The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-17
OUR NAVAL EXPLOITS.
Disease May Do Our Army More In
Jury Than Bullets.

jury Than Bullets.
Tampa, Fla, July 1--we have in the
remarkable naval exploits of Dewey and
schley confirmation strong that truth is
stronger than fiction" The Christian OBJ
server puts it in a plain and forcible light
when affirming that if we had found in
the Old Testament an account of two nav
al battles within about two months time.
in each of which the entire fleet of the
enemy was annihiliated without more than
one death in battle on the fleet of the vic
tors, how would the so-caued "higher
critics" have condemned it as "improba-
ble' and go marvellous for belief" And
yet since the first day of May, under
Commodore Dewey and Commodore
Schley, just this wonderful thing has hap
pened TO the navy of our young republic.
In considering the sickness prevalent in
our army in Cuba we forget that our sol
diers are in a foreign country and dis
ease breeding climate. Even with the yell
low fever 10 combat our death rate viii
hardly equal that of the army in Mexico
during that war. 1t is claimed that 1000
a month died in the City of Mexico for
time, while at Perote there were 900
graves, all victims of disease. Oct 1S,
1871, the hospitals at Puebla contained OF
sick alone 800. John c. Calhoun in the
Senate declared that the mortality of our
troops could not be less than 20 per cent.
The records show unequal losses, some
regiments suffering much worse than
others, especially the Mississippi, Tennes-
see and Georgia volunteers. In the In
dian wars here in Florida Il was dis
ease more than the scaping knife that
caused 107 officers to resign from the regu-
lar army in one year. Our present war is
one in which disease will slay more than
the bullets of the enemy.
have great respect for my old and es-
teemed friend, Rev. Gen. c. A. Evans, both
as a preacher and a soldier, but he IS
way of" i'm his views as to barbed wire
defenses. His experience as farmer dates
way back beyond the Introduction of
barbed wire fences into this country. If he
Will spend a week stringing and unstrng
ing barbed wire fence. his views win I'M
dergo a sudden and remarkable change,
and he will agree with me that Gen. Mer
rift was wise to take with him on his Phil
hppine expedition a good supply of ma
terial for barbed wire defenses. Gen. Evans
says nippers or bayonets will easily cut
or break barbcd wire. Just so; but what
becomes Of the loose ends that suddenly
fly both ways in an instant and tear up
things generality" 1 have been there, and
have also seen a "buz saw" and my
opinion Is that it is wise to keep out of the
way Of both.
There have been brave American moth
eTs ever since this country declared for
independence. The weeping mothers of
to-day are but the companions of others
of their sex in a similar sorrow, from
Bunker Hin to Appomattox. When Lieut..
T. II. Porter, L. S. A, fell in the Mexican
war his brother Lieut.. David d. Porter,
L. S. N, is reported to have said, when
informed of the sad bereavement, that his
father-Commander David Porter, U S.
N, had bequeathed him a sword as his
only legacy and with that sword he
would avenge his brothers death or share
a similar fate. He did not take his broth
er's remains home for burial as his brave
and patriotic mother-the widow as well
as the mother of a hero-had written 9TH
erwse. Come not to me" she said, but
go the other way, to avenge your brother
and to defend your country" When shot
down Lieut.. Porter cried out to his soldiers
flight on, bpysl Take care of your
selves'-for their gallant young command
er could lead them no more.