New-York tribune., 1899-07-31
THE SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN.
sToRY OF IT RELATED BY A REGULAR
ARMY OFFICER

"REMINISCENCES OF TIE THE sANTaAST 4 aapsn. 10th 10Th
United States Cavalry. 16mo, PIP. W. 49, WIZ"
map. Harper Bros.
The first notable book on the war with Span
written by Regular Army oficer' anu o''e '
is bound to create much comment IN po'" ~" my
and Navy has recently appeared Win '"e "
title Under the Army regulations the oo0A 's
endowed with the Official stamp In al ie"st WV
ways for Captain Bigelow could not Puoil9n "''
opinions without express PERMISSION anu he 10
hold strictly accountable for any statement he
cannot verify. Under the circumstances the
recital Of what this exceptionally bright ofhcer
}ound fault with must have the greatest weight
with historians as we'll as with those who ear
restIv desire IN make the United States Army an
efficient organization
The author explains in his preface that he has
not presumed to assess or distribute any one
share OF responsibility for what was amiss
"These abuses he adds are liable TO be ob-
scured by the surprising results of the war, due
more perhaps, to the unsupported weakness OF
the enemy than TO tie strategic skill OF our com
manders. 1t seems the more desirable. therefore,
that every one who took part In this war should
give the Government and the public the beneht
OF his observations. 1t is as wise to learn from
our friends as from our enemies
Captain Bigelow at the outbreak OF the war
10 toin his regiment the search for which, in the
confusion of those days most interesting.
He finally caught It at Camp Thomas. Georgia,
10 find Troop d. to which he had been assigned
lacking in many supplies, for which he imme-
diatey made requsiton. OF this he says:
The requisitions had soon to be made over again,
because as I understood. they were lost AT DIVISION
,caT neveT nd The bulk Of what called for
was received, ! believe In the detention cs"p 1 al
aarE Dni
tecb from was continually receipting for driblets
of What il needed and was never fully supplied
Many OF the men had no rubber oVercOats
or slickers (oiled canvas coats like souwesters).
there was no prospect of any being furnished by
the Government and the QuartermasteTs sDepaTra-
ment did not have such an article for sale
There was no sign OF summer uniform.
Men and officers We're wearing the uniforms whcn
they wore through the winter IN Montana, eNSePo Tb
that they commonly left OFF their blouses. Inc
blue shirt Of the enlisted men looked ch ih bev hev
solderly enough without suspenutrs MiIoh @ 5' IN!
were generally prohibited from wearing on DUTY
partment. it seems TO me might issue suspenders
lowed TO wear them duty. l saw officers going
about off and on duty, without blouses and with;
parcoored par shirts Officers and non commssi STONED
officers as rue %eh sny excep} ece on the STRIPES on
their trousers. 1t was consequently hard and
often impossible TO distinguish an officer from
sergeant.
Camp Thomas was great disappointment to
instruction, where guard service and tactics
would be illustrated and where the troops would
be maneuvred for practice. He says:
saw nothing of the kind. Most of the drilling
that did by company or by troop. partic
pated in a few squadron and regimental drills but
saw nothing in the nature of field exercise.
Brigades, divisions and Army corps were organ
ized and placed in camps and instead of being
trained and to the front units, were trained
and sent to the front as regiments When brigade
or division was wanted Tor Cuoa, Porto Rico or
the Philippines, IT was formed by taking reg-
have been gained by this mode Of procedure, esprit
de corps was not. :: The officers were puzzled
with recruits. Expecting TO enter upon a campaign
in few days or weeks, they believed the recruits
the Army. II the campaign was not TO commence
until the fall they could not see why the recruits
course of the war. ou- volunteers experienced
greater discomforts in their camps in the United
iributed in the main ain to the disregard by the war
Department of General Miles,s recommendation
that not more than about one hundred and sixty
two thousand men should be mobilized at the be-
ae nj 'nG until M quPp or d sepvce e IN
Reverting to the subject Of uniforms. Captain
Bgelow says:
1t does INC not seem to me that an oiceT should
in, especially after war is declared It is striking
commentary on the dearth Of field exercises in our
Army that declaration of finds our officers
without uniform altogether suitable to wear in
time Of war, at any season. in any climate Yet
every few years since | came into the Army |
have had to buy new uniform in whole or in
p to conform to s1 c9Sngs han P PeySr6ed gI BY the the
last thirty-two years. we have made but two
to state the number Of changes that have been
made in our uniform. Any one interested in the
date in a large book with colored Illustrations.
published by the Quartermaster's Department
For the evolution of drill regulations do not
know OF any official document to refer him to-. 1t
M seem ha a 9TT ae f ban r ha' fs
over what Won Motke called the millinery OF
sn6 sns peny Of m have my saddle cloth
from the Ordnance Department. but preferred 70
Tave both by dealing with private hrm and did
In another place he says:
1t is the exception rather than the rule for the
clothing The e is always something lacking. On
and only one size of hats-7,s which was too large
for most Of my men The trousers gave out be-
getting a pair Of legginRs sor myself by having a
soldier. who did not want them. draw pair and
sell them 10 me.
ored cavalry troop. and pays a high tribute
TO the efficiency Of his men soldiers. on
this subject he says
II our Southern brethren would treat coored
soldiers with decent civility however much they
might discriminate against them, they would have
SLAMS It seems. cannot find IT in themselves to say
I'VE do deal with colored people; they have to
Many Of our coiored soldiers are born and bred
in the North and are quite unused to such Ian
means TO do so. they resent the insult by forever
stopp1g the mouth from which il issues The
officers OF the coOred regiments not surprised
at the way their behaved In battle. They
knew that the colored troops would DO their duty
Had they not them. in Indian campaigns
march and fight. go hungry and thirsty, and
scouts and guides. carry their lives IN their hands
weird. silent wastes Of curling grass and
chaporra through gloomy. resounding canyons
and over wild craigs and mountain tops. II they
did know what fear was?
In speaking OF the trip from Camp Thomas
10 Lakeland the writer says
Al the stations there were usually crowds OF
idle looking people mostly colored, to stare al US
Here and there they waved their hats. During the
Franco German War OF 1870 70 being in Ger
many saw the German troops going by rail to the
Rhine supplied at the stations with beer sausages
and cigars by the people. In my journey from
Georgia Florida ] did see so much as a