The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-18

lean occupation, now run from the city
through the territory operated over ny Gen
Skaters forces. The best of these Plgn-
ways leads by the San Juan Hill beck
house down 10 the Bloody Ford, and thence
on to lei Pozo, Las Guasimas and Sibo-
ney. Next 10 the excellence Of these new
ly opened lines OF travel, ones greatest
surprise is TO find the country fought over
so clear and open. The dry season dWaris
underground all over Cuba, and The rains
are said 10 change materially the face OF
every province. But it is hard TO believe
that a single months rainfall a year ago
could have converted the rolling country
east of Santiago into that vast thjcket OF
bush and chapaIral which it has been pic
tured by so many over-sensitized eye-wlt-
nesses of the Santiago campaign.
On a spring day the scene of the fight
ing is spread out from the top of San
Juan hill like an open map One can
see at a glance the Ell Pozo farm houses
far in the rear, near which Grimes bat
terry was planted and from which the bat
lie of July l was begun. Ell Caney lies
far to the northeast covered by thin haze,
and the valleys Of the San Juan river
and Aguadores creek are clearly and
sharply defined in the immediate fore
ground. Few battleields of the civil war
are so completely unveiled. Little Round
TOP, at Gettsburg, was far more hidden
and Inaccessible 20 Longstreets assault
than San Juan hill was TO that of the
Fifth Army Corps at Santiago. The field
of Chickamauga was al oil points infinite
ly more impenetrable than the so-called
jungle west from FL POGO.
Conventional Lines Followed.
Nor does ii take extraordinary intelll-
genoe 10 discover that the attack on Gen.
Torars positions followed conventional
military lines. San Juan HILL on which
one of the largest Spanish blockhouses
stood, was the key to the city's whole
outer plan of defenses, and the so-called
Bloody Ford approach was the only one
really available to reach this vital spot
The critical point in the attacking move
ment was in the deployment of the troops
for the assault; for such is the forma-
ton of the San Juan hill that every step
taken toward it after crossing the last
river was a step toward safety and not
toward death, From their trenches the
Spanish infantrymen could not hit men
who had got within 400 yards of the base.
of the almost vertical slope: and this fact
which most of the soldiers realized. doubt
less accounts for much of the wild con-
fusion of the rush forward from the ex-
posed river bed for the foot of the hill.
Kettle hill, an outlying spur to the north
east of San Juan, was the advance SDan-
ish post assault by the Rough Riders ana
the rest of the cavalry division 1t was
held, of course until the loss of San Juan
hill proper enabled these commands n
advance and occupy positions not about
the captured b.oekhouse, but on the north
ward extension Of San Juan ridge. which
the Spaniards had been obliged to aban-
don.
With the capture of San Juan Hill the
defense of Santiago became hopeless in a
military sense, though lack of artillery
and equipment undoubtedly prevented the
American army from developing with any
promptness its natural advantages Of no
sition. Probably the most serious tech
nical error of the campaign was the cost
ly assault of El Caney, a position which
would have fallen of itself Non the retreat
OF the Spanish forces from San Juan 10
the interior line of defenses
The suggestion has been made by Gen.
Wood and others that the United States
government enlarge its present scheme of
military parks by including eventually the
Santiago battle fields. With the question
of sovereignty stin undetermined. no So
rious effort can be made to enlist either
American or Cuban support for this ma
triotic enterprise But should The Trnited
states be forced by circumstances 10 re-
tain political and military control in IN
ba the creation of a military park here
is likely to be'one of the governments
earliest concerns, Local interest in tbe
preservation of the battiehelds of Julv
and is already excited, for the people of
Santiago are shrewd and fully appreciate
the added attractions such a project win
hold ont TO the American health AMI
pleasure seekers who are sure 70 turn 10
Cuba In increasing numbers every wear
With four or five military parks already
approaching completion in the United
States-all designed to preserve tbe orc.
battlefields Of the civil war-there seems
70 be every reason to count on the ultimate
conversion into military reservation ~
the single important field on which il was
given the American army to prove 10
temper during the war with Spain.
The story of Santiago has been told with
wealth Of contradiction aud an hysteri-