The San Francisco call., 1901-10-06
ALGER'S BOOK
ON RECENT WAR
Former Secretary Scores
the Conduct of Samp-
son and Miles.
Eagan's Friend Still Disgrun-
tied Over the "Embalm ed"
Beef Controversy.

NEW YORK Oct 5.-General Alger's
book on the Spanish-American war, which
his publishers state has been delayed
and changed because of the death of
President Mckinley" will be issued next
Thursday
survey of the Cuban situation in 1898, and
comments upon our unpreparedness for
war at that time and the splendid specta-
Gle of the country's response to the Gov
ernment's ultimatum upon Spain. He
then leads the reader through the hurried
preparations for war, the persecution of
the office-seeksr, the disappointment of
hundreds of volunteers, the demands of
sea coast cities and towns for immediate
protection and the savage criticism OF
the military administrators plans of or
ganization and the battle with apparent
ly endless shortcomings and grievances.
Then follows the embarkat1on at Tampa,
which was severely criticized at the time,
but which General Alger IS now convinced
that, all things considered, was not mis-
take. The account of the march on San
tlago is graphically pictured.
The book takes up the round ROBIN
signed by the general officers of Shaft
ers army while the negotiations for sur
render were pending, IN which it was
stated that this army must move at once
or it will perish" from the feVerS threat
ening the camp. General Alger has no
criticism to offer of the round robin itself,
but says that its publication was one OF
the most unfortunate and reSrettaDle IN
cidents of the war.
Shafter and Sampson.
General Alger reviews at length the diff
ferences between General Snafter and
Admiral Sampson and concludes this
chapter in these words
1T is difficult to account for Admiral
SIMPSONS seeming attitude toward the
army during the operations before San
tiago, as well as to excuse him for his
fro n ictn Sfatn 1LaT1tS sinh
made in his official report. After the Sd
of July the admlraIs conduct may be due
to the keen disappointment resulting from
his on-participation in the engagement
with Cervera'S squadron. Possibly he felt
that Skaters request for conference on
the morning of July ), innocent though
it was, was responsible for his being de-
priVed of the honor of acuVely parCclpat-
ing as commander in chief in one OF the
most remarkable victories i'll the annals
of naval warfare
General Ager reviews the Miles -Ea gan
controversy over the alleged furnishing
of "embalmed beef to the army and tells
of the appointment by the President at
his request of the commission to inves-
tieate the conduct of the War Department
in the, war with Spain. The commission
met September "a, 1885, he says, and up
| to December q of that year had taken
| testimony in seventeen towns and cities
and in many different camps, granting to
! citizens, soldiers and eX-SOldierS Op-
portunity to appear for complaint or tes-
| timony of any kind regarding the con-
| duct of the war
! Many thousands of soldiers were in
vited to give their evidence withoyt- rank
] or service.
"On the 21st of December" continues
manding the army of the United States
| appeared before the committee then sit
| ting in Washington and made his state
| ments with reference to the canned fresh
! and refrigerated beef furnished to the
| army during the war. Although the com
mission had been sitting. nearly three
canned and refrigerated beef were now
made for the first time; and, stranger and
more ineXcusable and more unsoldierly
| STILL during all those months, with this
they existed. should have been made
known to the Secretary of War for the
protection of the army, General Miles had
never mentioned the subject.
Pleased With the Notoriety.
General Miles seemed to be pleased
statement before the commission and his
subsequent newspaper interviews gave
him. hin f for again, on the S1st of March.
through representatives of the Associated
Press, and of a metropolitan paper, addi-
tional charges.
method of making in public grave and
ScandalouS charges regarding a brother
officer and the work of his department
charges which subsequent and careful in
vestigation proved both unwarranted and
untrue-seemed to appeal to certain char
actecistics of the major general command
ing to which reference would be out of
place.
IF we are to believe written evidence
to the contrary, 1T does not appear that
General Miles was even honest in making
his dilatory charges that the timed beef
was issued as the 'pretense of an expert
ment,' and it was now part of the
ration. On the nth of June, 1898, his most
confidential staff officer signed a letter
! by direction of the major general COM
| manding the army inStructing the depot
commissary at Tampa to furnish to Gen
eral Nunez 1854 pounds of canned roast
| beef, to be issued from the subsistence
| stores of the army If we are to accept
| the reading of this letter as correct, it
proves that General Miles knew that
canned fresh beef was, a part of the ra-
ton; that he knew there was a large
| quantity of it at Tampa for issue to the
| troops, and that he so far approved of its
| use as to direct that the ration he fur