Evening star., 1899-01-03
PRAISE FOR OUR SOLDIERS
Major Won Sonnenberg Was at Manila During
the War.
Declares There Was Disagreement
bat No Ill Feeling Between
Dewey and Diedrichs

CHICAGO, January 3.-MajOr A. Won Son
nenberg German military attache at the
capital of japan, has arrived here The
major is the man who carried the message
between Admiral Won Diedrichs and Ad-
miral Dewey by which permission was
given for the transportation of Captain
General August from Manila to Hong
Kong on German war vessel.
Il am student of military affairs per-
haps | may be called theoretical warrior"
Major Won Sonnenberg said to a reporter.
lEasmuch as he has the iron cross for
bravery at Sedan and was in twenty-seven
battles OF the Franco -Prussian war, he is
a practical fighter as well
After the Graeco-Turkish war l went
to the orient ne continued. Il was with
Prince Henry and at the outbreak of the
Spanlsh-American war l accompanied Ad-
mlral DiedrichS to Manila.
did not witness the destruction of
MondJo 5 fleet by your Admiral Dewey, but
! saw very much of the subsequent events.
Because of what l saw, l want to correct
at least one false imureSsiOn that there
was any ill-feeling between the command
ers of the American and German fleets.
There was disagreement, ! admit, over
the right of the Americans to control Ger
man ships but that was soon settled Then
as to the AuguSti incident. there was moth
ing secret about that transaction. l my
admirals in the discussion over the dis
position of August. Admiral Won Died.
TiCES asked whether or not Admiral Dewey
would object TO Captain General August
taking passage on one of the German dis
patch boats running to Hong Kong Ad-
miral Dewey said he would not if the for
mer captain general would make some kind
Of pledge that he would no longer bear
arms against the United States. This was
given ard the incident closed, as the dip
lomatS would say.
''As to the Americans, both ashore and
aboard ship, l may say that l have never
met finer body of men. ! admire your
volunteers. To my mind they furnish mag
nficent material for soldiers, but l am
afraid that they have a hard task before
them in the Philippines l should not want
the task of controlling those islands unless
l had fully 10000 men behind me. Those
natives are going to be hard problem
Since the finishing of the Philippine
question l have been connected with the
imperial army of Japan as a student of its
methods of military discipline. To speak
very conservatively, l believe that, next
to the German army, there is not a finer
body of fighting men in the world than
japanese troops. The discipline is perfect
and any nation that picks a quarrel with
Japan is not going to have an easy time
of il. I consider them one of the most
important factors in the future oriental
complications"
But when Major Won Sonnenberg was
questioned in regard to these same oriental
problems he was silent. He said that he
was still connected with the Japanese gov
ernment and with the German government
as well. and could say nothing Turning
to personal matters he said that he was
on his way 10 Washington with letters to
Secretary Alger and General Miles. lie
would spend few days about the depart
ment in Washington and then would go on
to Berlin to report to his own government.