Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-21

would have been lost. L knew that he
lshnfterl wanted tho enemy TO he Inn
pressed with American bravery n de-
people and the administration Ind sent
us TO cuba for a special purpose. and that
q prompt attack on the Spaninrds would
of yellow feverD added to and emphasized
Me imperative necessity of prompt action
%p9 IN my Part; The victory was due entire,
american soldiers who fought the battle.
Inc statement that they were ambushed
was absolutely untrue. The statement hat
form by any other troops is also untrue.
The nearest American troops We're about
four miles on when the fight commenced.
and the victory. had been won and the
enemy mad been in preCipitate retreat fully
two hours before they reached the field"
.eneral wheeler proceeds to point out the
OF the battle. drenched with rain. hungry
and tired. He claims the victory was due
to the cavalry division entirely and quotes
the Spanish reports to show that the Span
fards believed the American force which
whipped them and drove them from the
lleld was ten times as large as it actually
tie refers to n statement by Bonsal that
LAYTON had declared that every man who
needlessly sacrificed. and he says:
1T is my duty to say that this state
ment is absolutely untrue" He tells how
unsoldierly it would have been for Law
ton to have criticised his senior officer in
the Guasimas fight had the effect of draw
ing the troops five or six miles into the
interior. was also a mistake The advance
was only three miles. and would have been
necessary In any case to find proper camp
ing ground; In this connection he again
quotes shatter in an order to him to ad.
would have been impossible to have camp
ed the entire army within three miles of the
coast at Sfboney.
Touching General Miles statement before
the war commission where that officer said
that Lawton told him that there was 4
scheme on foot to leave him Uawtonl in the
lurch. ard AVE a tight. General Wheeler
points ont that General Miles vas careful
to say. that lie only repeated what Lawton
told him.
Taking up the charge that Wheeler had
been relieved Of on the niSht OF
the 10Th and had no command during the
battle on the following day. General
Wheeler says all these statements are alb
sOlutely false.
Thereupon he shows he was assigned to
his command on June "a and tells what he
did day by day in the exercise of that COM
mand. He says on the 18th. 18th and Both
he suffered from fever resulting from eX-
posture. but nevertheless continued his du-
ties. and was not put upon the sick re-
port. He admits he was ignorant of the
conference held by .Shafter and his gem
erals on the Both. hut Shafter explained
this by saying he understood Wheeler was
sick. and his physician had advised against
letting him know Of the proposed battle
tie next day. Notwithstanding this.
arations Were. being made for operations.
and at daylight on the next day he rode
TO the fronN and exercised command. He
tells of the various orders he gave to Sum-
ner ana his reports to Shafter of what
he was doing. which supports his conteh-
ton; He tells of the weakness Of the line
sisted that the ridge could not be held, and
he learned the same statements had been
made TO- shafter. Says Wheeler: Il did
feeling. and told those who came TO me
that the enemy had fled from us at La
Guasimas and that we had driven them
from their Notifications on San Juan ridge:
that they would expect us to take Santiago
the next day: that there was no possible
danger OF their making an attack upon us
t hn7d night; a and that that T. they did we could
less severe during the day. but by night
we were all well intrenched and 1 regarded
our position as impregnable."
General Wheeler says the statement thai
ne had told General Kent of his desire to
retreat was absolutely untrue. adding: Il
was emphatic and positive and earnest
surrendered"
He attacked General Kent's denial of this
same statement. along with considerable
other evidence of the same character. He
says the publicity of the errors he seeks
TO- too correct has brought him many offers
to write him on the subject in REPUTATION.
to his own report. a humble rof letters
from such officers. He quotes General
Lawton in a letter to himself as pronounc-
ing his Wheeler's) history of the cam
paign "a very just and accurate descrip-
ton of what occurred and he quotes Gov
ernor Roosevelt as follows:
Il have read Bonsal's book and it makes
me extremely indignant. He seems to have
selected you az an especial object. of at
tack. OF the Guasimas fight he knows alb
solutely nothing"