Evening star., 1898-08-26
REGULARS SOUGHT AND WON
To Them Gen. Shafter Gives Credit for the
Santiago Victory.
Volunteers Lacked Unity, Cohesion
and Individual Support-His Re-
ply to Criticism.

| SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Thursday.-Prior
| to embarking the steamer Mexico. Major
General Shafter this evening consented to
| be interviewed. During the interview he
discussed in general terms the campaign
| that has just ended. General Shafter said:
| Il look upon the campaign just closed as
a successful one in the highest degree not
| only in regard to the military operations,
| but more especially in regard to the great
| results achieved. When We decided to at
| tack Santiago we looked for nothing more
| as the immediate fruit of victory than the
| capture of the city. What has been achiev-
| ed is the capitulation of the entire eastern
| part of the province from a line at Jibari
to the south coast, together with the en-
emys forces, amounting to almost 24,0o0
men. Surely that was a notable achieve
ment of the campaign, bearing in mind the
fierce opposition encountered and the
comparatively small loss of our own forces.
Knew His Soldiers.
From a military point of view / perhaps
took steps which might not be deemed JUS
ufiable under other circumstances, but l
knew the temper and capabilities of my
soldiers and the moral effect of our gradu-
ally cooping up the enemy within his own
lines
My engineers were very apprehensive
that the Spaniards might break through on
lcll anu cut OH S1DOney. This, from
purely military standpoint, might have been
truthfuliy correct, but personally / had not
Tor a moment any fear on that score The
result mas, think, proved the correctness
of my conclusions
Our primary object was to drive Ger
vera out, and next take the town. We had
gradually driven the Spaniards back on his
lines, circ,ing the city, and slowly adyanc-
ing day by day. The enemy began losing
spirit as soon as our guns had been placed
IN position to cover the town.
When Cervera left the situation was
changed. The town was at my mercy and
mad L given the order for a direct assault
1t would have been taken within four
hours. belive that with the forces then
at my command, reinforced as they had
been L was in a position to take the city
by force.
But if 1 had taken a step of such char
aoter. what would have been the result?
estimate that our casualties would have
been three thousand men, and the action l
took has had more brilliant real results
without so heavy loss of valuable lives.
Well Situated for Defense.
The town itself is admirably suited for
defense, and the fight would have been a
long and bloody one. Every house is
strongly constructed of stone, and entirely
different from the ordinary frame build
lnSs. Every house was little fortress in
itself. Had the Spaniards, forced by des-
perstion, fought the battle out in the
streets, our loss would have been enor-
nous. But from the moment Gen Toral
made a: proposition for conference l
knew he was determined to give up and /
acted accordingly.
Personal reflections have been cast upon
me because L was not on the fighting line.
That was not the place for a general in
command of an army. 1t must be remem-
bered that l was connected by telephone
with the officers at the front. AM was bet
ter able to direct operations from the posi-
ton had taken. Save for two days. when
ILL., was in direct command of this cam
paign. which l consider unique IN Amerf-
can history, for it was really the first time
the United States had fought with its reg
ular army. The civil war was n war of
volunteers, but this campaign was fought
and won by our regular troops.
Il did not notice the fact at first hut
there were only thres volunteer regiments
engaged against Spaniards. While the
highest. credit is to be given them, ard
they fought bravely and well, there was
the moral support of the regulars back of
it ALL
Volunteers Enthusfastic.
"Our volunteers lacked that unity, cohe-
sion and individual support noticeable in
our trained troops, but at the same time no
disparagement should be made of the vol
unteer regiments in the campaign What
they lacked otherwise they made UP for in
enthusiasm and patriotic spirit, and | de-
sire to command no better army than one
composed of the class of volunteers under
me in the Santiago campaign.
Inc operations OF the regulars in tn.
campaign have proved conclusively the0.
superiority over some organizations of state
militia, in which the nen partially COM
PEELED to serve by a sense of shame but
they do not show the enthusiasm of volun-
teers.
There has been some question concern
ing the transportation facilities of the
army. The facilities were all there, and
the transportation equipment provided was
all it should have been, but our difficulties
We're enormous. There was only one roao
To have built another would have TAX -
two years. The nature Of the country the
weather-an these things-helped to disor-
ganize this department. The use of wagons
was almost impossible