CHAPTER IX

THE CAMPAIGN IN PUERTO RICO

THE island of Puerto Rico, the easternmost and the most beautiful of the Greater Antilles, with its large population and commanding strategic position, was constantly in the minds of both army and navy as soon as war began. It was there that Admiral Sampson had gone to find Cervera at what seemed the most probable place, but the Spanish fleet was not in the harbor of San Juan. The noise of the bombardment died away, and the people of the island continued to believe that all was well, that Spain was triumphant and had won a great victory at Manila. American cruisers fluttered about the coast, and it was true that there seemed always to be a ship off San Juan. But this did not shake the general confidence, and there was much elation when the crack torpedo-boat destroyer Terror, detached at Martinique because out of order, came into the harbor. On June 22 it seemed that it would be a good thing for the Terror to go out, with the cruiser Isabel II, and attack the St. Paul, commanded by Captain Sigsbee of the Maine, just then watching the port. The St. Paul was only a huge Atlantic liner hastily armed and converted into an auxiliary cruiser, and probably the Spaniards thought her an easy prey, if only she would not run away. It is said that they invited their friends

down to the shore to see the performance. The cruiser came out first, apparently did not like the outlook, and clung to the shelter of the batteries, firing ineffectively, while the St. Paul, apparently undisturbed, took a few shots to try the ranges. Then came the Terror, and as she steamed to the eastward the St. Paul steamed along outside and parallel. Then the torpedo-boat made a dash, and the St. Paul, instead of running away, waited to be torpedoed, and when the Terror got within 5,400 yards, opened on her, sweeping her decks with fragments of shell and rapid-fire projectiles. It was clearly easier to blow Captain Sigsbee up in a peaceful harbor at night than in broad day, and the Terror turned round. Then a beautiful shot at nearly three miles distance from the St. Paul's 5-inch gun hit her on the starboard side, smashed her engine, and killed the chief and assistant engineers, so that the dreaded boat was just able to struggle back and be dragged sinking to the beach by a couple of tugs. This disposed of that member of Cervera's fleet for the time being, and the pretty bit of shooting which was responsible for it was the only incident until the Yosemite appeared and drove the Antonio Lopez ashore, and caused the Alphonso III.,Isabella II., and a torpedo-boat to seek shelter in the harbor.

He

General Miles, from an early period of the war, was convinced that it would be an error to undertake a summer campaign on a large scale in Cuba and directed against the principal Spanish army at Havana. thought, and very justly, that the correct objective, from a military point of view, was Puerto Rico, which was the Spanish base for all operations in the West Indies, and where the climate was much better for

Northern troops than was the case in Cuba. This plan was laid before the War Department, which was still considering the advisability of a general movement against Havana. The coming of Cervera's fleet and its final imprisonment in the harbor of Santiago changed the situation and made that city the objective of the highest moment. General Miles, appreciating the importance of this expedition, telegraphed on June 5, from Tampa, that he desired to go at its head; but the command was given to General Shafter, and on June 6 General Miles, instead of being sent to Santiago, was asked, · in a despatch from the Secretary of War, how soon he could have a sufficient force ready to go to Puerto Rico. General Miles replied that it could be ready in ten days, and there the matter seems to have dropped. On June 8 the Santiago expedition was ready, and on June 14 it sailed with 15,000 men and 800 officers, instead of the 25,000 it was expected to send. This was owing to a break-down in the ocean transportation, due to lack of knowledge of the steamships, which proved insufficient, and compelled the leaving behind at Tampa of 10,000 men who ought to have gone, and whose presence at Santiago would have greatly quickened the results and thereby saved much of the mortality caused by fever. The day after the Shafter expedition finally departed, General Miles was summoned to Washington, and there, on June 26, an order was finally given to organize an expedition to operate against the enemy in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and General Miles was directed personally to take the command. For some little time before, efforts had been making to collect transports for Puerto Rico, and this work went slowly for