The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-28
The BAD ROADS,.
They Were a Great Obstacle
In Our Way.

-
will appreciate the arduous nature of the
campaign 80 successfully terminated to-
day by the surrender by the Spanish
forces east of Santiago and the virtual
abandonment of this province by Spain.
One word tells the story-roads. The
roads here are simply paths through the
dense tropical forest, paths along which
half dozen OK teams haul numbering
carts once day in comparatively dry
weather, There are no bridges and in
wet weather when the streams are raging
torrents these paths are almost impass-
able to men on horse back, absolutely SO
to vehicles of all descriptions. Thus it
was that all these roads along which the
troops were moved had really to be built
before single wagon train could get
through. The bridges thrown across the
streams were repeatedly swept away by
high water. Several times communication
was almost entirely interrupted and the
army had to fall back on pack trains. In
deed, the base of supplies was seriously
threatened. 1t is fact that during the
four days before the surrender it was only
possible to get one light battery OF the
six brought by General Randolph to the
front, while not a single one of the siege
guns brought by General Shafter got be-
yond Siboney. In Europe, where the
roads are good, none of these difficulties
exists.
There is another vital difference In the
nature of the country itself. Over the
fields of operation in the Austro- Prussian
war of 1866, and tine Franco Prussian war
of 1870, it was possible, in almost every
engagem snt to nanoeuvre an army corps
by platoons and battalions. Here the men
were Obliged to advance in single file into
the open and at the famous assault on
San Jaun hill, one column marched out
of the road into the open in the face of
murderous rifle and artillery fire by the
Spanish trenches and deployed for the
oh arge on open ground. No finer exhibi-
ton of nerve could be required OF
soldier than that charge across 700 yards
of open territory against al enemy en-
trenched upon the crest of q hill. But our
men never finched.
AS matter of fact, it is one of the I'M
written secrets of the battle of July 1,
that the plans made the night previous
did not contemplate an assault upon the
works of the enemy before Santiago
Two divisions, those of General Wheeler
and General Kent were to remain in
column on the main road to Santiago, Ito
reinforce General Lawton, whose division
was to assault Ell Caney on the extreme
right while Grimes battery made a
diversion on the left. But when the
Spanish guns began to drop shrapnel
shells over the road on which our column
rested, and when word came that General
Lawton was successful at Ell Caney, it
became necessary either for Wheeler's
and Kent's divisions to advance, retreat
or remain quiet under the storm of shell
that was bursting over their heads. In
these circumstances it was less dangerous
to advance and charge the enemy's works
than to stay where they were, and with
general impulse to get where they could
return the enelny's fire, the advance regi-
ments, the sixth and sixteenth infantry,
moved out. The others followed.
There is question whether any specific
general command to charge was ever
given. Regimental and company COM
manders simply led their way heroicalIy
forward up the hill. The hill was taken,
the American flag planted on Its crest
and the enemy driven pell NELL into his
inner line of entrenchments beyond. Our
men were too much exhausted to follow
I'D their victory, though it has since been
asserted that had the pursuit been con
tinued that afternoon the demoralized
Spanish would have surrendered that
night. But men who had left third of
their officers and IL per cent of their COM
rades upon the field behind them could
not 90 on. So terrific had been the
slaughter of our men, 80 per cent of
whom were then nder fire for the first
time, the fact is that comparatively few
know it, that on the night of July l,
officers of high rank, brave soldiers. too,
went to General Wheeler, who was in
command at the front General Shafter
being still aboard his ship and appealed
to him to withdraw. They predicted an
awful disaster to our arms If we at
tempted to hold the position we had
earned too dearly. But the intrepid old
cavalry leader of the confederacy said:
"No." He spoke reassuring words to
those who came with dire forebo dings.
"We are in an uncomfortable position,
he said, "but the Spaniards are more I'M
comfortable than we Pass that word
down the line.''
General Wheeler even sent back de-
spatch to General Shafter telling of the
pressure that was being brought to bear
upon him. 81 presume the same inf1u-
ences are being brought to bear on YOU"
he wrote in effect. "But it will not do.
American prestige would suffer ire
triveably if we gave in an inch. We must
stand firm"