Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-09-24
GENERAL SHAFTER
MAKES HIS REPORT
lives the Details of the Operations
Of the Army Before San
tiago. .%
UST TRIBUTE TO HIS MEN
Sick and Wounded Received Every
Attention Possible Under
Circumstances.
)IClPLlNE OF The MEN SUPERB
OF the Army Due 10 the
Efforts OF Men ana Officers
..-History OF the
Battle.
)IClPLlNE OF The MEN SUPERB

Washington, Sept. 16.-General Shat
| er's report Of the campaign which ter
minated in the fall of Santiago has
,ecn made public. lie briefly recounts
he organization Of the expedition and
is cmbarkation, ami then devotcs the
main body Of the report to the active
operations about Santiago. General
;hafter says the expedition y un-
lertakcn in compliance with tele-
,raphic instructions of May 80, from
headquarters OF the army, in which IL
vas stated:
admiral Schley reports that two
ruisers and two torpedo boats have
Teen seen i'm the barbor of Santiago.
10 with your force TO capture garrison
It Santiago and assist in capturing
iarbor and fleet"
The report gives in detail the as
cmbling Of the troops Mt Tampa, u
lclay caused by instructions from the
secretary of war, occasioncd by u
'eported sighting of Spanish warship,
md SAYS the expedition sailed june II,
With S15 officers and 1902 men.
General Shafter briefly covers the
rip and landing and his first meeting
With General Garcia, the latter oiferlng
he service Of his troops, comprising
ibouth 1000 men in the vicinity OF
isseraderos and about 5000 near Dali
Iuiri, which offer was accepted with
he understanding that General Shat
ier should exercise no military control
,ver Garcia, but would furnish him RAJ
ions and ammunition.
After comforting with Admiral
Sampson and General Garcia the plan
,f campaign was outlined by General
Shafter. The Decentralization was to
commence on the 22d mt Daiquiri, with
,cints by the Cubans on Cabanas and
by the navy mt various shore points, in
order to mislead the enemy to the
place Of landing. General Shaftcr
lays:
These movements committed me to
approaching Santiago from the east
over n narrow road, at first in some
places not better than a trail, running
rom Daiquiri through SibOney and Sc
Tilla, and making attack from that
quarter. This, in my judgment, was
he only feasible plan and subsequent
Information and results confirmed my
Judgment"
Battle OF la Gunsimn.
OF the early operations and the Skin
mish in which the rough riders par
iicipated, the report says:
General Young's brigade, consist
ing of 9G4 officers and men, from the
First and Tenth regulars and First
volunteer cavalry, passed beyond Law
ton on the night of the 23d-2lth and
IN the morning of the 24th became en-
gagged with a Spanish force cntrCnchcd
IN u strong position at La GuaSima,
threc miles from Siboney. The enemy
made an obstinate resistance but were
driven from the field with consider
able loss. Our w loss was one Of
icer and fifteen men killed; six OIL
,crs and iifty-siX men wounded. The
reported losses Of the Spaniards were
nine killed and twcnty-sevcn wounded.
The engagement had an inspiring cf-
1cct upon our men and doubtless cor
rcspondingly depressed the enemy, as
t. was now plainly demonstrated to
them that they had a foe 10 meet who
would advance upon them under a
heavy fire delivered from the en-
trenchments. General Wheeler was
present during the engagement and
that our troops fought with
the greatest Gallantry. This engage
ment gave MS a well watrcd country
farther to the front on which TO en-
camp our troops"
The report continues: at was not
until nearly two weeks after the army
that it was possible TO place on
shore three days supplies in excess Of
those required for the daily consump-
ton. y y y On June so | rCCOnnoit-
cred the country about Santiago and
made my plan of attack
General Shaftcr outlines here his
plan of battle, which was explained at
a meeting Of generals, and continues:
''Thc preparations were far from
what | desired them to be, but we were
ina sickly climate; our supplies had
to be brought forward by a narrow
wagon road, which the rains might at
any time render impossible; fear was
entertained that a storm might drive
the vessels containing our stores TO
sea, thus separating us from our base
IF supplies, and lastly, it was reported
General Pando, with 5000 rein
forcemcnts for the enemy, was en-
route from M%anzanillo and might be
expected in "A few days. Under these
circumstances | determined to give
without delay.
Attack on Santiago.
"EarIy on the morning of July 1
General Lawton was in position
around FL Caney Chaffee's brigade on
the right, across the Guantanamo
road; Miles brigade in the center and
Ludlow's on the left, along the Santi-
ago road. The artillery opened on the
town at G:15 a. m. The battle here
soon became general. and was holly
The enemy's position was
naturally strong and was rendered
more so by blockhouses, a stone fort
and Entertainments cut in solid rock
and the l%oopholing of a solidly built
church. The opposition offered
by the enemy was greater than had
been anticipated and prevented Law
ton from joining the right of the main
line during the day, rs had been in
tended. The battle continued with
intensity during most of the
day and until the place was carried by
about 4:30 p. IN. AS the Span
endeavored to retreat along the
Santiago road, Ludlow's position en-
abled him TO do very effective work
and to practically cut off all retreat in
that direction.
after the battle at lei Caney was
well opened and the sound of the small
arm fire caused us 10 believe that Law
ton vas driving the enemy before him,
! directed Crimes battery to open fire
from, the haiubfc pf Il pozn on TIA