The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-26
Advocated.


General A. W. .Greely, chief signal officer,
today presented to Secretary Alger his re.
port of the operations of the signal corps
during the recent war with Spain. In
the first section of his report, General
Greely devotes particular attention to the
organization of the signal corps for the
war. Referring to the Santiago cam
patgn, he says:
Especial interest for the signal corps
attaches to this siege since, as is stated
elsewhere, the chief signal officer of the
army was responsible for the inception OF
this campaign. which proved to be the
turning point of the war "
General Greeley then discusses the ar
rangement and installation of electrical
and other appliances whereby the war
department., to all intents and purposes,
was brought near to the army and quick
communication established between the
comm anding general and his officers in
the Seventh army corps. He int1mates
that the corps officers in Cuba were
handicapped because they were not al
lowed to take with them the signal corps
telegraph train which had been to Tampa
for the Santiago expedition.
General Greeley discusses at length the
physical difficulties of maintaining COM
munication by wire in Cuba during the
Santiago campaign but points out that
at all critical periods of the campaign,
General Shafter was kept in direct COM
munication by telephone with his subor-
dinate commanders, the lines being unin-
terruptedly main tained under an almost
constant fire of the enemy. Special stress
is laid upon the value of the signal corps
facilities in directing the tire of the naval
vessels.
General Greeley then says:
"Concerning this telegraphic and tele-
phonic service which did not fall within
the plans of the major general command
ing the Fifth army corps, and for which
he made no provision, the chief signal
officer of the army feels it incumbent
upon him to point out it's absolute mill
tary necessity and value and to indicate
the extraordinary risks which any general
commanding detached army, especially
one serving on foreign SOIL assumes
when he leaves himself unprovided with
telegraphic or telephonic facilities.
General Greeley is confident that during
the single month of July the line of COM
munication maintained by his corps in
Cuba was worth more to the nation than
has been the cost of the signal corps of
the army from its inception to the present
day. He refers to the ease with which the
major general commanding the army
communicated with Washington giving
important Information, and receiving I'M
portant orders. He then adds: In addi.
tion, it Is not pleasant TO surmise what
might have been the fate OF the fever
stricken army in Santiago de Cuba had
its fortune and movements been directed
by mail instead of by electrical communl
cation.
General Greeley strongly commands the
use of the war balloon and declares that
It's utility was thoroughly demonstraUeu.
Concerninp the criticism made of the
balloon operations at Santiago ne says:
HTbe forcing of the signal corps bal
loon TO the skirmish line, where It's posi-
tion is reported to have caused serious loss
to the troops by disclosing their move
ments and attracting the enemy hle WaS M
the action of Major General Snhlsel Snia
throueh his chief engineer, Coione
George NCOs CCl ~ 49,
professional advice given py L1euGeha NJ
Colonel Maxfleld Of the United States Vol
nnteer signal corps, who was charged
With the practical operation OF the balloon
and who. besides sharing absolutely
avery danger to which Colonel Derby was
snhie oted. in addition had his horse shot
under him in a previous reconnaissance
u GeneTai Sno Greeley says: "That the signal
aures f,iIed to receive from Major Gener.
eI Sbafter in his original report, even a
notice that it participated in the Santiago
An interesting part of Genera
Greeley's report is that which relates to
the telegraph censorship. Upon this fea.
ture he says:
"Ihere has been misrepresentation on
the part of many that the signal corp:
exercised press censorship during the
war, an opinion that is entirely un
| founded, as the chief signal officer ig-
| nored all suggestions looking to an inter-
ference with the free and untrammeIlet
publication of press matter, even by the
| most sensational and uppatriotic jour.
mails. I may be added that the Associated
Press and many of the leading journals
| in most patriotic spirit expressed freely
and frequently not only their willing
ness but also their desire to refrain from