The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-03
SHAFTER NEARLY FELL
WAS AMAZED WHEN TORAL Of
FERED HIS BIG SURRENDER.
The Santiago General Recounts the
Story of His Campaign-Heat
Worse than Yellow Fever.

HIl interview Win General Smarter, In Wnlcn
he is represented as saying: AT Santiago
We had to deal with things as they are, not
as they should be. OF course, there was
sickness. 1t was inevitable in a summer
campaign. but nobody was neglected. The
doctors were scarce at first, but we had
boatloads of them as soon as they could get
there. The doctors got sick, like the rest.
They were overworked and exhausted. But
their ability is unquestionable. Look at the
low percentage of deaths from wounds. 1t
never was lower in any war. Why, in the
civil war, l lay on the battlefield myself
until the maggots developed in my wounds,
and that was nearby, not down in ma
larious, subtropical country, far away
The men who ordered a summer cam
paign in fever-infected country are re-
sponsible for the natural and unavoidable
consequences. None of our wounded men
was allowed to lie on the battlefield as 1
was in the civil war. Nothing of the kind
happened. 1t was the heat that was so
deadly, and the rains. Torrid heat showers
would fall that would drench everybody.
without cooling the air. In few minutes,
under the sun again, every man would be
steaming. Men of the strongest type sue
cumbed.
Our first case of yellow fever developed
at Ell Caney. But the army was ripe for it,
and it spread like prairie fire. Many a man
had yellow fever who never will know it.
And, to tell the truth, it is not so dangerous
as the heat attacks that unacclimated men
have in the malarious regions of Cuba.
Why, it is a common thing for a mans
temperature to rise from normal state to
1o5 in few hours. That means death in
most cases.
ut can give cards and spades to yellow
fever in the game of death. I would rather
nave yellow fever. / tell you when a man
burns up inside there is little hope for him.
CAUSE OF SICKNESS.
"Our men were all unacclimated and had
never before faced such constant heat.
Many of them had never slept outdoors
before they went into camp. How could
they be nodded into proper material for
such a climate and such a campaign? 1t
could not be done. These men you see
coming back with the thin bodies and the
yellow faces are suffering the parasite of
the low fever OF the Santiago piateaus.
1.-The cool air and good home care will
cure them. That malady seems to destroy
the red corpuscles in the blood. The veins
are filled with water. There's man on the
dock suffering just that way. Take a good
look at him. If he were pale you would say
he was in the last stages of tuberculosis.
But he is as yellow as his uniform. Very
we'll; he has it. He is weak and will
quire care but good air, decent climate,
will make him we'll again. He has had the
fever three weeks. He does not know how
narrow has been his escape from death.
Wait till October, or better still, the first
frcst They will be all right when they get
wholesome nutritious food.
I'VE had to choose the lesser of two evils
to ship the men North to a healthy ci-
mate, not wanting to keep them where they
must die. We at the front did not want to
let the fever have its We wanted to
save life Now, the problem was to save
the most lives possible. We never had
foreign war since 1S12-14 The United States
has no hospital ships. 1t was not question
CT using what was best, but what we had.
We used the transports that brought the
troops down.
IF 1 could have had few weeks to equip
hospital ships the conditions would have
been better. If the war had continued we
would have stayed right there, fever or no
fever. The sudden end of the war was I'M
expected. We were not prepared for the
/ unexpected / made it an invariable rule
to send home % per cent. less men on
transport than she brought south. That
was a fair view to take.
ct am satisfied with the Santiago cam
paign. When it is fully understood, with
all its difficulties it will receive a just place
in military history. We were hurried to
Cuba We landed and could not have got
our stores back on board ship if we had
wanted to. When the irvesicn was planned
it was obvious that it must be rush. Such
it was.
And it was success-complete and I'M
equvocal Many things were done, it is
true. that were forced upon US by the ext
gencies of the hour; but the means en-
ployed even under such stress, proved to
be wisely chosen. l was compelled to
do great many things that under different
conditions would not have been considered.
SIZED UP THE SPANIARD.
81 sized up the Spaniards correctly. For
example ct San Juan l was sure they would
not come out from their works and attack
US. The E Caney fight, / hoped, would be
finished at 10 o'clock, but it took until 5
o'clock, and l rather feel now that it was
for the best Had I had Lawson on the
right of the line we should have undoubtedly
taken the city of Santiago that night in
which case only the garrison then there
would have surrendered to u.s. Whereas.
later all the troops i'll the region surround
ing were included. Those outside of Santi-
ago on July 2 could have gone to join Cen
eral psndo. l knew that the war was over
as soon as Toral spoke to me about surrend-
ering the troops in the eastern province.
1 almost fell over.
I'VE never had on the fighting line at any
one time more than 1900 men. And with
these we captured $1,000 Nine thousand
Spsniards were fortified in the best iptrenca-
ed position l ever saw. Indeed, the iftrench-
ments were Of such character that she'll
ing with the guns we had did not do them
any damage. Where a thirteen-inch shell
from our ships dropped into house in the
town it demolished the dwelling; but all
the occupants were gone
did Cervera's men help in the San Juan
fght?" was asked, to clear up a mooted
point.
Yes, indeed. He had one thousand men
ashore from his fleet in the battle of the
LIST of July. His chief of staff, Busamente,
was killed. His marines and sailors suffered
severely. Cervera put them all back on
board July 2, and on the Sd he tried to get
to sea.
THE Spaniards were down to their last
bit of rice when they surrendered; but they
chivalrously declined on the first day to ac-
cept rations offered them. They said that
American charity Inundated them; but /
noticed that they came around for the grub
the second day