PTr~qI Vkv ffVV ~ iHL~. i W L - L q' er; * _ -;;sr. *, ". **,z, *^ -, ',:.I |, RE 'TS By A - ' LieUteafnte4e8a1lelion Mle,.S... '; t'o.: I;.!, Rep. ied Fro Army. ad Navy J, l-a-y._:~.,.::..:.,.. | - /,..,-,, y-',:',~..-, - -..'.. ' *.. ~._. ',!..... 2. " ' ';.; * - ~ ",-t' ''. ':,'.;7 *i '..-'-'.T." ',;, _-:.; ~~.;. _..... i., '...:',,'; 4I-j:~~~ ~t: i......... R.:.-"-:, '.,ji.,. -.? ', yr A- n-i I pen a g, 2e C,,. _:i,': ' -!" " -,-.,9. ~,.:-i ~:i~-.=l-:L ~ ;.:i-.....j.r,.~. ~ d'f,.: r ' ~~ " -~.: ;-j';~-~.~~::: —.:::.~~;~Ni;c;';-tt~~;f; i,,~~~l~~i; -~~~~ i~ I~ I ~s4;`:".. I - -. - - I..... 'ft.. d~~ %1 ~:~.. iy~l. THE PHILIPPINES REPORTS BY Lieutenant-General Nelson A. Miles, U.S.A. Reprinted from Army and Navy Journal, May 2, I903. 1It'adquarters of the Army, February 19, 1903. Thlie Iloorable, tieh Secretary of War. Si: t1 ave the hollor to replort that I 'arrived ilI til hiaribor of Manila ou the e-ttitg (if tI(..t()lter' 3i, 190et, lltd went on dity I t-\ iteawed all the troopls In and about Mbit iil.i, coanprlt iing so.llic:,t'. i) iii. and mi the 2(1 l and l3d of Novemelr 'vlsaltd sevcrnl piccas ofi mlllitary iterest and retuirrld tlic cill of Admiral Wildea, U. S. N.\;i'y. itllinailiditg tihe United States S.lutidrtut Ili tlie larit or of Cavlte. ()II.ov'Pilll(t'l' 4Il I went oVer tlhe Mallila 111,:tttI llso exilllltit ig thi( altea foir iil itary Stl'tions, and rturned tlihe following day. pic-d:t y"i' disposalt, was lircted to *Iroct-'d to BiltBilg'S to Inoeet lin there on tilt!itli. tit tihe riteirntlmic i i rcedcd tip the l'Pal riv-er and avtroes Laguna (le Bay Il i a rteH i latin h, lfaldlinlg li t plu po ea, salld ithIt ' i'trceded alelg taie trotd to ITl.ttl Iib;, II il (' atitIag tile Vit ioltt UiIIitar y Statlio i it ('llI11an11 ali, allltll llt. ipa l. a. tto 'oll; l d I iat hjigs, aind tile the site for tttiiltitat' a atttllt whitit httatd bunit selected at tlii. latter thitlce. Thlis site Is well loi-atvd. ins it good tl]evatiol ttnd ofthlealed I, Iie si,:tblt for all itlittay purl oaes should it Ie tiltlhi t tidviaabie to build a t'ap p,'niit post tiere. aThit lt i tt tha,'lming arl itth tili: hi, arbort of itle atlltt sh, i tly t tt ittt Int r itir t rial, I sitd thi taste it Ilot f lioe,tt il o the thirt lt i ts' ei t it l for cxt. At Campig tile t-tVt, ta titldings and ctip ttit the pe. atter placm ther, I e ft there o La tin, alth. sin atliai s, there I i mrnng ocf the 13th, and lit JIolo ~)( til e Barsfllo,aiY', compl, leting l l) I.ea glllg Jolo ~,1n th. (.%v.(lllEg of tie 13th, c;,i.L'oil tit..... '(,1'll tl..'...l...,nstrutod I % Niti'd the canip silt,,ted five,nlles from Mlihlliang. andtle those lit Mairlling Falls and Camlplt).])NJlIsIII. A groa;it work ha8 lieel don(. Iiy tile troops ui c.one,,truiting a good itllitay,' roaldi, Ipaasnlg for IaIboUt 16 miles throulgh it dense t'olpicall forest. At Camp.hcaaulan Ill, coOlluln, I e('Oello'B open. and from there on to Lake Lasso. about six wiles, there Is a %vey tite country, ele vatedt, icturesque and healthful. Although a inumber of oatieves \ elre' engage'd iln the transportation of freightt ion their iulcks a id %%!th vt'iy siiall ponllies, land ottiers 'were met p-issing altig the road, the couitry tbetweeni the citast iand the Panali oil the lake appeared to have been practically abandoned by the natilis. On the foll-wlls lutrillng I vi.lt-ild tie scelle of the recenlt operations agtainst thie Moros, exnitiling their foris whicihh had tbeen capturedl Iby the troops Illihdl' (' lnlnlitald (if Generail Ballwwin, and ilso olserving the lake and the country:labout It. The se('Itclln Of country on the other side of Ihi I tie ail)p.lrs tlt be wli ll sh.ttle nd ti c iotui'ld by natives, anid a tort 'ocated there wit' saaid to lie held by thenii The lake W aionit I ttlhes long, vat'lng Il width. Itili's, titd Is su w ell iholt'r(d t t ill sides by hills and high grounid. Thret, steel gunboats had been tra nsporiled here Iby the Spa-ilards, and were in use at the tihne of our op(ratlonis in ta98, and wtere sunk by them after Manila wias taken. It Is very apparent that if these vtessels could e raise ad and used, ior others brought hcri', thils problem of rtduclng or controlling these pieople ihiii ita' ilf coittiiuetd hois tilitles does not apfl,"'r to )et a difficnult 0tne. T'hey are v.ry r poorly' rinrited. and have no metans of withstanding outr moulltain artillery and field mortars. Th'ir forts lJposses but slight resisting Ipowetr and c'all etlily be ldestroyed bty miodern at tillery. After a careful inspection of tiee troops and ('uant.t, which I found to lie iIn excellent coaldltion, I returned to Malailanuig on the same lay, and left for ParianiIg lParatng. about 2.3 miles distant. A naial statlin is located there, and the halrbor Is goodl and said to lie generally safe. 