The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-24
BILE state In which our army would have been

BILE state In which our army would have been
the war might have gone on until now.
Now, let US look at this original plan OF
Gen. MILES in detail. He said in it that
' the harlor Of Nuevitas has 2si, feet of
water" Actually II was inaccessible to our
ships and larger transports, the depth of
water being only IL feet, and the dis
lance to sufficient water being four miles.
From there he said, the command
could move to Puerto Principe" Yes, 1t
could have moved, II any of II had been
left: but how far was he going to take
It? After the troops and supplies had been
lightered ashore they would have had to
he transported sixty miles over the rail-
road to Puerto Principe, and then only
would the advance and the trouble have
begun.
"Using that Puerto Principe) as a base,
he said. at could move through the rolling
country to Moron and Taguayabon, and
thence to villa Clara" Now, by the scale
Of the War Department maps 1t is 10 miles
to Moron, and 10 thence to Taguayabon,
over mud roads, and 20 miles more to
Santa Clara willie Clara. The toundering
OF the $1,000 cavalry. ten batteries of ar
tlllpIN, anu even tIt SlilulI bo'lN VI liu
try" he proposed to take over 10 miles OF
Cuban mud roads. during the rainy season,
was not 80 attractive IA prospect TO the
President az il was to the General COM
manding the army. The small body Of
infantry" however, was TO be large enough,
with the cavalry. according to his plan. to
capture and hold 10000 prisoners. ITO
move mountc troops over from Florida to
Cuba and make this march would undoubt-
edly consume" he said, the time up to
nearly the both OF September" Yes, MI
dOubtedly. He suggested also "a more
southcrly route. from Puerto Principe to
Ciego lie Avilas. thence to Sancti Spiritus
and thence to Villa Clara" 1t would have
been about the same az by the other road.
His recommendation to build roads. in the
rainy season, at the rate Of five miles per
day, even il the assistance %! many thou
sand Spanish prisoners had boen obtained,
was also a novel feature. After cavalry and
artillery, with loaded supply trains. had
passed over these roads once, the subsc-
quent trips Of the trains would have made
Of them II military curiosity. To have sup
piled the force contemplated. and fed pris-
oncrs besides, would simply have been I'm
possible. rvenif"no serious force" had been
encountered" From Santa Clara to u
point south OF Havana is about $50 miles;
hence the total march under Gen. MILEs's
plan Of campaign, over bottomless roads,
in the rainy season, would have been, in
round numbers. 400 miles.
The time Gen. MILES fixed for the dura-
ton Of his campaign. or t" Sept. 30. Is
about the only reasonable element Of the
plan which failed to commend itself to
the Judgment OF the President. Accord.
ingly, eleven days later, Gen. MILES sub
mitted the plan, already published In The
Sun, Of disseminating the operations which
resulted in the capture Of Santiago, and
sailing away with the exhausted troops to
Porto Rico.
It is not surprising. therefore, that when
the war wns brought to a successful con-
c~lusion, in defiance OF his plans Of cam
paign. Gen. MILES felt himself moved to
make a tremendous assault on "em-
balmed beef"