The times., 1898-12-01

Cervera's Mistake Saved the Man
Of Flesh-NO Effort to Reconnoiter
the Enemy's Fr0nt-Troops Ixnor-
antiy Sent to SlauHiser-The Tell
Tale BALLOON and Its Terrible Com
sequence-A Generals Panic and
Desire to Retreat-A Novel Way to
Treat National Guests-Thc Sylves-
ter scoveI Incident VANITY and
IncOmpetency or Worse.
During the Santiago campaign Richard
Harding Davis was at the front repre-
senting the New York Herald and send
ing facts which came Under his personal
observation. The Herald syndicated the
letters of Mr. Davis; but one Of them was
too warm for the Herald to handle. or
else it must have struck some one whom
the Herald wanted to shield. The letter
was written on board the Comanche in
July, between the 18th and 2lst of that
month, because the Comanche left San
tiago on the former date and entered
Guantanamo Bay on the latter date The
Herald sent the letter to the syndicate
in accordance with the contract. but dis
credited it in bracketed headlines. Fol
lowing is a copy of the letter just as 1t
was sent out by the Herald:
IFrom the New York Herald. This article by
Richard Harding Davis viii not be published
in the Herald. but il is here handled to you for
use on sunday, August III
On Board the Comanche,
Guantanamo. Cuba, July -.
1t is reported here from Washington
that unusual hcnors are To be bestowed
on Maj. Gen. Shafter. as the command
ing general of the Santiago expedition.
II is even said his friends are suggesting
that he be elevated to the rank Of lieuten-
ant general. This would lift him 10 the
height once held by Washington. Sheri-
dan and Sherman.
Before this is discussed it would be well
TO wait until The Fifth Army Corps re-
turns to the States and the truth con-
cerninc the advance ON Santiago, and of
the sorry parts Its commanding general
played in it, is first told by many thous-
ands of its officers and soldiers. II hon
ors are TO mean anything, If votes of
tndllhS lTOUl ,bHEitss. -
swords and advancement in files are 10
be of value. they must be bestowed for
cause and with reason.
Gen. Shnfter Unfit.
There is no good reason why any honors
should be bestowed on Gen Shafter. lie
is unfortunately. friend of the adjuiaIa
general. and with mistaken kindness that
gentleman forced him into a position for
which he was mentally and physically
unfit. He struggled to accomplish the
task set him and lie failed, although the
exnedition he commanded succeeded, but
not on account of his leadership, but In
spite of it. 1t was really Admiral Ger
vera who saved Gen. Shafter. and the
Fifth Army Corps as well, for II was
HELPLESS in Skaters hands.
Shofter was sent to Santiago not be-
cause we wanted that city, but because
Carvera's fleet lay in its irarbor and our
fleet could not get at IL. The army was
sent TO capture the batteries
on either side of the entrance OF the mar
Dor by attacking them in the rear, and so
make it possible for our fleet to enter. TO
engage with Ceryera and lombard the
city.
instead of doing this shafter pushed his
miles distant from the forts he was sent
to take. The hills around the city were
captured with great bravery ana with
great loss, and the army was left the
choice of taking the city and then being
bomba rded out of it by Cervera or oil re-
treating from the position II had won at
such a price. Cervera himself settled the
question by abandoning the city and TAX
ing his fleet out into the open sea.
Saved by Cervera.
II was Cervera's mistake that at first
concealed Shafters and it was the Span
ish admiral who relieved the critical sit
uation into which Skaters blunders had
brought the army To know how criti-
cal Shafter considered the situation one
had only to read his hysterical cablegram
to Washington of July 2. in which he
doubts his ability to hold the hills his
men had taken.
/ had many opportunities of observing
Gen. Shafter during the weeks of weary
waiting at Tampa, and at closer range
on the flagship. After we landed l did
not see him often, as my work prevented
nv going as far to the rear as his head
quarters always happened to be.
His chief characteristic seems to be his
obstinacy. He has apparently small
mind. and one that concerns itself with
trifies. If ne sent out an aide to deliver
an order he would Immediately send an
other one after him to see if he had de-
livered it, and to find out the order had
been obeyed, and he would fret and dis
tress himself until he was informed of
these points. One of his staff told me at
Tampa that he had seen more work done
in his fathers business Office in twenty
four hours than Shafter managed to dis
pose of in a week.
Army Without n Head.
1t is his nature to want to do every
thing himself. He is jealous even of his
own aides; it is not an unusual character
istic of persons who are not sure of
themselves. Shafter kept his plans SO
well to himself that no one ever knew
what they were, and as they never es-
capped him, the army was a go-as-you-
please army, without head.
What made it the more trying was the
fact that there Were three generals each
of whom were Skaters superior in every
thing but rank. They looked ahead, and
planned and reconnoitered. He remained
continually in the rear.
We were in camp along the trail beyond
Sevilla for six days, and during that
time Shafter made no effective effort to
reconnoiter the four miles of country
that lay ahead of him and over which
he knew 5000 men would have to pass.
This was, of course, the most scanda!ous
a N mn nysln ,at1 Of H. r1r