'rThe gtarrision consists of two c-implniles of th(e 27th Infantry:til a detac'hment 'of etn'gineers. 'FThere 1I an exr'(lhlt site here for a uillItry station. wxith tionele%-atin of abll- t 150 feet itbove t a levt-l. ' l'hle eit' I rs at presl.)It;11i. ( iilllltred In nit a lt'r i d the men in ttite old Slanish barracks. i RItilnt'sato the trauitort, tt eft for the monlth of NlIlo lGrlme rivo,. which Iwa rea,'l',d tlimo,velilg., /.h following mIollii l Pp'o.-.d'd up the river Ii a st:,ni lilllli( t( ' Cott-'bato,, fetw miles distant. wh(.re there a re stati tl!on ( t wo (olptildnlesh of the 1ith IInf:intry ln the old Spitinth quarteri.. Oi1 a hill half a mile distanit, at ani el'vattlo' of about 180 feet, there Is n set otf quarters, formerly occu Iled Iby the Splaniards. whrte one company was Il'cated, hut-nlow occupied tby a detachmneit, the company being absent on duty between Malabang and Camp Vicars. I proceedad up the Rio Grande, abgut 35 miles, visiting the camp of a detachment which is stationed at the village of the Datto lPlang, who anppears to be the controlling Moro In this section, he evidently having much influence with his people. He is iltelligent and apparently friendly. This river is the tmost important in Mindanao, and long its valley a large populati-li Is sustaiilned. It is navigable for boats of light dIraft, and in case of hostilities ninst i - ',otilrolled by our troops. The thllree points, Mala:llillg, l'arang Plarang ail(l ('ottaltato arc ull. as has been stilt(d, g.ri-risoned bIy troops. The proposition of establishing permanent statliov has bceen considered, and I deem it inadvisalble to construct them at the three *ifterenit points. As Parang l'arang occupils the central position and appears to be, in point of harbor and locality, the most suited for:a larger camp. it would be best; illn lly opilioln, to construct such station lt this poelt, and to relalls for a time detiachielts or oat posts at Cottalato and.M;lalang. The distanlce by land from ilarall? i'arang to Cottabato is only about 15 miles, aind the country is such that a good road could easily be constructed between these two points and the troops,oove.d rapidly In *-ase of necessity. It would also appear to be advisable to construyc a road from Parang 'Parang to Malabang, or direct to Lake Lanmo. The distilce ca enot be much greater to Camp Vicars frolln this point than from Malabang,;)t Jas to practicability of building a road by this route, I am not informed, but It would be desirable, before a decision is reached as to the location of permanent buildings, to thoroughly consider this matter. The Rio Grande Is.eported to overflow nt times ald to seriously Injure the crops in the valley. It heads near Lake Lanao, and is said to be 154) miles long and navigable for small boats for In or 60 miles. A small gunboat followed tis to within about three miles of Datto Piang's village, as fatv as it could go on account of a bar in tlbe river at that point. Ieavltig the lRio Grande river on the evening of 'he 16th. I arrived on the following morning at Zamboanga, the headquarters of the Departm:ent of Mindanao. The barracks here are especially good, havIng been built by the Spanlardb. A wharf. withl a horse tramnlway to the old fort In the town, Iltoe been constructed under the direction of the military, the tails having beeti brought from lligan, where the SpanIsh had conitnenced the construction of a railroad to Lake Lanno The fort is still In llan excellent state of preservation, strongly built on the Vauban system. It wais held suctessfully b)y the Spanish against the Fillpitios until the arrival of our troops during the recent war. It Is now tused as a storehouse for commissary and quartermaster supplies. Among the ratives here met was