Evening star., 1899-10-09
OUR TROOPS IN CUBA.
Gen. Brooke Reports That Their Con
duet Has Been Generally Good.

Gen. Brooke Reports That Their Con-
duet Has Been Generally Good.
Gen. Brooke, commanding the Division of
Cuba. has made report to the War De-
partment in regard to military conditions
In Cuba, in which he says:
The conduct of cur troops in Cuba,
amongst a people not speaking our Ian
guage and with habits totally dissimilar to
those of the American soldiers, has been
generally good, sustaining the reputation of
th-ir native country. They have cheerfully
borne the restrictions necessarily imposed
upon them since the advent of the sickly
season. and with the exception of Santiago
and Puerto Principe, there have been but
sporadic cases of yellow fever. In some it
is trsceable to the irdiscretion of the SOL
dier attacked, and in others, where the
men We're exemplary in their habits, Its
source has been mystery. Thus lar with
the exception of the cases at the two points
mentioned, We can say there has been,
practically, no yellow fever amongst the
troops.
Every effort has been made to provide
suitable shelter in safe places for the
troops, and wherever Spanish barracks
lave been used, they have been thoroughly
renovated and disinfected. In many places
where the Spanish barracks have not been
sufficiently large 10 adequately accommo-
date the troops stationed at such points,
new shelters have been erected. The un-
fortunate delay in the arrival of material
has prevented the entire completion of the
shelter planned at Pnar del Rio. Guiana
jay. Camp Columbia and the cartonment
east of Cabanas fortress; but this is pro-
crossing rapidly the material is re-
ceived. Fortunately, the weather has been
in our favor. and no sickness has resulted,
as yet, from the delay.
Il desire to call particular attention to
the enormous amount of work done by the
staff officers in Cuba, which has been sue
cessfully performed, in all cases, so far as
I am informed In fact, the military part
of our duty in Cuba is comparatively but
little trouble, IL being performed by pro-
fessional officers, we'll versed in their
duties. and there has been very little in
fraction of discipline. 1t is the civil part
of our duties, such as sanitation, which
covers a wide field and the supervision and
management of civil affairs, which covers
still wider field that has been difficult
and caused great labor This, however,
will be ated in a special report on civil
affairs Attention is invited to the reports
OF the commanding geneI ais of departments
and to the officers of my staff, in which
will be found the details of the service un-
der their respective commands and super
vision, and especially to the remarks of the
adjutant general of the division IN regard
to clothing and equipment of the army in
Cuba, in which l concur.
1T seems scarcely necessary. after the
, experiences of the past eighteen months, to
urge the necessity of a reorganization of
our army The matter of army organiza-
ticn has been urged for many years with
out effect. What could have been accom-
plished with a well-organized army of 1G0-
COO men was eXemplied by the battles
around Santiago in June and July. 1898.
81 desire to express my appreciation of
the able assistance rendered me by the sew
eral department commanders, and particu-
ton of the military portion of our duties in
the division of Cuba