| Show MILES STANDS BY THE CHARGES says the kansas city star correctly reported him y and furthermore he complains of discourteous treatment inflicted upon himself and troops by secretary alger alge r men not allowed to parade but isaie lar e ordered rushed aboard the cars lew ew 7 the united slates states transport obdam having on board major general miles and staff general greenleaf capt whitney the second rezi r meat ol 01 wisconsin volunteers consisting of thirty officers and men and the hospital corps from porto rico arrived here today mrs lesson Mi and daughter were also on board the transport which sailed from ponce on Selie september ember 1 I the surgeon in charge reported all well and no sickness or beallis daring during the voyage the troops were 0 in th the e best of spirits the biff big transport was decorated profusely with palms and draped with flags from the fora ore truck was flying the american en eieg sigg over a large spanish flag while long lone strings of international flags were weye floa floating liag from each masthead to the raid rails gen ga miles 31 ilea admitted to the pres preas reporter who interviewed him while the obdam was lying off liberty island a the substantial accuracy of the stav nent attributed to him bythe by the kansas oty stars correspondent at ponce porto rico 11 ghere are gen miles eaid said to the new newspaper paper men about him a few minor inaccuracies in the published reports bueb as usually occur in such interviews I 1 do not care to point out the referred time they are a a I 1 adit it is i 9 true that I 1 requested that my troops in porto rico on their return home should ba allowed to camp some where near new York preferably brooklyn heights fort wadsworth or governors island 1 also requested nested of 0 the war department that the troops be allowed to march through new york alt city I 1 1 I never intended to parade mye elfae I 1 shall go to washington in a few days and arid would n not ot ba here at the conte contemplated in time 1 I asked that the wisconsin men aboard the obdam be permitted to stay in this vicinity for a day or two to give them a chance to see the city it would do no barm harm to let these western boys bols get a glimpse of new york surely barely they mei it it many of them I 1 think have never seen the city and perhaps will never have another opportunity to see it to my first request that my troops be permitted to camp here about new sew york in the neighborhood ol 01 brooklyn heights and that they be allowed to parade adai have received receive no reply to my sec ond request I 1 received a reply at quarantine thie this morning ordering the wisconsin boys home forthwith the men will go from the trans transports directly to the cars 1 I shall stay in the city a day or two to transact some business and then proceed to washington gen Wil sons division will reach new york in a day or two I 1 think they will come on the transports missouri alamo and nebraska gen alilea gave to the representatives of the press a typewritten document treating to the prosecution of the war with spain the paper is written in the form of an interview with a general in it the general is represented as recalling to mind that in a public statement made at the beginning of the war referring to the talk of a rush for the fever stricken city of 0 havana he be raid paid 44 no officer ie is fit to command troops who from any motive whatever would needlessly risk the life of a tingle soldier either from Idi disease or the bullets of the enemy I 1 hare have never sacrificed the lives of the men under my command and do not propose to subject them to any unnecessary nek risk in to the present campaign further along in the interview the document given oat out today says to the tact fact that the season suited campaigning in cuba has been exhausted in i rebates and delays delaye in con coc greta and in necessary preparations gen miles was opposed to rushing an n ill III prepared undisciplined and unequipped army im a movement against the capital of cuba defended by trained spanish troops and in this po altion be he stood practically all elone alone for several weeke havana matanzas Mata ozas san tiago and a few other points were drawn on his military map as hot beds of disease destructive to an army and places to be a voided avoided and especially daring during the sickly season gen miles said be he did not care to criticise criticism critic ise the conduct of any officer engaged in the late war he ile expressed the opinion that there bad had been too much criticism complaint and condemnation published already and that the public had lost sight eight of the success and clones glories of the war he did not care to enter into any general discussion of the events event of the war beyond the written statement which be had prepared during his voyage on the abda obdam and which he be has given out for publication he ile will go to washington tomorrow gen miles declared that the health of the troops still in porto rico ia is good he ile said that be he considered the island a most charming country but be is greatly pleased to 10 return retarn 0 o the united states under such circumstances gentiles telegraphed egra phed gen shatter thai that be would be with him in a week with strong