The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-21
BRAVE MEN DEFENDED
GEN. WHEELER REPLIES TO AD-
VERSE CRITICISM OF FIGHT
ING BEFORE SANTIAGO
SPANIARDS TAUGHT A LESSON
Less Than One Thousand Brave
Americans Made the DOns Think
They Were Attacked by an Army
-CavaIry Did the Work mt Las
Guasimas, and Had Enemy In Re-
treat Before Being Reinforced,

/ --CavaIry Did the Work mt Las
Guasimas, and Had Enemy In Re-
treat Before BEING Reinforced.
WASHINGTON, March 2O-Adit. Gen.
Corbin today made public a statement
which Mr.. Wheeler has felt called upon
to make. in order, as he says, to refute
certain allegations which reflect upon the
cavalry division. which he had the honor
to command.
| The statement is exceedingly volum-
nous making really another history of the
campaign before Santiago, and it is ac-
| companied by an appendix made UP of
letters from officers who were connected
with Gen. Wheeler in his operations to
support the allegations he makes
Gen. Wheeler begins with the declara-
uon that some statements were made
before the war investigation commission
| regarding the battle OF Las Guasimas
which do great injustice to the part Of
the army which fought that battle Ste
ven Bonsal states that Gen Wheeler was
guilty of disobedience of orders Gen
Wheeler says that to remain silent and
| neglect to refute the untruthful charges
| made by Bonsal would be disloyal to
the soldiers and to the country He
notes that it is with the approval of Mai
zen. Miles, the commanding general,
| that he makes the explanation now sub-
mitted
! Inc history of the movements begins
with quotation of a statement made
! by Gen. Lawton before the war commits
sion, to the effect that he had been di-
rected by the general commanding to
proceed to and capture Siboney. Gen.
| Wheeler tells how the troops landed.
now he had pointed to Gen Shafter the
| necessity OF pursuing and beating the
Spaniards before they could retreat be-
hlnd their strong breastworks at Santia-
| go, and how Gen. Shafter and many
ofhcers fully concurred in the necessity
| for speedy movement He renorts
Shafter's order to proceed to Juraeua
| and throw forward pickets to Juragua-
cito otherwise Siboney)'
GEN. SHAFTER'S ANXIETY.
he quotes various orders to show Gen.
Skaters anxiety to get Gen Wheeler
rapidly forward, in order to reach Gen.
Lawton, whom he found on the road inst
before reaching Siboney. Gen. Wheeler
tells OF the reconnaissance he made per-
sonally, and of consultation that night
| with Gen. Young and Col Wood He
says the Cubans predicted that the Span
lards would leave Siboney and Santiago
| that nlght. When the advance began
| IL
lar troops and artillery were ordered upon
the main Siboney and Santiago road
"hlle the rough riders and some of the
other cavalry organizations were, "on
the recommendation of Gen. Castillo
sent by the less frequented and most diff
| ficult road"
| The Spaniards were found in the same
posltion the next morning, about three
| miles from Siboney, and Gen. wheeler
| gives a description of the action that
Ioiiowed He says that the dynamite
| gun upon which great reliance was
paced, failed to reach him, and it was.
Ior tlrne very doubtful whether the
men IN front of him were Spaniards or
| Cupans. In an hour the fight was won.
| but, the enemy's retreat being precipi
| tate and his men being exhausted and all
oeing on foot, pursuit was impossible.
AT this point Gen Wheeler includes
coiSratulatory reports from Gen. Shafter
upon ,the engagement. He points out
that Gen. Shafter was the only officer in
Cuban waters senior to him; that he.
wheeler, was the senior officer on shore.
! anu OF course much was left to his dis
cretlon He quotes Gen. Skaters tes-
| t1mony before the commission to the ef
iect that the fight had good results-that
| 1T taught the Spaniards that thew had
| oiherent men from the Cubans to fight.
| Gen Wheeler submitted that this shows
beyond controversy that what he did was
| Strlctly In accordance with Gen Shaft
er's orders; that the Las Guasimas fight
was made In strict obedience to the spirit
OF and proper Interpretation of the orders
received from Gen. Shafter
In addition Gen. Wheeler insists that
leaving this evidence aside the facts
stated by Gen. Lawton in his report TO
Gen. Shafter of June % and that Gen
LaWton's sworn evidence before the war
commission would sho~ that he fought
the Las Guaslmas battle in strict com
| pnance with the express wishes of Cen
| Shafter, his commanding general Can
Wheeler quotes Gen. Lawton's statement
that ne had been ordered by Gen Shafter
to proceed against Siboney, and declares
that practically his orders were the same
as Cen Lawton's. He insists that the
| Span1ardS were in a position where If
was advantageous for the Americans to
| attack them, rather than to allow then,
to hight in their block houses and other
defenses, which they occupied at the
time Gen. Lawton received his orders.
Says Gen. Wheeler:
AMERICAN BRAVERY.
The least delay and this opportunity
would have been lost 1 knew that he
(Shafter) wanted the enemy to be i'm
| pressed with American bravery and do
ternllnatlon L knew that the American
! people and the administration had sent us
10 Cuoa for a special purpose, and that
prompt attack on the Spaniards would
ald IN attaining that purpose This
tdread of yellow fever) added to and
emphasized the imperative necessity of
prompt action upon my part. The victory
was due entirely to the chivaric courage
OF the 1854 brave American soldiers who
lousht the battle. The statement that
they were amhushed was absolutely un-
true The statement that they were aid
ed in any way, shape or form by any
other troops Is also untrue. The nearest
American troops were about four miles
off when the fight commenced, and the
/ victory had been won and the enemy had
been In precipitate retreat fully two
hours before they reached the field
Gen. Wheeler proceeds to point out the
difficult position Of the troops at the end
of the battle, drenched with rain, hun
cry and tired. He claims the victory was
due to the cavalry division entirely and
quotes the Spanish reports to show that
the Spaniards believed the American
force which whipped them and drove
them from the field was ten times as
large as it actually was.