The times., 1898-09-15
GEN. SHAFTER'S REPORT
Details of the Campaign Which
Ended at Santiago.
PRAISE FOR GEN. WHEELER
The Discipline OF the Army Was
Superb and There Was an Absence
of Courts-MartiaI- - Many Officers
Recommended for Promotions
Thanks for Sampson.

The report of Gen. Shafter on the Gu
ban campaign was given out iasi night
by the adjutant general of the army.
1t is a lengthy document and gives
every detail of the expedition
IL is supposed that the report was
very carefully edited by the War De
partment before it was given out for
publication. Gen. Shafter is believed
to have made criticisms of some vol
unteer officers and their commands
which the Department may have
thought it best to suppress.
The report is as follows:
Sept 13 1898
Sir: I have the honor to submit the fol-
lowing report of the campaign which
terminated in the fall of Santiago de
Cuba, and the adjacent territory, and the
establishment of the military government
therein.
pliance with telegraphic instructions of
May 80. 1885, from headquarters of the
army. in which it was stated:
Admiral Schley reports that two cruisers and
two torpedo boats nave been seen in the Ha-bor
OF Santiago. Go with your force to ptuTe gar
rlson at Santiago, and assist m capturing ia hCr
and feet.
of transports in Port Tampa Bay. which
had been collected for the purpose Of an
expedition which ii had been previously
contemplated ] should command, and for
such other emergencies as nigh. arise
Orders were Immediately given for load
ing aboard those transports the neces-
sary subsistence and Quartermaster sup
plies, and for the embarkation of the au-
thOrized number cf troops and their ma
terial. General orCers No 5, from these
headquarters, indicate the organizations
it was at first proposed to take. The or
der is as follows:
(Gene.al 'Orders No. s.
Headquarters Fifth Army Corps,
Tampa, Fla. May 81. IS9S.
The following troops viii hold themselves in
readiness TO move Immediately board trans-
ports upon notification fom these headquarters:
]. Tie Fifth Army Corps.
= The Battalion Of Engineer.
3. The detachment Ct the signal corps.
l. Five squadrons of cavalry, 20 he selected
by the commanding general OF the cavalry d.
vision. IN accordance with instructions previously
give=.
5. -Four batteries OF light artillery, to be
commanded by a major 10 be selected by the
commanding officer Il tie light artillery brigzde
6. Two batteries Il heavy artillery. 10 be-
lected by the commanding officer OF the siege
artillery battalion with eight siege guns and
eight ied mortars
Z. TIE Battalion Of Engineers, the infantry
and cavalry, VIII be supplied with 500 rounds OF
ammunition per man
g. All troops VIII carry, in addition to the
fourteen days field ratiOns now hand, teb
days travel rati'ns.
g TIE minimum allowance of tentage and
baggage as prescribed in General Orders 81,
A. C. O.. current series, will be taken.
10. In addition TO the rations specid in para
graph 5 Of this order, the chief commis-ary viii
provide sixty days field rations for The entire
command
H. All recruits and extra baggage. the latter
TO be stored, carefully piled and covered, Will
be left in camp, in charge of a commissioned.
officer, u be selected by the reglmental COM
mander. Where there recruits available
the necessary guard only will be LETT
- TaFel ratOns viii be drawn, At once, by
the several commands, indicated IN para
graph 8
BY command of Mai. Gen shafter:
T. J. McCLERNAND.
Assistant Adjutant General.
This order was afterwards changed to
include twelve squadrOns Of cavalry, all
OF which were dismounted because Of
lack OF transportation for the animals,
and because it was believed, from the
best sources of information obtainable.
that mounted cavalry could not operate
efficiently in the neighborhood of San
tiago. This was found subsequently to
be correct.
The facilities at Tampa and Port
Tampa for embarking the troops and the
large amount Of supplies required were
inadequate, and with the utmost effort
it was not possible to accomplish this
work as quickly as / hoped and desired
On the evening of June l received or
ders TO sail without delay, but not with
less than 10G00 men.
The orders referred to caused one divi-
sion, composed of volunteer troops, COM
manded by Brig. Gen. Snyder, and which
il had been intended to include in my
command, TO be left behind / was
Joined. however. by Brig. Gen. Bates,
who had already arrived on transports
from Mobile, Ala, with the Third and
Twentieth Infantry and one squadron OF
the Second Cavalry with their horses.
the latter being the only mounted troops
In my command
After some of them had already reach
ed the lower bay, telegraphic instructions
We're received from the honorable Secre-
tary of War directing that the sailing of
the expedition be delayed waiting further
orders This delay was occasioned by
the navy reporting that a Spanish war
vessel had been sighted in the Nicholas
Channel. The ships in the lower bay
We're Immediately recalled On the next
day. in compliance with instructions from
the adjutant general of the army, the
necessary steps were taken to increase
the command TO the full capacity of the
transports. and the expedition sailed on
June II with SIS officers and 1902 enlisted
men.
An UneventfuI Voyage
The passage to Santiago was generally
smooth and uneventful. The health OF
the command remained remarkably good
notwithstanding the fact that the conve-
niences on many OF the transports, in the
nature of sleeping accommodation, space
for exercise, closet accommodations, etc,
were not all thai could have been de-
sired. While commenting upon this sub
5ect, it is appropriate TO add that the
opinion was general throughout the
army that the travel ration should in
clude tomatoes, beginning with the first
day, and that small quantity of canned
fruit would prove to be most welcome
addition while travelling at sea in the
tropics. If the future policy of our Gov
ernment requires much transportation fol
the military forces by sea, definite ar.
rangements should be determined upor
TO provide the necessary hammock ac
commodations for sleeping. Hammock:
interfere immeasuraDly less than hunks
with the proper ventilation of the ships
and during the day can be easily re
moved, thus greatly increasing space fol
exercise; moreover. they greatly Diminish
the danger of fire
While passing along the north coast o.
Cuba one of the two barges we had il
tow broke away during the night, anC
was not recovered This loss proved Il
be very serious, for il delayed and EN-
barrassed the Decentralization of tn,
army. On the morning of June 20 we ar
rived off Guantanamo Bay, and abou
noon reached the vicinity of Santiago
where Admiral Sampson came on boarC
my headquarters transport. II was ar
ranged between TO visit in the after
fTaT Ttssf,a ~,