The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-15

To Secretary AIgcr on the spanish W ar
Given TO the Press

Given To the Pres.
Washington. November 1o.-The re-
port OF Major General Miles. COM
manding the United States army. was
made public today by direction 81 Sec
rotary Alger. The key note OF the re-
port is found in one OF the opening
sentences. where il Is aid The mill
tary operations during the year have
been extraordinary unusual and cx-
pensive." a statement which Is fully
borne out by the long recital Of i'm
portant events which General Miles
shows nave made the military history
OF the year 1895 the most remarkable
since the end Of the civil war.
In point OF interest the document Ill
vides naturally into -four chapters, for
while brief allusion is made to such
matters as the military expeditions TO
Alaska, it centers in that portion which
treats Of the var with Spain.
Under this general head. the report
deals with he plans Of campaign and
war preparations: with the Santiago
campaign, with General Miles opera
lions in Porto Rico. and lastly, with
the important changes in existing or
ganiZation which are, in General Miles
opinion necessary to make the army
an effective weapon for the defense OF
the country. There is an entire alb
sence Of Any evidence OF direct criti-
cisms, though certain sentences in the
report are italicized in an apparent de-
sire to justify previously expressed
plans Of details Of the campaigns and
where il deals with events the docu-
ment is largely made up OF quotations
of official dispatches.
Treating OF the war, General Miles
begins with a statement OF the npre-
paredness of the country, showing how
the vast equipment left by the million
soldiers of the civil war had been dis
Sipated or had become obsolete until
the tentage, transportation and camp
equipage was insufficient for any i'm
portant military operation. He re-
counts the legislation of congress just
prior to the war, looking to the in
rease of the army and cites his own
letter on April 9th that 40, 600 men be
provided for coast defense and re-
serve; that the regular army be in
creased and that 10000 immunes be
recruited, making a force Of 162, 597
men, which with sc, 900 native auxilia-
ries he considered sufficient. Such a
force properly equipped, he believed TO
be better than a larger force partly
equipped.
General Miles say in his report that
in the beginning the war problem was
purely a nava one and he was con-
WINGED that should our a V prove su-
perior, the position of the Spanish ar
my in Cuba would be rendered unten-
able with a minimum loss Of life and
treasure to the United States. He
says: There We're two most serious
obstacles to be avoided. One was
49, e ".L~
before our navy controlled the Cuban
waters; and the other was putting an
army o n the island at a time when
a large number of the men must die
from the diseases that have prevailed
in hat country, according to all sta
tistics for the last one hundred years"
He pointed out in a letter to the
secretary of war these dangers, in
closing a communication from Surgeon
General Sternberg, and urged that the
Spanish be merely harrassed and dam
aged during the rainy, unhealthy sea-
son, while the navy was demonstrate
ing it's superiority and the volunteers
were being equipped. In this letter,
which is attached, DR.. Guiteras is cited
in support of the recommendation to
delay the army movement upon Cuba.
In order hat the volunteers should
be speedily made efficient on April 26th
General Miles wrote the secretary Of
war hat they should be camped for
sixty days in their respective states
before leaving them and disciplined
and equipped and their officers in
structed: all important, ne said, to
health and efficiency"
orders are referred to for the send
ing of the regulars to New Orleans,
Tampa and Mobile to begin the inva-
sion of Cuba; for the gathering Of
troops at Chickamauga and for the
movement of 10000 troops on Cuba,
but none of these movements on Gu
ba materialiZed," he says, the want
of proper equipment n ammunition
rendered the movement Impractical
BILE"
At this point there is a brief digres-
sion where in a paragraph General
Miles refers to General Merritt's Phil
ippine expedition as as well as organic
ed and equipped as possible. and as
well conducted and eminently sue
cessful in every way"
General Miles also pays an eloquent
tribute to the brilliant exploit of Lieu
tenants Rowan and Whitney in secret
ly exploring Cuba and Porto Rico ana
ascertaining the military situations.