The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-27
GEN. MILES PLACES BLAME,
He Arraigns the War Department
For sickness and Mistakes in Cuba.

He ArrniEns the War Department
For sickness and Mistakes in Cuba.
The Kansas City Star correspondent. ].
D. Whelpley. at Ponce Porto Rico has
sent the following interview with Gen.
Miles:
After I arrived in Santiago with rein
forcements for Gen. Shafter, and while
I was conducting the surrender negota-
tons, Adjt. Gen. Corbin sent a secret
dispatch to Gen. Shafter assuring him
that my coming made no difference in his
command; that did not go to supersede
him.
This dispatch I did not see then. Gen.
Shafter did not mention 1t to me. but it
was given out for publication in Washing
ton. 1t might have caused great trouble
and confusion, except that it was based
on an impOssibility.'
Gen. Miles said this to the Star CORE
spondent yesterday in the course of a con-
versation touching upon the Cuban cam
paign. He said it firmly and with consid-
cradle suppressed feeling, and, from the
way he spoke, 1t is evident be will have
something to say on the subject when
he returns home. In explanation of what
he meant he continued:
81 no more superseded Gen Shafter than
a colonel supersedes a captain. If a cap
tain was sent ahead with a company of
soldiers, and was later on joined by his
colonel with the rest of the regiment the
colonel would not supersede the captain;
he would. simply take command of the
entire force, as l did at Santiago. That
this fact was recognized by the war de-
partment is shown by all the subsequent
proceedings for the dispatches from there
in regard to the surrender all came to me,
oY7A u fpT mr. mo fnTaa Il,
them.
1.-THE dispatches from and to Santiago
all show this, but they Were very much
mutilated and garbled in Washington
when given to the public. Words and SEN
fences were left out which changed the
meaning and significance of the messages,
and several very important ones which
would have thrown a clearer light upon
the situation We're entirely suppressed"
On file in Gen. Miles headquarters is a
copy of a cablegram sent by Gen. Miles
to Secretary Alger July 81. This cable
gram was suppressed by the secretary in
Washington. and no attention was paid to
the recommendation Of Gen. Miles, which
outlined the plan now followed by the war
department. but for which others are
claiming credit.
If Gen. Miles recommendations had
been promptly followed out and his state
ment of the condition Of the army been
given to the pubic WHtu received, Inucn
of the sickness and trouble would have
been avoided This cable reads, in part,
as follows:
''There Is not a single regiment of reg
ulars or volunteers that is not infected
with yellow fever, from one case in the
Eighth Ohio to thlrty-six in the Thirty
third Michigan.
after consulting with the best medi-
cal authorities II Is my opinion that the
best mode Of Riding the troops OF the
fever viii be as 1 have directed. namely:
The troops to go up as high In the noun
tains az possible selecting fresh camps
every day. III this does not check the
spread Of the disease, The only way Of
saving a large portion Of the command
viii be to put them on transports ANA
ship them to the New England coast TO
some point designated by the surgeon gen.
eraL"
IL was Skaters disObcdicnce OF orders,
and Secretary Ayers disregard OF Cen.
Miles recommendation that was re@pon-
slble for the terrible condition Of the Sanu-