loss
of its navy-that arm of the service which
has evoked the unwilling admiration and
respect of the greatest powers of Europe
Without navy, or at least without the
steel bull dogs that constitute it's back
bone now lying before Santiago, it might
readily be concluded that we should no
longer be safe as we feel ourselves to be at
present from the arbitrary interference of
European powers in the settlement of our
difficulties with Spain.
Awaiting Reinforcements.
Therefore, the function of the navy in to-
morrow's attack is to help the amy in the
assault when 1t shall come to the final
stage by entering the harbor; but this will
be done only after the fortifcations at the
entrance have ben reduced and the way
cleared. 1t Is gathered here that that was
the conclusion reached at the conference
between Shafter and Sampson Sampson
reported briefly just after the conference,
but the department has not been able to
communicate with him since, and it is
feared that wire troubles exist that will
prove very embarrassing at this juncture.
Shafter has said nothing about a forward
movement on his part, leaving the conclu-
sion plain that he waits the reinforcements.
Aid for the Wounded.
Surgeon General Sternberg of the army
has received word of the arrival Of the
hospital ship Relief, on the southern coast
of Cuba, where Skaters army is located
The vessel reached there yesterday and
was probably the most welcome arrival
there since the war began. The Relief is
in charge of Surgeon Torney, and has q
full corps of medical assistants, nurses and
surgeons aboard. Many of these were
taken aboard at Fort Monroe, in response
to General Skaters earnest request for ad-
diticnal surgeons. An immense amount of
medical supplies Is aboard the Relief, in
cluding quinine, which the army needs
to considerable extent in the Cuban cli-
mate, blankets. mosquito bars, pillow cases
and hospital shirts, besides an ice-makfng
plant and plant for manufacturing car
donated water.
The Casualties Before Santiago.
The War Department has received from
General Shafter the following dispatch CIV
ing, as far as practicable up TO this time
statement showing the total casualties in
each division Except General Wheeler's)
of the army under his command as re-
Sufl ol bic recent lSHt dl SANTIAGO.
Playa del Este. July Z. in Camp Near
Santiago, July 6.-IIppossible so far to get
returns, but there has been treated in hos
pital at Siboney 1,052 wounded and there
are still 20O in hospital. In Lawtons di-
vision there are killed officers and "A
men; wounded, IA officers and 317 men:
missing, 1 man.
In Kent's division-Killed, 12 officers and
81 men: wounded. 36 officers and 562 men;
missing, 62 men.
In Bates brigade-Killed, 4 men; wound
ed, officers and 26 men; missing, men.
Signal Corps-Killed, / man; wounded. i
man.
General Wheeler's report not yet re-
ceiyed.
Signed. SHAFTER
Major General Commanding
The composition of the several divisions
above indicated is as follows:
General Lawtons division, the sth 2od.
1st, 4th. 25th 7th. 18th and nth regiments