The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-07-26

Washington, July 26.-With the week
just closed the United States saw the
end of the third month of the war with
Spain, and the responsible officers.
from the president down to the last
employee, who had to do with the shap-
ing of the course of events, feel moth
ing but satisfaction at the progress
made. An army Of a quarter of
million of men has been modified,
armed and equipped, and much of 1T
has seen service. The battles pre-
ceding the capture of Santiago have
beer remarkable in many respects, and
in the opinion of the military experts
have covered the United States army
engaged with imperishable glory. Mod
ern warfare of a type developed IN
these enga gements was absolutely new
and untried, not only to the United
States army, but to the world. No
such charge is recorded in history as
that made upon the stone fort and the
blockhouse browning the hills of El
Caney There have been engagements
between trained troops and savage
races in the jungles of India and on
the hills of South Africa Of late years
that conveyed in slight manner the
possibilities of modern weapons. But
these battles fought by the Fifth
army corps have been the first IN
which large bodies of troops Of civil
lied nations on both sides
Have been Engaged
with all the implements of modern
warfare, and the result is bound to be
highly instructive to the military
student and to extort admiration for
the splendid fighting qualities of the
United States, even from the most I'M
willing critics Few officers in any
army have had more experience III
hard fighting, especially in rough coun-
try. than that old Indian fighter, Gen.
Henry, so some weight must be at
tached to the opinion of the merits OF
our officers and troops expressed by
him in the following personal letter adj
dressed by him to Adjt. Gen. CorDln,
dated in front of Santiago, July II:
''We had a pleasant sail down, but
having to row the men ashore it took
some time to get off. We left Siboney
al 2 D. NJ yesterday with the Eighth
Ohio and came into camp here, about
three miles from the front. The COM
pany with Gen. Breckenridge rode to
the front to Gen. Wheeler's headQuar-
ters, and flag of truce being up, had
an opportunity to see the lines. we
were almost on top of them i'll front OF
Wheeler, being about 800 yards to the
+ chit of them. but the country is rough,
given to the falling and ascendant,
Covered by Their Fire.
The country all the way is the rough
est | ever saw. You have to follow
roads or trails and come under heavy
fire, their positions commanding every
aDDroach. The work done by these
troops since landing, their heroism and
patience under discomfort, heat and
rain, calls for the highest praise, and
the work accomplished by Shafter, his
pertinacity and goaheaditiyeness under
adverse circumstances and discom-
forts, is revelation to me. | doubt II
there is another officer who would
have gotten there as he did. Our
less was most unfortunate, but from
the character of the country could not
have been avoided it we had to ger
there Last night the Eighth Ohio
were almost drawn out, and IT appears
to- day to be due to the climate, and TO
get out of it it would be cheaper to
lose more by fighting and success than
by sickness and inactivity and staying.
We have about thirty cases of yellow
fever and many of malaria. but the
men are cheerful. Gen. Duffield and
Cant. Wilcox have yellow fever, they
saw a mild form, gotten from sleeping
in infected buildings, which are now
to be burned. Miss Clara Barton and
Mrs. Addison Porter rode to the front
Yesterday in an army wagon over
rough roads and raining; they are un-
selfish women Too much credit can
not be given the heroism, pertinacity,
pluck. patience and endurance of the
men who have borne the brunt of this
work -