Evening star., 1898-08-02
SPIRIT WAS SIMPLY GRAND
Gen. Shafter Highly Praises His Officers I'd
Men.
Hardships OF the Santiago Campatrp
Surpassed Anything Experienced
i'm the Civil War.

The Secretary OF War has received the
following letter from Gen Shatter trans
| mitting the commissioners report OF the
! surrender OF the Spanish arny at Santiago:
Camp Before s. ntiago. Cuba, July is lsslS
II take the liberty of sending 10 you this
morning copy of the agreement between the
commissioners on my part and the commits
sioners on the part Of the government OF
Spain for the surrender OF eastern Cuba.
The schedule just submitted shows there to
be little over 22.oO0 men and officers
! about 6,0gp more men than j have had my
self-and am glad TO say that we have got
all these men with very little loss OF life.
compared TO what IT would have been had
we had to fight them. The city. OF Ssnti-
ago is simply network of fortnications at
every street corner. / had no proper con-
ception OF its strength until / went into Il,
although knew these old stone towns were
naturally very strong Everything Is going
admirably so far as the transfer is concern
ed, and the Spanish troops are behaving
wen. as they are perfectly delighted at the
thought Of getting home.
Il send to you personally a telegram OF
| Gen. Linares to his government. which one
OF the consuls gave me. II shows the
straits to which they were put and the feel
ings that animated them. H stated the
case exactly; did have him so surrounded
that 1t was impossible for him TO get away,
and could wait and he could not
Il send out tomorrow morning to receive
something over 1909 men up IN the interior
a short distance, about thirty miles and in
two or three days will send to Guantanamo
to receive the 1000 that have surrendered
there. They should be shipped from Guam
tanamo bay direct to Spain. Their are also
about 800 men each from Baracoa and
Sagua de Tanamo. on the north coast who
VIII come into the port there for shipment.
Will send an officer around with a Spanish
ofi1cer to take their arms and military sup
plies.
We have gotten a great deal more than
had any idea of getting In the way of
they Were well supplied. Have got a few
beautiful modern high-power guns-about a
dozen.
My only fear is that We shall have some
sickness; and Ii is for that reason that
have wired you so earnestly about getting
these prisoners away, so that can 60 up
In the mountains with my command fifteen
or twenty miles, at the end of the railroad,
at San Luis, Which is said to be very
healthy. 1t is. at any rate. about 200 feet
above the sea, and has communication by
! rail with Santiago.
so far there is no fever in Santiago
suppose because there is one there ex-
cept immunes. Three cases only so far this
year. and the English consul tells me there
was very little last year
or those here who served throughout the
civil war. all declare they never had any,
thing that could compare with II for ha ri-
ship. With only one set of cIoi hes officers
have been until now rained on nearly every
day, carrying three days rations like the
men, on their persons, and suffering every
privatfon that any man can: added to all
these privations in addition, all tha horrors
or disease In an unknown land. and very
limited accommodations should they be
wounded. The spirit shown by them and
by the whole army was simply grand.
can recall no instance where a greater sur
rAnder has been made than this. The final
surrender of Gen. Toral and his generals TO
myself and my generals was highly dra-
natc. as well as the hosting of the flag
over the city of Santiago, one of the Oldest
cities in this continent
i want to thank you and the President
for the words of cheer that have come to
us. and to say that none OF US have ever
doubted that every effort possible to make
our lives as secure and our situation as
comfortable is possible would be made"