Evening star., 1899-03-18
DENIAL
Files a Statement at the War De-
partment.
CONDUCT In SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN
Gen. Miles Not Fathering Charges
Against Him.
WHAT ROOSEVELT SAYS

| the charges that have been circulated
! against him in connection with the Santa
| go campaign. This statement represents
| that the battle of La Guasimas, which II
| has been said he entered into against or
| ders, was fought in strict compliance with
| orders, and that he never advised or ap-
| proved of retreat from the advanced po-
| sition which was occupied on the I'd OF
| July.
| Incorporate ted in General Wheelers state
| ment is letter from Governor Roosevelt
| in which surprise is expressed that any OF
| the statements detrimental to General
! Whee!er's record in the Santiago campaign
should have been instigated, and in which
! Roosevelt says that General Wheeler was
| the backbone of the campaign.
| A number of other letters and teiegfams
| are included in the statement, all sustain
ing General Wheeler's record.
| The Question of Retreat.
Friends of Gen. Wheeler say that the
| plain fact of the matter is that it due
| to the determined resistance of Gen. Wheel
| er that the army did not retreat from the
| advanced position occupied on the I'd of
July. the retreat having actually been or
dered by Gen. Shafter, who was further in
| by other officers.
| appear that Gen. Miles was responsible for
| the reports adverse to Gen. Wheeler has
| failed This attempt was based on the fact
! that Gen. Miles, in testifying before the
commission on the conduct of the war,
| quoted. in response to an inquiry by the
| court. what had been said to him by two
officers to the effect that the battle had
| been fought without orders.
Gen, Miles was asked what these officers
reported to him. and he quoted their re-
| ports in response, but expressed no such
| opinion himself.
Miles Friendly to Wheeler.
/ Gen. Wheel>rs friends say that far from
| Gen. Miles fathering any false accusations
| against Gen. Wheeler, the general COM
! mandng the army is one of Gen. Wheelsr's
| best friends and supporters and that it was
| at his suggestion that Gen. Wheeler filed
| the statement in refutatien of the svil re-
| ports. 1t is further said that the chief
| enemy of Gen. Wheeler is extremely un-
| friendly to Gen. Miles.
Gen. Wheeler's statement has not yet
been made public by the department.
| Origin of the Charges.
| The talk about Gen. Wheeler's conduct in
| the Santiago campaign has been going on
| for several months among officers of thu
| War Department, but it has taken & semi
| official tone since the recent publication of
! a book by Stephen Bonsal, who openly
charges that Gen. Wheeler fought against
| orders in one place, and wanted to retreat
| in another. Mr.. Bonsal is said to have
| given Gen. Kent as his authority for these
| cl argos. But Gen. Wheeler has received
| letter from Gen. Kent denying that he ever
made such an assertion Friends of Gen
Wheeler declare that Mr.. BonSafS charge s
| were based entirely on statements made by
Gen. Lawton who was responsible. il is
| said, for what was uttered by Gen. Miles.
| 1t is broadly limited that Mr. Bonsal
,lN,,. se
he evidently absorbed the atmosphere of
| his surroundings and proceeded to write
charges which are now disputed by Shafter
Kent, Roosevelt and many others.
General Wheeler refuses to talk on the
! subject, and General Corbin says it is un-
| true that he has any unkind feeling to Gen
erai Wheeler. On the other hand, he says
| he has a most affectionate regard for Cen
eral Wheeler and holds him in high esteem.
Alleged Disobedience.
In Chapter Mr.. Bonsal gives an account
of the skirmish at Las Guasimas, and
comes boldly out with the statement that
| that fight was direct disobedience of or
| ders, that General Joseph Wheeler was re-
| sponsible for it, and that it was made in
| violation of the plan fixed upon by General
Shafter and apparently for the sole pur-
| pose of securing for his own command the
| honor of the first fight
The author draws attention to the fact
| that as a result of this fight Brigadier Cen
| tTdl 1OuUS was MADE a major general
Colonel Wood was made brigadier general
and Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt was
| made colonel of the Rough Riders. while
the commanding officers of the 1st and 10th
CaNalry-~hlcn latter organization is de-
clared to have saved the Rough Riders on
this occaSion-Were ignored
In TINS book Is set forth the contention
that Gen. Wheeler committed grave mill
tary error in making the attack Mr. Rom
sal asserts that the enemy had beer dis
LOGGED from Siboney by Lawton's men
tWeh'y-iouf hours earlier, and had taken
up a position but few miles from SAN
tiago: that Gen. Wheeler was entirely ir-
norant of their position, and for all he
Knew to the contrary. he might well have
tnouSht that the few troops under his com
mand had bumped into the whole SPANISH
army but that, luckily. Gen Lawton had
already sent Gen. Chaffee's brigade to the
scene OF action when he learned that tba
cavalry mad been moved forward in The
morning; and later on when he received a
call for reinforcements. had sent forws ra
another brigade, under Col. Miles, via an
other trail The following is the note ask
ing for reinforcements:
| June a4-S:S1.
General Lawton:
Gen. Wheeler directs me to say that he is
engaged with bigger force OF the enemy
trah ne anticipated, and asks that arv
forces You may have be sent forward on
Sevilla road as soon as possible
w. ID. BEACH, Captain, Sd Cavalry
The Proposition to Retreat
NIL poisdl next charge is the alleged
proposition of Gen. Wheeler to retreat from
before Santiago. Mr.. Bonsal asserts that
Gen. Wheeler had been strongly in favor
of retreat all day long, that at the meeting
the man whose voice and influence did
more than any others to prevent sucb a
movement was Gen. Lawton, who with
Gen. Bates and Gen. Shafter was unaIter-
ably opposed to giving up one inch of what
we already held. and that it was generally
known at Santiago that so sure was Gen
Wheeler there would be a retreat that
when the meeting came to an end he was
Obliged to return to the old Headquarters
| near Gen. Shafter's as, prior to going to
the meeting, he had ordered his beadouar-
ters to the rear Quoting an officer present
at the meeting. who gave him a brief out
line of what took place there, the author
says:
Gen. Kent told us that on that afternoon
Gen. wheeler came to see him., and was
! most emphatic and outspoken in his desire
to retreat. We were convinced that he
came to the meeting in this spirit, but as
he had the last vote he was abe to modify
his views in accordance with those held by
Bates. Shafter and Lawton few mo-