reinforcement fOrc emente of cauree taking the troops prepared for the second expedition which had been ordered bythe by the president to operate against the enemy in cuba as well as in porto rico these reinforcements were pushed rapidly forward and some of them arrived in in advance of the commanding general and others were put in the vie positions around santiago after some verbal instructions from the president gen miles was directed to go wherever he be deemed his presence was required and he should give such directions as in bis his opinion were best for the army and the government these were the commanday commanda com manda under which gen miles left washington arriving at santiago july iltz not as a private individual nor as a visitor any pretense that bo ho went there dis ds robed ol 01 his authority or official capacity is too childish to bo be considered ty sensible men from the moment be arrived at santiago he be was responsible for borwhat what might occur he arrived there with the yale columbia and rita pita loaded with infantry and three ships ship loaded with artillery besides those already dis embarked he ile designed to dit disembark embark the troops and artillery named on the west side of santiago as was understood before leaving washington and before be went ashore he made the necessary arrangements a accordingly cordingly he then proceeded to the front and after consulting cons ultine with gen shatter a note was sent to the spanish commander by gen shatter shafter saying that therom the corn manding mandin sr general of the american army bad arrived in bis his camp with strong reinforcements and would meet him between the lines at any hour agreeable to him the reply of the spanish commander WAS ws that he would meet him at 12 the next morning mornin g the meeting was held and gen miles frankly admitted to tha the spanish commander comma ma nijer that be left washington six days before and it was then the determination I 1 of the government that this portion of the spanish army must be captured or destroyed H lie e also informed the spanish general that bia his reinforcements bad obad arrived with him and that some soine of these officers had a already diesem disembarked embarked dis barked and the remainder would be disembarked embarked dis on the west side aide ot of the harbor and that it was useless for him to contend against the inevitable these transports could also be plainly seen bythe by the spanish fro iron ii morro castle and other points gen toral total replied that so long as he bad had rations and ammunition be bad had to fight in order to maintain the honor of the spanish army in response to that he lie was that be he bad already maintained the honor and that further efforts would be useless and would in a wanton sacrifice ol 01 human life he then eaid said that ho be was awaiting to hear bear from hin government and waa was informed by gen miles that he lie had bad already taken much time for that purpose and would be giren given until day daylight licht of the following morning it being 3 to submit an tin answer he ile begged for longer time and ear earnestly needy requested antil 12 the following day this was wae lin anally tillY granted by gen mile the meeting dissolved and the Of officers ficera ee pirated on coming from this conference a dispatch waa wag received from washington as sit follows washington july 13 maj gen miles you may accept Bu bargender Bar render by byer granting antinK parole darole to irs and men the officers continued on on bagg 8 MILES STANDS BY THE CHARGES continued raffe 11 retaining retain ine their olde arms the and men afler affer parole to be permitted to return from spain if not ot accepted then assault unless in your ybur judgment an assault would fail consult with sampson and pursue such course as to the assault as yori yon jointly azree a upon gfatter matter should be settled promptly signed R A ALGER secy of war when finally called upon to submit plan of campaign be did so and put it in writing in sob en betance stance he took the stand first that every effort should be made to equip the cubans cabana and thereby enable them to harass the spaniards the cry of on to Ha havana should be encouraged but when the transports loaded with troops were out ot of sight eight of land they khouli sail as straight as steam power c could bring them to the islands and cuba and the key to the whole situation porto rico an expedition to cuba waa was to follow by a strong cavalry force which had been equipped by augost august or september he ile surges ed that cavalry ba thrown to the center of 0 cuba coba cuttno cutt fo the spaniards in two and move on to havana and by the time the rainy season was over and it would be safe to mado euver an army we could complete the capture of the spanish forces the enclosure of veras fleet in the harbor of santiago changed those conditions condi tiona and made it necee necessary eary to move a military force to that point gen miles while at Tampa organizing the expedition felt the importance of the enterprise so greatly that he requested permission to accompany that expedition or to immediately med lately organize another to join it this permission was not granted so far as accompanying that expedition was concerned