The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-28
GREAT SURPRISE TO LUDLOW.
WERE MILES REPORTS OF SHORT
COMINGs or ENGINEERS.

mHhuer-in-Chief. Hayanns GOv-
ernOr General ofYers some COrrec-
ti0ns-ChRnEes In the Orders CauS-
cd Much COnfusioD-The Engineers
ing All That Could lie Expected.
LudIOw's Statement.
Washington. Jan. 27.-There were no
witnesses before the war investigating
commission to-day, but the commission
received ana gave out an affidavit from
Gen. Ludlow. now military governor OF
Havana, which the general had forwarded
IN lieu of personally appearing In WASH
ngton.
The typewritten statement was princi-
pally in answer 20 the statement of Gen.
Miles before the commission in reference
TO the lack of preparation made by ths
engineer corps. Of which Gen. Ludlow had
been the chief officer in the field.
Gen. Ludlow, in his statement, disclaim-
ed all intention of dsrespect toward Gen.
Miles before categoncally contradcting
the lattors testimony as reported in the
papers.
Gen. Ludlow explained that press OF
work in Havana had prevented his earller
attention to the matter, and then con-
tinued:
Having only newspaper clippings which,
were sent to me BY friends | am without
authentic information as TO what Gen.
Miles realfy stated to the commission. and
my time in Havana has been 80 engrossed
that no opportunity has been offered TO
draft this statement until now.
Ludlow IL surprised.
''If these clippings indicate correctly tha
| nature OF Gen. Miles statements and OF
the responsibility which Is therein made To
| attach to me for any shortcomings that
may be supposed to have existed an con-
nectlon with the omharkation and disem-
| barkation Of the Santiago expedition.
beg leave, dlselaimlng all intention of dis
respect. TO express surprise at the state-
| ments made
~ had the honor at the time TO be at
! taehed to Gen. Miles staff as chief engi-
} neer OF the armies in the field, and such
orders as l received were given me by
| him
In the newspaper statements IL Is re-
| ported that ] had been ordered by Gen.
| Miles to supply myself with everything
necessary for the Decentralization Of the
! troops In Cuba; that / failed to comply
| With these instructions, and that practi-
| caly | had done no more than furnish a
number of small pontoou boats that would
| he entirely useless for the purpose, al
though | had been sent to various places
for the purpose OF collecting a proper
| equipment.
Another Hit at Miles.
II beg leave to make the following
| statement of the actual facts of the case,
| and Of my responsibilities and duties, for
the Information OF the commission, to
which propose to append my affidavit as
| to their correctness, has been with one
| exception, the custom with statements
made 10 che commission"
Gen. Ludlow then explained that his
! first orders were to prepare an expedition
| TO land at Mariel on the North Cuban
/ coast, to operate against Havana. Only
| from six to seven thousand men were to
| be landed In a sheltered harbor, and he
| provided the pontoon boats for use as a
| landing pier In smooth water The trans
| port Alamo was equipped for two compa-
| nies of engineers, and abundantly supplied
! with the necessary tools, picks, shovels.
etc. When the plan of campaign was sud-
| denly changed 10 the south coast, the Ala
mo had been loaded on another expedi-
| ton and was out OF reach, and the prob
| lens to be faced IN the unsheltered road
| stead at Siboney were radically different
| from those at Mariel. Concerning Gem
| Miles instructions, Gen. Ludlow then goes
on to say:
Orders Ihnf were OtVen Htm.
II was merely ordered in writing 10 pro-
| ceed 10 Tampa, accompany Gen. Skaters
| expedition and render him all the aid in my
| power.
This was the only formal order / had
from Gen Niles or from any one else"
Gen. Ludlow explained that on arriving
at Tampa he found Gen Shafter had turn
| ed over the whole matter Of transporta-
zion and Decentralization 10 Col Hum
/ ~. Ef.rf.. 4.
and Gen. Ludlow thereupOn confined HIM
self to studying the problems of defense
and roads around Santiago. He did. how
ever, buy two large deck scows at Tampa.
one Of which was lost en- route and the
other OF which did Invaluable service at
Siboney. He also tried to get steam
launches TO aid in the landing, but as il
was impossible he figured that with the as
slatancc Of the nayys boats, all the forces
could be landed in one day
There were orders and countermandipos
Of orders at Tampa, Cen Ludlow ex-
planned, and he did not know tiH lust
prior to the sailing Of the Shafter expedi-
ton" whether he was 20 20 with ii or to
Porto Rico. Al the last moment he re-
ceived q formal letter from Gen Miles
announcing that he ludlow was charged
with the full responsibility Of the Shafter
expeditions transportation and dsem-
barkation; that he was "unrestricted in his
orders and expenditures" and would be
held 70 account for the success or failure
Of the expedition in these respects.
Gen. LudIOw's Engineering.
Gen. Ludlow thereupon formally dis
claimed this full measure Of responsibility.
expressing his opinion, however, that the
preparations were adequate.
Gen. Ludlow incorporates in his state
ment a report of a rather warm contro-
versy he had with Gen. Miles al army
headquarters in Washington after his re-
turn from Montauk, in which Gen. Mics
had said that Gen. Ludlow's "hghting az
Santiago was good, but his engineering
was very bad"
Gen Ludlow said that he refuted this
statement at The time, pointing out that
he had done all the engineering work that
time and circumstances permitted, that
the Santiago expedition was not an enRi-
neering campaign, but q race between the