The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-30
pIsAGREEs WITH ALGER.

Miles did not agree with Secretary
Alger, for, July q, in a letter al
ready published in the Star, the general
commanding urged the return of the
army to the United States as soon as
possible. July II, after the surrender
was complete, General Shafter wired
as follows to General Miles:
'Slbcney, July Il, 1898, 8:4S p. m. Re
ceived July IS, 1893. General Miles,
on Board Yale:
Letters and orders in reference to
movement of camp received and will be
carried out. None is more anxious to
get away from here than myself. 1t
seems from your orders given me that
you regard my forces as part of your
command. Nothing will give me great
er pleasure than serving under you
general, and 1 shall comply with all
your requests and direction, but 1 was
told by the secretary that you were not
to sugersede me in command here. !
Will furnish the information called for
as 10 the condition Of command to Gill
more. adjutant general, army head
quarters.
SKATER, Major General
MILES TO SKATER.
General Miles very promptly re-
piled as follows:
PLAYA dcJ Este. July IS, 1898 Guam
tanamC]. ll:30 a. m.
General Shafter:
. Telegram received: have no desire
and have carefully avoided any appear
ance Of supersediug you. Your com
mand is Z part of the United States
army, which I have the honor to COM
mand, having been duly assigned there
to. and directed by the president 10 so
wherever 1 thought my presence was
required, and give such general Girec-
lions as thought best concerning mil
itary matters, and especially directed
to go TO Santiago for a specific purpose.
You viii also notice that the order of
the secretary of war of July IS left
the matter to my discretion. I should
regret that any event should cause
either yourself or any part Of your
command to cease to be a part of mine
Very truly yours.
NELSON A MILES,
" Major General Commanding United
States Army
General Miles then gave Cen
eral Shafter final instruction and
left hurriedly for Porto Rico for rea-
sons already known to the readers of
the Star. IN view of the situation, as
revealed by the above kilograms, the
following statement, contained in the
New York Herald OF recent date, is
quoted:
REMARKABLE STATEMENT.
If my cablegram to Major General
Shafter informing him that Major
General Miles was not sent to super
sede him in supreme command of the
troops in the field at Santiago de Cuba
prevented the Storming of the city on
the day of its surrender and resulted
in the saving of lives which otherwise
would have been lost in the attack,
then 1 am repaid for sending it a thou
sand-fold.' This statement was made
to me this afternoon by Secretary Alger
apropos' of the publication in the Her
aid OF yesterday. setting forth the do
ings of Major General Miles during his
brief stay in Cuba. The secretary told
me he did not propose to enter into any
controversy regarding the Santiago
campaign with anybody. The results
spclSe for themselves, and they were a
sufficient justification for the policy
which had been pursued by the war de-
partment in the conduct of the opera
lions against Santiago.
My cablegram to General Shafter,'
he continued, was simply due to my
desires to assure him that l intended
to be absolutely fair. Before his de-
parture from Washington, General
Miles and I had talked the matter over.
and he started for Cuba 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, cabied
to General Shafter. informing him that
General Miles had left for Cuba with
instructions not TO supersede him in
any manner as commander of the
troops in the field at Santiago de Cuba,
and, as have said, if my message pre-
vented battle on the morning of the
day the city surrendered, then 1 am re-
paid thousapc-fold,'