Newspaper Page Text
SHAFTER DID
Order the Army to Retreat
at Santiago.
WHEELER DISOBEYED.
The “Hero of Santiago” is Dis
creetly Silent-
The true story of how the bat
tle of San Juan Hill was won
and the real cause that precipi
tated the heroic charge that
brought victory to the Ameri
can arms is gradually being un
folded to the public.
It has been one of the choicest
topics of discussion among mil
itary men ever since the day af
ter the battle, but the man who
was responsible for the intrepid
onslaught kept discreetly quiet.
He and his immediate colleagues
were too busily engaged with
the Spaniards to discuss the
matter, and even yet they are
silent.
Then what wonder that mili
tary men marvel and civilians
ask for explanation when they
are told that the charge on the
now historic hill was strictly
against orders ; that it was not
on Shafter’s programme, and,,
in fact, was made directly
against his orders?
Yet such would seem to be
the fact, and the victory was
won ; the American tlag floated
from the Spanish blockhouses I
and the fate of the Spaniards
was apparently sealed so far as
Santiago was concerned at the
very moment Shafter thought
his army was withdrawing from
the field.
General Joe Wheeler w; s in
command of the troops that
went up San Juan Hill and
there were Bates, Kent Roose
velt and Young and other gal
lant officers, who eagerly led
the charge when it was ordered.
The fight had been raging for
hours, the American soldiers
were at an awful disadvantage,
but fighting with a desperation
that meant certain victory if
given anything like a fair
chance. There was but one
chance. To stay where they
were meant to be shot down like
sheep. The only avenue of pos
sible escape w r as up that open
hillside, down which rained a
merciless of fire of Spanish bul
lets.
Shafter, the commanding
General of all forces, several
miles in the rear, was watching
the battle through his couriers
with the deepest anxiety. Crush
ing as it might have been for
him to do so, he finally con
cluded tliat the only way to save
his army to fight another day
was to withdraw it, get a better
position and recuperate for a
final struggle,’ which he evident
thought, if made at that time,
would go against him.
li was then that he sent his
private orderly, Williams, as
told in The Republic a week
ago, with the order to Wheeler
to withdraw his forces and re
treat to a distance out of reach
of the Spanish guns.
The orderly reached General
Wheeler at a . critical moment,
and he held a hurried confer
ence with subordinate officers
immediately about him. It was
decided to disregaid the orders
of the commanding general.
1 hat in itself took quite as much
courage as it did to fly in the
face of Spanish bullets, but it
was one of those extreme occa
sions when to hesitate was to be
Aost.
XVheeler did not hesitate, ncr
u jujaj—in jnew— mwipL-ir'. i t m i
did his men. The woi'd Could
not be given any too quick tor
those daiing Americans, many
of whom were Under fire for the
first time. The word was given
and the result will ever be a
glorious memory to Americans.
After the battle was over Gen.
Shafter made his official report
of how he had killed the bear
and never an allusion was made
as to how the victory came to
be won. But this did not satis
fy the popular mind, who still
held in memory the fact that
Gen. Shafter ordered a retreat
only a few hours before toe glo
rious victory. Inquiry was made
yet the ironclad seal to utter
ance kept the secret down,
Speculations have been rife as
to the reports, but no solution
as to the whole situation has
been gained until after the mus
ter out of the forcesand the men
were allowed to tell the story
for themselves.
It has already been known
that Shafter ordered a retreat,
and there was no getting out of
it, but why did the army charge
instead, or who had the audaci-.
ty to disobey the general’s com
mand? Some said there was a
misunderstanding of orders,
others said the news never J
reached the firing line, while i
still others had different solu
tions to oiler.
The first revelation was made
I through Orderly Williams, as
stated, and in full support of the
orderly’s declarations, but more
in detail now comes Captain
; McGinnis of Co I, First United
States Volunteer Cavalry, who ■
passed through Union Station
Friday night. Capt, McGinnis
lives in Newark, Ok., and was
on his way home when by
a reporter.
In reviewing the situation, be ,
said :
“I have been discharged from
the army, and am no longer
amenable to the commands of
the war d partment, and I Jsup
pose there is no reason why the
whole truth should not be
known. Let credit go where
credit is due would be my policy
and I have no hesitancy in lay
ing the bare facts as to the
charge up San Juan Hill, which
has caused so much agitation
the whole country over.
