. He allowed his troops
to fight in Indian fashion, each man for himself, when occasion
required; and he had the love and respect of every man in his command.
General Lawton was specially thanked by President McKinley after his
capture of San Isidro, where he led his men in person, as he almost
invariably did. He was one of the bravest of men, and met a soldier's
death in a skirmish at San Mateo, on December 18th, 1809.
When the news of General Lawton's death reached this country, the
people quickly raised a fund, amounting to about one hundred thousand
dollars, for his wife and children, as a token of their appreciation
of his distinguished services. His remains were brought to the United
States on a Government transport, and after lying in state at Fort
Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana, were laid to rest in Arlington
Cemetery, near the city of Washington, D.C.
You will remember that our war with Spain began on April 21st, 1808,
and that it ended with the signing of the peace protocol, on August
12th of the same year; but I hardly think you know what these one
hundred and fourteen days cost this country.
The cost in men was two thousand, nine hundred and ten, and of these
one hundred and seven were officers. The total force engaged was two
hundred and seventy-four thousand, seven hundred and seventeen
officers and men.
The cost in money was about $1,250,000 for each day of the war, and
if you reckon that up you will find that it amounts to an enormous sum
of money.
The only American vessel that was lost was the collier Merrimac, which
was sunk in Santiago harbor by our own navy.
Spain's losses will probably never be given out, for national pride
will not permit her to publish the figures. We know, however, that she
lost twelve cruisers, two torpedo-boat destroyers and twenty-one
gunboats from her list of fighting ships. The value of Admiral
Cervera's squadron, which was destroyed at Santiago, alone was
$20,000,000. Besides capturing or destroying these war vessels, we
took from Spain, during the war, twenty-four steam vessels, sixty-one
sailing vessels and sixty-one lighters.
It is impossible to give Spain's losses in men, killed and wounded,
but she surrendered to us in Cuba and the Philippines something more
than thirty-nine thousand men. According to the terms of the
capitulation at Santiago, this country sent nearly twenty-three
thousand prisoners home to Spain.
End of the Project Gute
|