The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-22
Otis Severely Criticised.

after having spent several months
with our troops in the Philippines | am
firmly convinced that unless Gen. OTIS
Is removed aud "a competent general put
In command the whole campaign viii
be a failure have been in the Cuban
campaign 0s we'll - in the Philippines,
and | can say honestly without the
slightest prejudice that Gen. Otis Is
much more responsible for the disAs-
trous, humiliating condition Of affairs
in the East than Gen Shafter was for
the cilamitles in Cuba, for the War
! Department furnished Gen Ous with
perfectly equipped well.fed army,
and he had months OF dry weather IN
which 10 fight against an impeIeolly
organized enemy
"ro be perfectly plain, Gen Otis is
fussy old man, unaccust1med ~ any
thing but regimental Command, and
saturated with the ideas and methods
If a routine clerk lie i- a man who
has grown old serving In regiment.
aud his experience and abilities do not
20 outside of rcgmentA lines Now
that he finds himself in command of
Arge army, entrusted with the govern
ment If Is great archipelago, II Is 40
wonder that things are as they are
1t was because of this knowledge
that Admiral Dewey. without consult
ing Gen OTIS, privately cablcd to Pres
ident Mckinley asking him to send to
Manila small commission of men
skilled in statesmauship and diplomacy
IL was apparent % him, as ID 9th, Rs
that Gen Otis was not competent to
deal with the far.reaching. intricate
problems involved in war with the
natives.
Again and again Admiral Dewey
expressed at the beginning Of the pres
eut hostilities his dissatisfaction over
the failure to make any advance against
the enemy When finally, in despair
If any action by Otis Dewey began TO
take possession Of other islands. OILS
wrote to the Admiral bitter letter
complaining that the navy Vas forcing
the campaign too fast
II was there then and | remember
how generals aud other officers on the
firing line bitterly denounced Gen Ous
| in private for immersing himself IN
petty details Of municipal affairs, army
contracts and custom house cases while
our firing line was stretched twenty
two measured miles around Manila, ly-
ing idly before an enemy growing
stronger and more expert in infantry
fire every day, while week after week
Of dry weather slipped away and the
rainy season approached
when | reached Manila a few days
after the bloody outbreak the whole
army was lying in trenches, beng fired
at night and day, while Gen Otis wa,
absorbed in routine details that an army
clerk could have done as well He re-
fused to allow the army to make any
advance So insistent was Gen. An
derson that the only way to destroy the
enemy was to fight them, that Gen.
Otis treated him with open hostility
aud finally had this splendid soldier re.
turn to the United States
Gen. OTIS principal thought seemed
- be - prevent real facts from being
telegraphed to the United States. and
his abuse Of censorship has been almost
Incredible. While the army in the field
was anxiously awaiting orders during
the advance on Malolos. he spent "A
whole hour reading my despatch, sirik-
ing out names of officers mentioned for
gallAntry. changing descriptive pas
slges, erasing all mention Of the part
played by navy and even occupying five
minutes in selecting a single word
This Is the same experience which |
other sp)ndents have had during |
the war. Gen. Otis has wasted hours
Of valuable time during the most criti-
cal days in revising press dispatches, |
c1loriug them - suit his own views.
"On the night Of the charge at Tall
han River | went 10 Gen Otis palace, |
having ridden in from the battlefield. |
The General insisted on changing the
despatch | submitted to him, and act
uAlly struck o1t the name Of COL Fun
ston. Whose regiment swan the river
under fire that day, saying. / propose |
to make all the heroes that are made in
this war
Col Thompson, the pess censor, re-
fused 70 allow rue to mention regiments
distinguishing themselves in battle.
saying he was ordered to do so by Gen
Otis During Gen Wheaton's advance
to PAsig and beyond with the Flying
Brigade Otis ordered all press des'
patches stopped unless they described
the enemy fighting furiou,ly and said
enormous losses were inflicted by our
troops AS matter of fact on this
occasion the insurgents were contempt
IDLE in numbers and ran away except
in cases Of one or two small bands, and
their losses were very slight.
when it was announced that Law
ton was on his way to the Philippines
- command all the troops in the field as
corps commander, every member Of the
little clique surrounding Otis was busy
belittling Lawton When Lawton ar
rived. Otis refused to assign him to
any command for five days, although
there was heavy fighting Bawton beg
ged permission to take part in it, offer
ing even to carry musket, if neces-
sary.
Il asked OTIS what Lawton's status
was and why he was not assigned.