Datto Mandll. iho is a mrost progressive Moro. lie is an Intelligent anld educated man, and litas adopted European customs, freeing his slaves of his 0o11 volition. This port is linprtriant, and Is visited by a nubnletr of Bmerchant ships going to Austrtilla and other parts. In the afternoon of the same day I pro. ceeded to Illgant, wllere I arrived on the mornilng of the 18th. The harbor hetre l open, and a landing can only be nade from small boats. The surrounding country is very undesirnille. The Spaniards appear to have attached much importance to this pelint, and had constiucted a road to Lake Lanao over whic tbe gunboats placed npon the lake were transported in sections. A railroad to the lake also had been cornmmn<eed; ibout a mile of the rails, as before stated, having been tratnsported to Zamboanga and tused for a Iramwey. A part,if the roadbed Is still 'n. existence, and sonme of the rails in position. It is evident that the road to Lake Lanao,.which had bee-ll iied Ids stated for the transportation of tutilwtoats, must.'lave beeit in very good condition in 1898, and it would seem that a road sufficlietly serviceable for the operaltlons of our troops could be prepared utithlout great: labor in a short lime over Its route. 'the troops, however, are nows emp loyed Inl thb construction of a permanent road five miles along the coast and then up the Agus river to Intersect the old road at a point shout 18 mll-s fronl Illganl. At the time of tmiy visit there were i0) of our mell at work on this road. The heat was intense, and there were at the time 70 men sick. and some 200 men attended sick report. IIenvy timbers wore being cut, and In every respect a road of at permuanent character was being constructed.. Unless there be some great millitary necessityatid I know of none-this wotk should not lbe Performed by troops. I was Informed that the Moros had inadle propositions to furnish the necessary smen. There appeared to be very great dlssatisfaction and j'st ground for complaint. Officers ansd men. dr-sned in laboring clothes, with an armed gtaird. were moving about In the heat and dust. At the ratke at %which the work is iePlig done. It does not appear possible that It can l)e compltted!n -tess than twelve months. as the work is very heavy and diticult. It appears that the permanent,-hara:tter of this road is being considered int order that an electric road may be operated later, the power tor same belug gcoierated by ns ng the falls on the Agus river abott ht.lf a mile above Its mouth. I was Informed that no men canl be re-enllsted at this point. and all who have any possible grounds are asking to be dischairged. It was stated that In one company all of the non-commissioned officers and a large percentage of the meo htd asked fer their discharge under the recent oraer reducing the number of troops Iln the islands. If troops are to be used uneIleeesarily In such labor without compensationi, it is evident that the service nII these Islands will be nmade exceedingly undeslratl1,, while the performance of such labor. inleis absolute military necessity exists for it. Is wronlg at.d contrary to law. The alittetlion of the Division Commander was called to this condition of affairs. On the snits? evening I proceeded to (',ii,. where I arrived ott the following nornliig. ahil town s of considerable Importance., aid hits onet of the best haribors In the Islands. Thtre is a great need of wlntrves for the accommodation of vessels. If pernilssln were granted to extenld tio present what,:vea 20 feet, vessels of the largest size coultd go alongside and dischiare their -argoes. This is one of tIhe most Important hemp ports in the Arcilpeliag.. I'e i old Spanish barracks are ec cunpled by our troops and are very good and sultaltle for the purpose. I left at midnight for Tucloban, Leyte, arriving at Sai Juanlea Straits the follow. ing morning, from which point I proceeded by a sumall steamer provided by the Departmeut Commander to Tacloban, arriving there the saine aftern(on. The district coiinaiidr l had ordered the troops of his coliunrild near at hand Into the town in order that they might be linpected. I examined the site which had lbeen selected for the tutllon of troops, and It appeared to be suiltnbll- nd- colveniently located. 