Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-21
CONGRATULATIONS FROM LAYTON.


1T IS my duty TO say that this statement
IS absolutely untrue"
CONGRATULATIONS FROM LAYTON.
lie tells how General Iawton, after the
fight. congratulated him wheeler, ana
points out how unsoldierly 1t would have
been for I,awton TO have criticised MS
senior officer in that fashion. He says the
statement that the Guasimas hght had
the effect Of drawing the troops hNe OF
six miles into the interior is also a mis-
take. The advance was only three miles,
and would have been necessary in any
case. 10 find proper camping ground. lie
again quotes Shafter in an order to nm
To advance IaWton's division, made be-
cause IL would have been impossible 10
have camped the entire army within three
miles of the coast at Sboney.
Touching General Miles's statement be-
| fore the War Commission, in which that
officer said that General Lawton toid
him that there was a scheme on foot 10
leave him OAwton) In the lurch ana
| have a fight, General Wheeler points out
| that General Miles was careful to point
J out that he only repeated what General
! Lawton told him.
WHEELER'S ATTACK OF FEVER
He shows that he was assigned 10 his
! command June 2lth. and tells what he
did day by day. lie says that on the
2gh. 18th. and 3Oth he suffered from
fever resulting from exposure, but was
not put on. the sick list. He admits ne
was ignorant Of the conference held py
! Shafter and his generals on the 3Oth, put
Shafter explained this by saying he un-
| derstoOd Wheeler was Sick and MS ihy-
sician had advised against letting him
know of the proposed battle next day
| Notwithstanding this, Wheeler says he
| learned that active preparations were De-
ing made for operations and at daylight
on the next day he rode 10 the front aAu
exercised command.
he tells of the various orders he gave
10 Sumner and his reports to Shaiter OF
what he was doing, which support MS
contention.
DIR WEAKNESS AT SAN JUAN.
He tells Of the weakness OF the line
at San Juan. and says that many officer.
insisted That the ridge could not be held
and he learned the same report had beer
made TO Shafter.
Il did everything in my power to dis
courage this feeling. and told those who
came to me that the enemy had ned IRON
us at La Guasimas; that they would
cxpect us to take San Juan the next day
that there was no possible danger Of thei
making an attack upon us that night, AM
that II they did. we could hold the ridge
The fighting was more or less severe du
ring the day, but by night we were vel
entrenched."
ALWAYS AGAINST RETREATING.
General Wheeler says the statemen
that he had told General Kent OF his de
sire TO retreat is absolutely untrue, add
, ing: Il was emphatic and positive ant
. earnest against retreating from the TIM
; we took san Juan until Santiago surren
dored"
, He attaches General Kents denial o
this same statement, along with consld
cradle other evidence Of the same charac
ter. He says that the publicity OF IN
errors he seeks TO correct has brought u
him many offers from officers famila
with the facts 10 write him on the SUP
iact in refutation and. he adds, in IN
shape Of an appendix to MS own report
, a number Of letters from such oiilcers
lie quotes General Lawton in a letter U
him. pronouncing his (Wheeler') histor
of The campaign, "a very just and accu
rate description of what occurred, AM
ne 0notes Governor Roosevelt as follows
~ have read Bonsars book, and it make
me extremely indignant. He seems L
. have selected you as an especial objec
of attack. or the Guasimas fight h
knows absolutely nothing