The age-herald., 1898-08-30

plete. He directs that you telegraph any thing of importance and the condition of your command daily N "General Miles then reported the cond41on of affairs to the secretary of war, vim whom he had been in conference In one of his teiegrams to Miles, Secretary Alger says As soon as Santiago falls the troops must all be put in camp as comfortable as they can be made and remain, I suppose, until the fever has had It's run
 Miles did not agree with Secretary AL, ger for July 21, in letter to the secretary, the general commanding urged the return of the army to the United States as soon as possible. July 1T, after the surrender was complete, General Shafter wired as follows to General Miles:
 'Siboney, July 1T, 1898, S:4S a. m. Re- ceived July IS. 1S9S.: General Miles, On Board Yale:-Letters and orders in refer ence to movement of camp received and will be carried out. None Is more anxious to get away from here than myself It seems from your orders given me that you regard my force as part of your command Nothing will give me greater pleasure than serving under you, general, and shall com- ply with all your requests and directions, but I was told by the secretary that you were not to succeed me in command here. I shall furnish the information called for as to the conditions of command to Gilmore, adjutant-g general, A. H. Q.
 (Signed) SKATER, Major-General.' General Miles very promptly replied as follows:
 "sPlaya del Este. July 1S 1898. (Guanta- namo 1:90 a. m.) General Shafter: Tele- gram received. Have no desire and nave carefully avoided any appearance of super ceding you Your command is a part or the United tSates army, which have the honor to command, having been duly assigned thereto and directed by the president to go
 
 and give such general directions as thought best concerning military matters. and especially directed to go to Santiago for specific purpose. You will also nouce that the orders of the secretary Of war or July 13 left the matter to my discretlon' should regret that any event should cause either yourself or any part Of your colh- mand to cease to be part or mine
 "'Very truly yours,
 NELSON A. MILES,
 'Major-General Commanding, U. 5. A.
 Gave Shafter Instructions
 General Miles then gave General Shaf- ter instructions and left hurriedly for Porto Rico. In view of the situation as reviewed by the above telegrams the following statement contained in the New York Her aid of recent date Is quoted:
 elf my cablegram to General Shafter confirming him that Major-General Miles was not sent to supercede him in supreme command of the troops in the field at San tiago de Cuba prevented the storming or the city the day of its surrender ana resulted in the saving of lives which other wise would have been lost in the attack, am repaid for sending it a thousand fold
 'This statement was made to me this af- ternoon by Secretary Alger appropos- of the publication in the Herald yesterday setting forth the doings of General Niles during his brief stay in Cuba The secre- tary told me he did not propose to enter into any controversy regarding the San tiago campaign with anybody. The results spoke for themselves and they were lsuffi- cient justification of the policy which had been pursued by the war department in the conduct of the operations against San tiago. If My cablegram to General Shafter.' he continued, was simply due to my desire to assure him that I intended to be sab- solutely fair. Before his departure from Washington General Miles and had talk ed the matter over and he started foP.fCp- ba, knowing that he was not in any way to interfere with the operations which were under the control of General Shafter. That there could be no doubt whatever T cabled General Shafter informing him that General Miles had left for Cuba with in, structions not in any manner to supereede him as commander of troops in the field at Santiago. and as I have said, if my spaes- sage prevented. a battle on the morning of repaid a thousand fold'' ..s.