‘JFrom the beginning of the
bloody conflict to the end Gen.|
Shafter remained so far in the
rear it v. as hardly possible for
him to be thoroughly posted as
to the demands of the hour. Of
ten his orders were so slow in
coming it was impractical to
heed them, but fie was as appar
ently alive to the situation as
one could well be at his distance
from the actual conflict.
“During the day, while we
were lying at the foot of the hill
with the Spaniards in their
trenches at the top of it, pouring
their deadly fire into us like
molten hail, Gen. Shafter could
see from the distance that we
were getting the worst of the
deal. Still he stayed in the rear,
and never an order to charge the
enemy came. By the hundreds
our men were being shot down
under the withering fire. They
fell thick and fast, and there
was not the slightest chance to
shield themselves. It had begun
to look like something had to be
done or there would be a wild
stampede, and our men, who i
had already begun to waver, 1
would be routed in wild disor
der.
“The generals on the field j
sent courier after courier to the
commanding general. Finally
there came the order to General
Wheeler to retreat. Col. Roose- '
velt was standing near General '
Wheeler at the time, and imme- t
diately asked the general if he
could revoke Shafter’s order. 1 (
"HOT COFFEE!"
(loilrt House Burned by In
cendiaries.
POPS LOST THE ELECTION
And Many People Believe I hey
Want Another.
Willicoochee, Oct. B—Coffee
county’s courthouse was burned
last night, The fire is believed
to have been of incendiary ori
gin, the crime being inspired by
a desire to destroy the vote cast
in Wednesday’s election,
The Populists lost the county
by failing to make the proper
returns from one precinct. The
consolidation has been postpon
ed until Wednesday next, and
the court house is believed by
some to have boeu destroyrd
with a view to bringing on a
\ new election.
PASTEUR FILTERS
Thje cnb G-erm
■ Prcoi Filter in the
’tvorld. Makes water
pure and clear for
sale by The Hanson
Supply Co
was within earshot of the two
officers, and could hear distinct
ly their c mversat’on.
“Roosevelt asxed Wheeler if
he could not make a charge and
storm the .breastworks, which
bristled before us like the yawn
ing arms of death. To the direct
question Wheeler replied that
it seemed the only thing to be
done, or the best thing was left
'to do. ‘I would not blame you
if you did,’ were the exact words.
Wheeler, Bates and Kent had
agreed.
“With that the trumpets
sound ad a blast of ‘forward,
charge I’ The men caught up the
cry and charged like Spartans
up those heights into the jaws of
death.
“As soon as the Rough Ri
ders made a start there were no
officers on the field who could
retain their men. They all broke
a id followed the leader. The
Ninth and Tenth colored cavalry
were the first, and after that the
waole army. And it is no more
than justice to say those negroes
were the pluckiest men on the
field. They saved our lines, and
had it not been for them theie
would be no Rough riders to tell
the tale.
“It was a battle wherein the
men did the charging and the
fighting. They took the matter
in their own hands, and to them
is due the credit of that memo
rable victory. Gen. Wheeler
is a genuine hero ;ho is Bates ;
so is the gallant Kent , but to
Col. Roosevelt is also due his
mead of praise.
“To stay where we were was
destruction, but to obey Shaf
ter’s command would have been
suicide . There was nothing be
hind us which we could have
taken shelter. The land was
smooth and level, stretching
clear to the sea, and had we at
tempted to retrace our steps the
whole field could have been
swept clear to a man. With the
sea at our backs, we had but one
thing to do, aud that was to rush
forward or die. The order was I
disobeyed and the day was won
in spite of Gen. Shafter.’’
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE'-
DAY r
Take Laxative Bromo Quinine ‘
Tablets. All druggists refund
the money if it fails to cure. 25c.
The genuine has L. B. Q. on i
each tablet.
* ‘ I
PIPE
PHOTOGP4PHS
THE SUMMER HAS
PASSED AND GONE
IMPROVE THE NEXT PRETY DAY
AND HAVE YOUR NEGATIVE MADE!
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a TURNOUT. |
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INVITED
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