Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-08-27
SPANIARDS GRATITUDE
They Applaud the ValOr of Our
Soldiers in Guba.
vANQUIsHED BxToL vIoToRs.


Eleven Thousand or the Prisoners
Taken at Santiago Unite I'm an Adj
dress OF Thanks and Praise to Gem
eral Shafter and His Heroes.
Washington. Aug. pa document
entirely unique in the annals OF war
fare was cabled last night to the war
department by General Shafter. 1t Is
In the form of a congratulatory fare
well address issued to the soldiers Of
the American army by Pedro Lopez
De Castillo. a private Spanish soldier.
on behalf OF II. 900 Spanish soldiers. No
similar document perhaps was ever be-
fore issued to a victorious army by
vanQuished enemy. The president was
most impressed by the address, and
after reading 1t carefully authorized its
publication Following is the text of
the address. which is addressed to Gen
eral Shafter:
sir: The Spanish soldiers who capt.
tulated in this place on the 10th Of July
last, recognizing your high and just po-
sition, pray that through you all the
courageous and noble soldiers under
your command may receive our good
wishes and farewell which we send
them on embarking for our beloved
Spain. For this favor which we have
no doubt you viii grant. you will gain
the everlasting gratitude and consider
alton Of 1900 Spanish soldiers who are
your most humble servants"
Also the following letter addressed to
the soldiers OF the American army:
| 1--WE would not be fulfilling our duty
as well born men, in whose breasts
! there live gratitude and courtesy.
! should we embark for our beloved
/ Spain without sending to you our most
cordial and sincere good wishes and
! farewell. We fought you with ardor.
with all our strength, endeavoring to
/ gain the victory, but without the
! slightest rancor or hate towards the
| American nation We have been van
| Quished by you ESQ our generals and
chiefs judged In signing the capitula-
| tion), but our surrender and the bloody
battles preceding IT have left In our
souls no place for resentment against
the men who fought us nobly and val
| family. You fought and acted in COM
pliance with the same call of duty as
we. for we all but represent the powel
Of our respective states.
| 'sYou fought us as men. face to face
and with great courage. as before
stated. a quality which we had not
1 met with during the three years we
have carried on this war against 9
people without religion, without morals
without conscience and of doubtful
origin, who could not confront TIT
enemy. but hidden. shot their nobla
victims from ambush and then i'm
mediateiy fed. This was the kind o.
warfare we had to- sustain in this un
fortunate land. You have complied ex
actly with all the laws and usuages o.
war as recognized by the armies OF TIT
most civilized nations OF the world
have given honorable burial to thu
dead OF the vanquished: have cures
their wounded with great humanity
have respected and cared for you
prisoners and their comfort, and. lastly
TO us, whose condition was terrible
you have given freely OF food. OF you
stock OF medicines and you hav
honored us with distinction and cour
tesy. for after the fighting the tw'
armies mingled with the utmost har
mony.
with this high sentiment of ap
probation from Us all. there remain
/ but to express our farewell. and wit
: the greatest sincerity we wish you al
. happiness and health in this land whicl
VIII no longer belong to our dear Spain
but will be yours who have conquere
II by force and watered II with you
blood, as your conscience called fol-
under the demand OF civilization an
humanity. But the descendants OF tn
Congo and OF Guinea, mingled with tn
, blood of INSCRIPTIONS Spaniards an
OF traders and Adventures. are no
! able to exercise or enjoy their liberty
. for they will find ii burden to compI
, with the laws which govern civilize
communities"