The times., 1899-03-12

then says: About o'clock my advance
was fired on from hills on the right. and at
the same time il was reported that a col
umn of Spanish troops were crossing the
trail in front OF the advance" He then
says that the Cubans followed the Span
iards and encountered them at La Quasi
mas. Now. while this was going on Cen
eral Wheeler and most of his command
were still on the ships. but the moment he
received orders from General Shafter TO
proceed to move forward to Siboney he
was activity personified. In two hours
Wheeler had reached the shore, procured
horses and harness for his artillery, had
personally rode fourteen miles and was
reConnOitred the Spanish position. 1t was
{ o'clock before the artillery was hitched
up so as to enable General Young to leave
Baiquri and at o'clock that night he
was at Siboney. Il will be seen that Cen
eral Lawton had more than twenty four
hours start of Wheeler, and his orders.
like Wheeler's. were to proceed TO Sibo-
ney.
Lnwton's Lost Chance.
General Lawtons letters to General
Shafter written on the morning of
the 23d Tsee Colonel Miley's book,
page 72l shows that he understood
that his orders contemplated fol-
lowing and fighting the Spanards. In
speaking of their retreat from Sboney he
says: The retreat is rapid. Impossible
TO follow with infantry. A squadron of
cavalry would have enabled me to capture
the command" He also says that General
Linares was at SlbOney the day before If
Ldwton's orders authorized or directed him
to follow the Spaniards, then certainly
Wheeler's orders authorized him to follow
them. and you cannot follow an enemy
and come in contact with him without
lighting. and therefore this thoroughly dis
poses Of the charge that Wheeler acted
without orders. and every intelligent mil
itary man in the world will concur that he
acted with good military judgment
After testifying that General Lawton re-
ported to him about General Wheeler s
movement TO the front General Miles says:
General Lawton reported that he had re-
ceived information from General Chaifce
that there was a scheme on hand to leave
him in the lurch and have a fight"
1t Will be seen that General Miles testi-
| mOny is only a statement of what General
Lawton told him, and that he does not IN
any way vouch for the correctness of the
statements.
BonsaFs Misstutement.
Mr.. Bonsal, who was with General Law
| ton during much OF the campaign speaks
Of General Wheeler as having robbed Law
ton of the honors of the first encounter.
| General Lawtun had every opportunity
| to have this first encounter. He
had magnificent division OF three
| brigades-eight regiments of regulars and
| one volunteer regiment. He might have
attacked Linares in flank while passing
| from SibOney toward La Guasimas, but
| he did not do it; and it is certainly re-
| markable that he crticises Wheeler for
| doing So Wheeler overcame all difficult
| ties, and marched his men to Sboney the
same evening on which he got his orders
Had Lawton moved with the same celebrity
| he would have been at Siboney the night
| OF the 22d. 1t was only a ten-mile march
and it could have been easily accomplished
| This would have placed his 5000 between
! General Linares forces and Santiago, have
| cumpassed their defeat. and have made
| them prisoners. Certainly. at latest. he
could have been on the Siboney and Ser
villa road on the morning of the 23d and
attacked the Spaniards, who, he testifies
were at o'clock passing along the road
in his front.
Mr.. Bonsal tells us that General Lawtor
| was displeased, and that he was severe in
| his criticisms of General Wheeler. If il
is true that General Lawton, in a moment
OF irritation, did General Wheeler inius-
tice, Mr. Bonsal is unkind TO General Law
ton in publishing that officers unjust eff
! forts to disparage General Wheeler by
| expressions evidently made in Il moment
of irritation and disappointment
| MIR Bonsal alludes to the affair as q
'surreptitious advance" and says that the
whole responsibility of the fight rests
upon Major General Wheeler. OF course
| the whole responsibility rests upon
General Wheeler. No one denies that. but