Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30
Major General Wood Has Lost Little
Time Getting There.
The MOST POPULAR Man IN CUBA
Earned His Promotion by Strict
Devotion to Duty
ALWAYS a HARD WORKER

Written FOR The Evening Star.
No soldier who ever served the United
States has risen to fame and has earned
its rewards more rapidly than General
Leonard Wood. the new military governor
of Cuba. Il Is the sort Of success that may
we'll be called dazzling. Although barely
past tnirty-nire years of age Wood Is
major general. occupying the most import
ant post, with one exception. in the gift of
the War Department Less than two years
ago he was a plain assistant army sur
gcun with the rank Of captain. Indeed his
rank in the regular army is still that OF
captain. When he became colonel Of the
Rough Riders in May. 1898. he was abso-
Iutelv unknown outside of his circle of
friends in the army and in Washington
His brilliant dash at Las Guasmas made
him brigadier general. and the fight of
San Juan hill. in which he commanded a
brigade brought him the governorship of
the city Of Santiago Here his remarkable
activities in the QuelinS Of riots, the feed
ing Of thousands Of starving Cubans IN
street cleaning. in fUmigating, in battling
with disease. made his fame even in Great
Britain and brought him the governorshp
of the entire province of Santiago. together
with an appointment of a major general
which he held until the army was reor-
gained. when he became a brigadier gen.
made a major general and assigned TO the
chair in which Weyler sat so long at the
palace in Havana. This career is all the
more remarkable because Wood started as
a surgeon-uutside Of the active line of
service Only a few medical officers ever
have reached high places in the line, and
not one ever before became a major gen.
eral Brigadier General A. J. Myer, once
chief of the signal service, rose from the
medical service: so did General S. W. Craw-
ford and General Thomas Lawson-and
there the list ends, SO far as generals are
concerned.
In n Hard School.
Wood received his military training in
the hardest school of the service-the IN
dian country Of the far southwest. Years
before tbe Rough Riders were thought Of
Wood was past master of the art Of rough
riding.
1t was he who, with Capt. Lawton OF
the 4th Cavalry, who as major general
was recently killed in the Philippines
brought in Geronimo. the Apache. at the
end of one of the most difficult Indian ex-
petitions that ever fell 10 the lot of the
American soldier The hardships OF this
pursuit, which reached many hundred m les
into the mountains Of Old Mexico. can
hardly be OVeTes.imated Wood, although
rot then regularly officer in the army.
being only contract surgeon. commanded
the infantry Of the expedition. as well as.
az times the Indian scouts. So notable
were MS aCtltFeIrt MS mat congress pre-
sCu:ed him with a medal for dist nguishei
service II was the training in this Indian
campaign that led to the victory in the
tuugicS of Cuba and placed Wood in a po-
si;ion 10 acquire further distinction as soon
as opportunity should offer.
Although Wood possesses rare talent in
his chosen profession of medicine having
been graduated with honors from the Har-
ward Medical School, and later serving a
official physician to President Cleveland
and TO President Mckinley, he is by nature
hghfcr. and IL has been his ambition from
MS earliest days TO ind a place in the &C
Suf'o"sly enough ne won ldFor with 'ie
e'i'i'l.''u''e seHei al VI MS uepaf ''iiei'N
10" MAJOR Nfet'ertl Mics oy knocking h''l
uo"h. II was 'his way "heh young
"'"d eh'ereu Ihe army ne was az S'rohs
as an OK ana ne possessed the endurance
OF a Sioux indian He was then as he is