The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-01
Some New Books
Santiago Campaign
and the DrearmerS.


John Bigelow, a captain in the Tenth
cavalry United States army, has written
n book of "Reminiscences of the Santiago
Campaign" The book is honest, and
gives in detail the narrative of the dis
order which prevailed before the city on
the southern coast of Cuba.
The author says in one place: "Rations
were issued very irregularly. We might
on the same day receive two days coffee,
one days bread and three days bacon.
Sometimes we received only a fraction of
a days allowance of one or more of the
components of our short ration, such as
a half days sugar. 1t got so that the
company commanders could not longer
Keep account of their rations and differed
or disagreed among themselves as to
what they mad. Rations were issued pro
rata as they came UP from the rear.
There was no scales to measure anything
with and the brigade commissary had 10
get experienced non-commissioned officers
10 judge for him The weight of sides of
bacon. sacks of flour. etc"
In speaking of the illness of General
Wheeler and Skaters conference for a
plan of battle. the author says: 1T is
"a curious fact that while General Wheeler
7yas excluded from the conference. Cen
eral Shafter was hardly in better physical
condition than General Wheeler. lie was
about as badly disabled by the heat as
General Hooker was by the blow ne re-
reived from a pillar of the Chaucellors-
VILE House on the Sd Of May. 1863. but
like Hooker, he continued despite his dis
ability. to direct or determine the opera
Mons of the army This circumstance ac-
counts in a measure for the remarkable
fact that no order. circular letter or men,
orandum. not a scrap of paper. has yet
come to light which shows. in writing.
what the plan OF battle was before the
event"
Here is an important criticism: "The
woods and thickeJs o. Cuba have been
described and spoken of as impenetraDle.
] have never seen the woods or thickets
that believed or found to be impenetrl-
Die for diSmounted skirmishers. In my
opinion most of our maneuyering or
marching on the field of san Juan might
have been done off the roads or through
the woods. The enemy. Of course. had the
roads under concentrated fire. especially
where they forke3 or crossed the streams.
Moods are usually greater ajvantase
t. the offensive than they are 10 the de-
1ensive. because they favor secret 81. con-
c5aled maneuvering. But II the woods are
50 dense that they cannot Doe penetrated
OF the Offensive has not the enterprise
and energy TO maneuver in them they are
an advantage 10 the defensive as taey
confne the enemy 10 narrow defiles such
was the case in the operations in which
] was now participating. Il the offensive
does not maueuver OF the roads ana Tie
defensive does. the latter seizes the initia-
tive and secures the double advantage Of
having the enemy in long. thin columns
and attacking Unawarss.'
Upon the whole the author. who has
also written a work on the principFs Of
strategy. takes a gloomy view of our dan
gers from a poorly organized army. He
concludes his book as follows; "Our peo-
pie are too much pleased with the result
OF our late war To be disposed 10 criri-
c.ze the methods by which il was attained
and generally 10 ill-informed upon mill
aary matters 10 De able 70 appreciate the
Weakness Of our military system, The