'llThi girrlsoll is intended for the protectionn iild control of both this Island aid Samar In the vicinity. After the completion of the ilspection here I left that night and lroceedied to Calbayog, where I landed the followillg cloralilcig. 'here is one company of the 1st Infantry inod a company of scouts statioled at this point. iere, as wevll i1s lat 'T!cloban, there were a nuimber (if c('ias of bIri-beri, at tills point conitned to the scolit,. I)t at Taclol)bn tiere were t lirre (clNties ainioig the American troops. It It propo.sed i1lso to establish a post at thil plnace. riTe site selected is located I11t t cotoalnltt grove about 1 1-2 miles from the preasenlt stttlon. Although tile elevation Is lw, It is. said to be comparatively hiealthfnil. 'Thle I me dan I proceeded to Laguan, awhere I airrived on the night of the 22nd. ()Ol Ihe lIext wui(rlnill I went ashore and vislted the station. rhe troops are partly quitrtclred l 1i i1i old ocorvelt nid In other,lillili)gs rented for thle ipurpcos. Another c'oiptlnniy is stttlOlued up the Catubli river, whilch cian be navigated for about 85 or 40 illes in small I)oQnts, and In rise of operatlolls llt(, tle Ilterlor this river will be nlualle il n inloans of traiIsportatlon. ''This statlon Is important. It b'lngi situated inenr the Stralts of S-il IBernadino. and is saild to be the locatilon for the landing of the l'afi c vnble. I returned to the transport:rid left for Iegnspi, Lulzoni. In eliI-rilng the hlnrlr at tills poln, at about 2.:s p. *n., tile Intgalls ran porn a:Peef, nitd ns, iinblile to Ilrive lutil lnter, when the tide rcne. In tle meantliie I went citiore In the launchi nlnd made Inspection,f tile troops n1 the towhi. and at a point nloiit 5 miles distant. 'his Is- nn Importrint harbor oil acount lof Its large shiplelnts of Ilhepll. To /companiles of the 2(th Iinfintry are sta loned here. Much daimage was done to he outlying towns dlring lilt wNr,; 'IhP town of Allny having ),ent prnrtl(ctlly e-stroyed. That night I returncid ll lbo:(l the Ingalls, which had I'eell lioItc d, ni{it prcreeded to the town rf 1'nS.c(iii,. whl li(h wnns renched the next inornliig. A coilmany of infanitry had been stntlolld i('er", but part of It had been \wltlhdraw, levi. Inpig only a tdeltchmeut, awhichll A ' sconl to be moved to Nueva ('nicres. '11 hl Indrones h:ad lieen olerating itt this vic(iilty, andl the lIresldente nsked tliit the troois be left there is a prateetlon. I had liltended to visit Nueva Caceres. llit was un:lble to do so on ac(count of want of transportation, and proceeded the same afternoon to Manila. where I arrived the next day at 10 a. m. I rmnailnd at Manila until the night of November 28, completing my examination of barracks, buildings, etc., and attending to other duties. / I again boarded the Ingalls that night, and Jeft for Sublg Bay, anrivlng at the Naval Station at Olongapo the next day, where I Fent ashore and nlspected the station. Considerable work had been done by the Spaniards here with a view to making this a strong naval station. The bay is well sheltered and affords ample anchorage for a large number of ships. Its defense would be comparatively easy and at moderate expense. In pmy opinion the work should be completed, and necessary arrangements made for the coaling, dockage and repairing of ships. I left Olotgapo and the Philippine Islands on the afternoon of the same day. The general condition of the troops in the Archipelago was creditolle to themselves and to the coulntry. The ofEcers and soldlers made a good appearance. They seemed to be earnest and faithful in the discharge of their duties, notwithstanding 'the fact that the commands were divided, frequently into small detachments, and scattered to remote and widely distant stilt lons. The effect of the climate is a most serlous detriment to the service. 