The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-21

my had been i'll prccipitate retreat fully
two hours before they reached the field.
General Wheeler proceeds to point out
the difficult position of the troops at the
end 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 Spaniards believed the American
force which whipped them and drove
them from the field was ten times as
large as it actually was.
He refers to a statement by Bonsal
that Lawton had declared that every
man who had fallen in the Guasiinls
fight had been needlessly sacrificed, and
he says:
1T is my duty to say that this state
ment is absolutely untrue"
He tells how General Lawton after the
fight congratulated him (Wheelerl ana
points out how unsoldierly it would have
been for Lawton to have criticised his
senior officer i'll that fashion, He says
the statement that the Guasimas fight
had the effect of drawing the soldiers
five or six miles into the interior was
also a mistake The advance was only
three miles and would have only been
necessary in any case to find proper
camping ground. In this connection he
again quotes Shafter in an order 20 him
to advance Lawton's division. made be-
cause it would have been impossible 10
have camped the entire army within
three miles of the coast AT Siboney
Touching General Miles statemeht be-
fore the war commission where tb1t Of
ficer said that Lawton had told him that
there was ascheme on foot to leave him
tIJawton) in the lurch, and have Il fight,
General Wheeler points out that Gen
eral Miles was careful to say that he
only repeated what Iawton toid him.
Taking up the charge That Wheeler
had been relieved of command on the
night CT the thirtieth and had no com
mand during the battle ON the following
day. General Wheeler says all these
statements are absolutely false.
Therenpon he shows he was assigned
to his command on June oath and tells
what he did day by day in the exercise
OF that command He says on the 2Sth.
29th and 30th he suffered from fever.
resulting from exposure, but neycrthe-
less continued his duties and was put
upon the sick report He admits he
was ignorant of the conference held
by Shafter and his generals on the 30th.
he understood Wheeler was sick and his
physician had advised against letting
him know of the proposed battle next
day Notwithstanding this. Wheeler
says lie learned that active preparations
were being made for operations and at
daylight on the next day he rode to
the front and exercised command. He
tells of the various orders he gave TO
Sumner and the reports 10 Shafter of
what was doing. which supports his
contention He tells of the weakness
of the line ut San Juan, and says that
many officers insisted that the ridge
could not be held. and he learned the
same statements had been made TO
Shafter. Says Wheeler:
! Il did everything in my power TO
discourage this 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 forti-
fications on San Juan ridge;
| that they would expect us to attempt
to take Santiago the next day,
/ that thers was no possible danger Of
their making an attack upon us that
night and that If they did we could hold
the ridge. The fighting was more or less
severe during the day, but by night We
We're well intrenched, and | regard d
our position as impregnable."
General Wheeler says the statement
that he had told General Kent of his
idesire to retreat was absolutely untrue
adding:
Il was emphatic and positive and
ieainest against retreating from the
time we took San Juan Hill until July
10th when Santiago surrendered"
He attached General Kent's denial of
this same statement along with consid-
cradle other evidence of the same char
acter He says the publishing of the
errors he seeks to correct. has brought
TO him many offers from army officers
familiar with th5i facts. to write him on
the subject in refutation. and he adds
in the shape of an appendix to his own
report Il number OF letters from such
officers. He quotes General Lawton in
Il letter to himself as pronomcing his
! fWheeler's) history of the campaign "a
very just and accurate description Of
what occurred" and he quotes Gov
ernor Roosevelt MS follows:
Il have read BonsaPs book, and it
makes me extremely indignant. He
seems to have selected you as an espe-
cial object OF attack. OF the Guasimas
o.nt 1a. Enn,va abcn111ta alv nnthino -