but authority was granted to equip a second for movement and opera lions against the enemy in cuba and porto rico however before this expedition was equipped calls cal Is were made for additional force forces to go to santiago and they were immediately lately forwarded bathe third day of july gen shatter tele raghed that his losses 1 had been greatly underestimated that ho he nut irith stronger st roDfer resistance than be had bad antii anticipate qa test he was yas seriously considering llie the advisability of faill frig bick back to a position five fire miles to the rear and that he had bad been unable to be up jurine tho the heit tor for lour four days daye this the eta statement says does not look like gen miles was there as a visitor he was charged with the responsibility of ordering ord orde erinc an assault upon the entrenchments and fortifications of an army army which it if successful would have cost lives or withholding the at sault if in hio his judgment such desault would frill no greater discretion was ever eiven to any general commanding an army and what ie is more as will be observed be he was authorized to except the surrender eur render which in tha the interest of bis his subordinate subordinates he generously declined to do and went away leaving all the honor to hie big next in rank gen on oil alib lie ma first interview a letteire 16 a s received from taen coralo ot which aich tha following is a literal santiago de do cuba july 14 1893 gen eral in chief american forces honored sir his ilis excellency the general in chief of the army of the island ol 01 cuba telegraphs from havana yesterday ye at 7 P pm M believing the business of such importance as the capitulation ol 01 that place to be known and be decided upon by the government of bi bis Is majesty I 1 give you notice that I 1 have bare sen wit the conditions ot of your telegram answering immediate ans answer and enabling abling you also to show the th e to the general ol 01 the american army to see if he will await the answer a inch will be as soon as the time which be has decided as communication byway by ay of bermuda i Is more elow than key west in the meanwhile your honor and the general of the army may agree upon capitulation on the basis of repatriation returning to spain I 1 have the honor to transmit this to toy to you 0 u that in cee case you may consider the foregoing satisfactory that be he may besig nate some persons in representation of hi who with the use me of my name may agree to the clause of the capitulation on the basis of returning to spain acceptor accept od already in the beginning bee inning by the general on n chief of thie this army while awaiting your reply I 1 remain your U r obed obedient lent servant signed TOKAL N A L at the meeting ot of the following day gen toral elated stated that ho he was prepared to surrender with the approval of the captain general ol 01 cuba but it would require a little time to have hie his acts confirmed by the home government that in the meantime he lie was prepared to appoint commissioners to arrange the clauses ot of repatriation nevertheless he offered to surrender the balance of bis his command which had not been under fire daring during the campaign this remarkable offer was on bis his motion and was in the nature ot of a surprise eur prise to the american generals present however at the conference of the day previous general miles bad had reminded him that be he bad had been ten dered most liberal terms ever offered to an enemy that bis his fleet and they were miles irom home toral could be accounted for in one or two ways that the troops were wanted home to meet a threatened revolution or that they wanted to set get home and regarded this is as the only way to get there whether captain blanco would have surrendered oa on the same terms is not known after the landing of the porto ra asco aco expedition had been eo so thoroughly ad verti sed in communications sent over the french cable and in the newspapers of our own country and those of madrid and from there to san joan that nothing bad reached the necessary appliances with which to disembark gen 3 miles decided after leaving the windward passage to chance change bis his auree e and land on the south side of porto alico where the spaniards were the least prepared and least expecting to receive him and he arranged the debarkation of the troops where the landing could ba be I 1 moat most easily effected from abe time of his debarkation during the following 19 days of bis big campaign he kept the spaniards guessing what the next move would be when be he approached along the line of the great reat mili militate road between ponce and san juan they destroyed the bridge bridges protected the roade and 1 elded 1 conclude 1 11 i the he mountain pa saige and ahby concluded ed that one column of his army was sweeping around the west end of the wand capturing the principal cities and towns and bad passed over the mountains over a trail which the spaniards had supposed impassable and therefore had not fortified and the first they knew of the march ot of the american army was the appearance of a strong brigade within twenty miles of the northern coast at the terminus of the railroad connecting san juan with a arecibo Are cibo |