'rhe inell i;( there Inc perfect health and in tht prime of manhood, hut ns a body are seriously affected in the course of two or three years' service. Very few escape, but the majority are debilitated. The effect of the climate upon the families of ofticers anct soldiers is more perceptible. They being the weaker elemenit, quickly become a prey to the injurious effects. Many of the offtcers have tIeen obliged to s(nd their families home. or to a northern cllmate, like Japlllt to recuperate. I saw no white men employed In the fields or nt outdoor labor, except a few In lurge cities. As the military stations, with but few exceptions, are very remote, and the troops are requlired to be in communities that are neither b)enetclal nor congenial to them, the service is depressing, and, to some extelnt, has a demoralizing effect. There ale scari'ely any amusements or r(clreatlion for the soldiers, and life under such circnllHtntllues becomes very monotonous. I)uring my visits 'to the garrisons It so happened that I did not see n single soldier under the Influence of liquor. I visited the hospitals and the guardhouses, and In tile forlmer I did not Ind a single patient s;t'erlng fromn alcoholism, while In the latter th-rco were but very few men under the charge of drnnkenness. While the list of sick Is very large, the number of men in confinement was exceedingly small, at some posts and camps not a single soldier being in the guardhouse. The following statement shows the exact condition of the troops at 122 stations;In the Philippine Islands, being all but 19 remote stations, on a single day, viz., November 27, 1902: Troops *on duty, 17.574; sick, 1,415; under arrest or In confinement, including 42 scouts, 531, of which number 174 were charged with drunkenness: total troops, 19,520; total percentage of sick,.0724; total percentage lndc r arrest,.0222: perc(entage of those under arrett charged with drunkennues,.3277; total percentage of command under arrest charged with drunkenness,.0089. While this statement shows a serious condition as-to the health of the commands, It is a most favorable report as to so. briety. As to result of my observations It is MY judgment that the discontinuance of the liquor feature of the canteen has been beneficial to the armay. Now that the temptation has been removed from the immedilate presence of the young men of _the army, they are less likely to indulge in the use of liquor. There Is a small percentage of metn itt the army who were addicted to strong drittk before esristroeut, and whether it Is obtainable lit the canteen or not bus very little effect upon such men. They wouldi resort to places outside toe garrison tander any circumstances. Their-~ influence, however, is less pernicious now than fornmccly. At p reseat the canteens, recreation rooms or libraries, whichever they may be called- -they ore frequently all embraced In oat-are quite orderly and occupied by setter men. Considrierng the remote, and in sorte respects, desolate stations. this feature of the tervice requires far more attentloir nat. more liberal appropriations, rot only for the moral, but for the healthful wefl-belrtg of the army. Every effort Phoald be nuide Itt improve the conditions by aifordlag ample comfort and means of recreatiton tand amusement to soldiers under arreh circtttnstances, and —I recommend that mest ilhet-ti airprtrpriations be made and ailrrwranes crabited for the farther developulent tirt improvemnent of this feature of the military service. In fact, at every mailitttry post it slipuld be made the duty of serve elliciest officer to develop sand prosante tbis feature of the service In every wsy prrssil-le for the tCoatentinent, happintess anti general welfare of the troops. The nrumbrer of troops that will be reqitired to ocr-npy the Philippine Islands is still problernati cal. While It is claimed thert the reople are pacified, evidences of htostility ot-owrd American sovereignty are aipprtent. The new;spapers published In roth Slpantish and English contain almost tally oceaontR of hostilities, depredations oi disturanlrrces of tihe peace. Against these error-ri bands the Citvil Government Is empioriag, the conrstaburlary, a force of about ti.,llO mett.In my jargornert, tire Heavy Artillery troops row In the Philippine Islands should be withttratvn without delay, as 1here Is no l-gitratie rise for them in the Archirela go, not a single high-power gun or morlttrio- irtg arounted, and thbore probably will rot ire for aever-s years. Their services ars reqriir-d In the United States, Conrecrniag the mutruted tioops, there Is qjuite as murrch, if not more,'heed for cavalry lit the Philipptine Islandls as in the tualted Itates. and as scmne bf the cavalry recinnertlo have never served In the