The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-02
RECENT BOOKS ON THE WAR
MiIsN Davis and sgsbse on Different
Phases of the Conflict,

MiIey, Davis and sigsbee on Different
Phases Of the Conflict.
"In Cuba with Shafter." BY Lieut.
Col. John D. Miley. Charles Scribner's
Sons, publishers, New York.
Lieut.. j. D. Miley, aide-de- camp to
Gen. Shafter, has done one of the
worst things that military officer in
active service can do. He has pub
lished a book entitled I'm Cuba with
Shafter." 1t ought to be interesting,
however. He was probably closer to
Shafter than any other officer in the
fifth corps. He had thorough knowl-
edge of all orders received, and how
they were executed, of plans and how
they were carried out, of obstacles and
how they were overcome. And he tells
it all in much the same manner as he
might have formulated his military re-
ports. Almost unconsciously the first
three words of his first chapter are
pursuant to orders''-and then he tells
much that was practically unknown Of
war department operations for some
time previous, and, indeed, for a long
time after the war. When Shafter was
ordered away from San Francisco, he
says and he ought to know, for he was
ordered away with him, nothing more
was contemplated than a reconnois-
sance along the Cuban coast to gather
information for subsequent movements
and to furnish supplies to the Cuban
insurgents. Later the assembling of
the Fifth corps at Tampa, out of tried
regulars In the main, the first to enter
Cuba, demonstrated for once at least
the wisdom Of Skaters early sugges-
ton to the war department-that the
volunteers be turned over to the Sew
enth corps under Lee.
In touching upon operation at Tampa,
Col. bIiley answers the question, COM
mon enough at the time, as to why the
government did not seize railroads in
that vicinity or parallel them, by say
ing that had they been seized with
green employees it was feared the
ouartermaster's department would
simply have increased its difficulties.
But he must forget, for certainly he
must have been aware of the fact that
a considerable percentage Of the re-
cruits in the Fifth corps were practical
railroad men who afterwards remedied
all difficulties in Cuba, not only in lay
ing and repairing tracks, but in recon-
structing and running rolling stock.
They were men who had a far superior
training to the ordinary employee Of
the Plant system and could easily have
relieved the congested condition of af-
fairs on any road in southern Florida
at the time of the mobilization and the
inability 10 forward supplies.
Referring to military operations az
ter leaving Daquirl, he unites with Gen.
Lawton in praise Of the Cuban allies
for their fighting at Juraguacito and
refers to private correspondence on that
point between Gen. Lawton and the ad-
jutant-general of the corps. High COM
pliment Is paid to the L, S. engineers
and the Michigan and New York vol
uuteers for the construction of road
way on the march to the front. He cri-
ticises immediate commanding officers
Of regiments without specification, for
not carrying out the orders given them
on leaving Siboney--to ration for three
days. One Of the regiments drew but
one days rations and the other two lit
tie or none at brought about a des
perate condition of affairs" writes Col.
Miley, that could easily have been
averted."
Then here is an interesting observa
ton: After the fight at Las Quasi
mas, it was found that most of the
regimental surgeons had left their
medicine chests and supplies on board
the Transports These were not I'M
loaded until the 2eth.
Col. Miley by the way, would have
satisfied a very great curiosity if he
had told of the result of Gen. Wheeler's
scheme of sending spies into the Span
ish lines about this time. But he says
nothing, and 1t is to be assumed that
they were never heard from.
In referring to the battles Of San
Juan and Ell Caney, a very interesting
dispatch from Shafter to Lawton is
brought to light. Here is a portion Of
it: Il wouldn't bother with the little
block houses. They can't hurt US"
Subsequent developments showed that
these little block houses" created more
trouble on the right of the line, at
least, on the first of July, than almost
a whole regiment could overcome. The
occupants yielded in but one case only
to death Itself.
The story of the battle is only
repetition of what has already been
told in the military dispatches of that
time. He devotes some space 10 pay
high tribute to the officers and men Of
the Massachusetts volunteer regi-
ments.
The correspondence between Shafter
and Toral and between those officers
and their respective governments is
published in full, and it is intensely in
teresting, particularly the letter Of
General Linares to his home govern
ment on July 70. Then follows what
is practically the official military re-
port of the capitulation and re-em-
barkation, all interesting not so much
for what ii tells of the vicuors side Bs
for the value that lies in the cores
pondence with the Spanish people. in
that is revealed a comparatively true
insight into the Spanish character that
is ordinarily so difficult to read or I'M
derstand
And, by the way, there is little need
now for Shafter to write a book.
The Maine" Personal narrative Of
Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee. The Centu-
ry, Union square, New York
To my shipmates of the Maine, the
dead and the living, / dedicate this,
my personal narrative of the great dis
aster." This is the preface of the gal
liant gentleman who has placed the
world under debt Of gratitude to him
for preserving a chronicle of the events
Of that fateful night of Feb. 15, 1898. II
was the explosion of the Maine that
the war with Spain, and
no one could more fittingly tell of it
than Capt. Sigsbee.
He relates his story without animus
or eXaggeratiOn, but with a simplicity
and straightforwardness that empha-
size the impressive facts. Though not
the story falls naturally
naturally into three divisions. The
first describes the ship and her trip
to Havana, the exchange of official
cOurtesies and the three weeks stay in
Havana harbor. The second contains
a vivid description of the explosion at
night, and the escape Of Capt. Sigsbee
and the other survivors from the wreck.
The third presents an account of the re-
noval of the wounded, the burial of the
dead, the wrecking operations, and the
qf7faig1 N1p11frxr into tho rIf-,gra. r1---74