The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-09-24
DEFENSE OF SKATER
ny THE GENERAL HIMSELF. WHO
THINKS HE DID WELL.
the War Of Thirty-ive Years
Ago ms TO sickness.

New York. September 2s.--Ceneral W Il,
shsftsr. who arrived tonight from Michigan.
said in an interview with representative Of
the Press. "My remarks about the volunteers
In a speech at Constantine have been mis-
quoted was speaking at reunion of the
Nineteenth regiment. went to the front
with II thirty-nye years ago. 1t happened
that some Michigan Volunteers got mixed up
In the Santiago fight. merely said that they
had not been intended for active fighting thai
day. They had been GENT off toward Aqua.
dores to make iefnt. They got into a cut
and a shell was thrown among them. killing
and wounding some.
They had no business In the cut and regu-
lars would not have been caught there. The
volunteers were all right at Santiago, handl-
capped they were. They had black powder
rifles for one thing, and they had not learned
what comes only from longest drilling and
what constitutes the ideal soldict--that is, to
stand with other men Without knowing it,"
1T has been said that there were 10000
Krag Jorgenseus in arsenal during the san
tago campaign. and that they were not sup
piled. said the reporter.
We'll, not the head of the ordnance
department; but the number of companirs
raised the regular army by $4,000 meu and
these had to get Krags Immediately, as they
were expected 10 do the bulk OF the hshtinG
How many OF the small stock Of kiags weie
left after the $4,000 were equipped 1 can
say.
No one who has not soca 1t can know the
effectiveness Of sinoksloss powder guns. Oar
boys had black powder--the spanards smoke
less powder
''on@ day-tho 10th or 18th Of JULY was
standing In the trenches toying to make out
with my glasses the location OF a spanish
battery. our battery was several hundred
yards TO our lett | could hear the shells
leave the Spanish guns and pass over. We
tried to locate the guns by following the
sound. but it was impossible Later we found
that it was more than mile away. behind a
fringe of bushes just thick enough to hide
the movements OF the men. II astonished ME
and other volunteers who saw The work of
smukeless powder.
"Iho scaadnIs of the campaigns. sa,a
General Shafter, were the natural product OF
ineNl erience among the soldiers. There has
been gross caTelessness on the part OF the
men in sanitary matters, You cant
make them understand the necessity OF care.
They resent being devilled by their officers
for not picking up cigar stunps. fruit peel.
In the civil war we often started out with
a tnousAAo men G-u ia ,.E .Goajns lost Ily0
hunqred of them through sickness.
What has befalen the men who relieved
me at Santiago? They had no such conflict
with Indictment weather Ms we did. They have
hal plenty OF food and complete tentaEe; but
they have had thirteen hundred sick men ont
CT COCO So don't think We oid so badly.
As to his coming to New York to take
charge of the department OF the East. General
SKATER said; "a do not know where ! Will so
finally. ! have expressed wish to 20 10 INC
Pacific coast where | expect to live when
AM retired. but before goinE I shall not OBJ
iect TO taking the department OF the East for
several months TIL General Merritt's return.
My wife Is from Vermont. and hail from
Michigan, and a stay OF short time in New
York would give me the chance to meet many
persons have long wished to and whom
! may never again have occasion to meet.
what do think OF territorial expansion?
Well I don't think my views are OF much
Importance, hut they are very brief: Hold on
to all we got. We had to work hard to gel II;
lets keep it. We are rising into the position
OF leader among nations and must ac-
cert the responsibilities that come from that
leadership
General Skater said he would go at once
to Montauk Point TO take comand there