Philippirres, I think it advisable that they should thatrn their- proportion of the dutles- in that c-orntrty. I frrinri o large proportion of the troops oerrrpyirrg church property, monasteries. colleges and conv-ents Ibis, I believe, to he errtirely wrorrg, anti It should be dls4-ertlirued wiliroat delay. It is a serious dotrirrr-rtt to tire -property, and while it mary prcevent deslrrrctierr by lice to some extent, yet the damage done to the buildings soul ire extensive. They were not constrcrrte-d for such purposes, and it will simply resrilt In claims for some millions of dollars being brought against the United States, which will undoubtedly have to he raid. Urtlil such time-at present very remote -as it css he determined exactly what force wilt he required, ihe troops should. in my judgment, occupy first, the commodirtrs buildings which ha-re been erected ity thte Spsnisrds In thle most available parts of the Arebipelago, and which are ca pablo of scromutjodating rrfter asIht reprairs hove been niande approximat.eiy 12APO( troesp; and, second, sipa abrildings, which are the inost suitairie that ca~n be used for lire shriter tof troops. They are cool and crrrtftrttrhie. affording ample shelter from the irrteruse heat of the aria as well as from seveie rainstonrms. I noticed several large enough to ac-oasmotlate an entire compasy whicir cost less thrin -*l,00 each. They will last three ror four years, when, If recessory, they csn he renewed. The experierir orf the natives for hundreds of ycrrrr has demsonstrated the utlity anti t-crnrtruy of this kind of shelter: besides, If tins clrrss of brilidings Is occupIed III this wry, forr a fnw veal-a, It would demonstrate tire irealtirfunirss or unheslthfulness of certarin disicicts. thrs avoiding the possible inistuke o)f -onstcructirg permanent buildlegs itt rrrhealthful localities. While the supplies have. as a cribl, been shrrrrtrrrt rrrrd of good rqtility, there Is. lnitury trpiriotn, too much cold stortige meat used 'or the grrod of the troops. its cosstart u~se beonres very distasteful, and in the opinivn of many eminent physicians It is ntot the arost healthful. Instead of bring'it g so ruinti frozner meat as at Pre~eet ottd ritsirg it atoretd for a long time in the cold atortree warehouse at Msaila aird therr distribuirod Itt disorcnt pests, it would, it try rrp-irlon. he advisable to send Giivernmorrt sterrtirres to At;%tralia and have them ltoated witit live 5tock, which stan ie distrihtrted In smrtll quantities iOsar lbs difterertt garrisoir sol that they could at airy litre have fresh bieef aird mutton os a partc of the ration. In regard to octain strategtc positius to be occupied iry the U nwed States military an-I naval forces, I still of the sante opinion tirat f' eittertainatas soon as the news ef the naval victor at Manila had beerr received, although as action has yet been token, except to make certain survs-ys otrd plans, and the Philippine isirtuds arc- as defenseless today.as they wt-c fvePt years ago. I therefore renew ptrtat-ietaly the recommcndcrtion that I muade at that tlirie, tirst at least one strategic positloir be fortifird brryond the possibility tof captlrie by sany foreign fleet or fleetst. There shotrld cerOttluly be some point or politta fortified -that would afford a refuge for our rrrroui and commercial ships. The hnrbortts orf Mianila, Subig Bay, Cebu andIloilos have beetr selected by the engineers no4 sutriatie positions. A fair estimate of tht- coot of emplacements, high-power guns, mortars and rapid-fire guns, magazines and a ntnfflr-int sniount of sarmunition at tiresc piscra wtnird not be less than twenty million dollars;Sirblg Bay is erre of the strongest natural poslirtions that I have ever seen. It Is r-ompleteiv land-locked, and is capable of licirrg made _mrgnable. A land forve of I0t0tinen roerught to hold it against ten tlintr that irrmber. This harbor has plenty of tieep water, anrd affords a good anchorage. The climate is ery favorable, and the tttpogrtrphy miost suitable for land defense, It Is in every %ay one of the meet important positions for military and naval ptrcperses in the Archipelago. Dockyards, 5 machin. shols, foundries, coaling facilities, arsellnlls nnd all appliances for the construction land repalr of nlval or commer. c(ll vesscls c,uld be provided at that positiMm. In my i,;urncys through the Archipelago I ovas fre.t]ltiy iappl)aled to to aid in assisting the peplel to obtain a food supply. Iof nwhich thy will i, In great need in the near fl t;rc. I do not lhilik there Is today Ia ll -tle so sorely amfflted as the eight mllIlons rf i.nhalblntts of this Archipelago. IThlir cmilntry has l>eel devastated by war, and several:l provilnc-s are now sufferiga sev-reriv:is thtl result of reconcentratlon in the last. Ini s ii ll jlancts locusts have de>t, yled thtl cr(ps. Plestilence has preva\led, I hl:\i been In some districts I se io.lls s< oil'.ge. restllnig i nI the reported dealt, Iof Inearly 7.i.U) people, while It Is t.tilttalte l th:it the tIlnltber not reported Is lllv as lari,'. Ilt tile nost serious:alti ti.lil I its results Is the destroltion of tli' it; rle lt Ilt il ianialls. Governor 'Taft:talttld lhat ill the estiulmtion of the cixil alltlhoiliie, fully W) per eent. tadl teen tl strli, v,,. OIl thl Island of LIuzon a.lone It it ectill;tieil that there were formerly lit, ltK.' ii:llraio nil.1 I)ro rportlonate nuim Ii,)1 tle other isl:l"ds Thil same diseas vhii lIh has bleen so destructive to the c.ib'Illti als l destroyed thie other doiiesti( a:lttl>. of whilch there- were tvo years ago aln a:l ulldllnt sliply. As tle natives are I:lrgely dItld ll llt iillonl the cara)Uno for the cult i tiou of thei fields In the pIrodtution of rice, tla. co aind otller products and for the imovivlg of the ienip fronl the country to water rtnllllltillIcatitn, It is fair to estimlate that lt l one-lifth of the ground can bIe cltIltilvaltcd and crops produced ils fornlerly lntil tihese inllimlls can be replaced. ('araibao *a, n be purchased to some extent In C(illa, India. Siamn and on the Island of Itirlt',, Ilt thtv iare ditHntlilt toi transport, nnd I thinkll cani only I)e shipped- n the upper decks of vessels. and then have to be frclquently delugRd with water. The snnall tranllint vessels thlit go to the islands are not suitable forr the transportation of sth'1 a 11tnialsa. Theu daily papors published in tile Islands are making frtil uent referrenes to the faniInen. and this sulbject should receive immelate.iad serious attentlion. The crisls has not yet beon reached. but will prolably ocecr within six months. At that time Congress will not be in session and It will )e Inipassible to take necessary actioni. I therefore sent the follovwit g despatch just before lenaing the Ar(chipelago, II order that timnely action might be taken: "Sulilt Baly. Nov. 29, 1902. "Secretary of \War V'rFhlingtton: "In mIy jutnpilenti, ve regiments, 1.5o0 men eanh. Inlfanitry and Cavalry, should be F?.it yearly Four transports will transport them, with ill needed Supplies. and take rettnriiing re;lrlitnts. 'rie remaining transptrts slhouil lie used to bring out wheat and corn,: and thell uisedl to bring in caral:aos alnl cnttle to replace 90 per cent. destroy te. rintse c ionle are suffering from etffetts (,f v-ar and pie.-tllence. and famiine 'ilist prevail Ii- six ionthbs unless prompt indl l'icltlt In:iisllrtsq n:re taken. 'M11.1lS, Iietutienant General." The I;overutnr nt has at present a small fleet or large transports that could be advantageously used to avert the sufferlng that mi-st ocur in the Philippine Islands in a very short timne nnless proper precanittli,)S are taken. As the military force has betnt largely reduced in the Archipelago, I estimale that nct niore than four of th, tralisports will be required to take the necessEry one tIlird or one-half of the present i:llnler iof troops to the Islands and return the sniae lanmlber each 3car. Therefire it seems to nle that tlhefmost available meattn of relieving the distress,of these Ieople would lbe to utilize sut h transports as coull be spare( from the service and to load tlietm vithl corn or wheat in Sian Francisco, t-ortland or oil Pugvt Souild, move th the to the hlipplne Islands,.anld, as nmost of' them were originally built for the Ilurposa of transporting animals, they could rhcln:e sent to any point where carabiao.11cild be obtalined and bring them to the islandsd in thil most expeditic.us and least exptensive nay. At the same time thly (ol,11 hbrilll a salTliclcnt quantity of rice to supply tihe imnltedtite demand. If prompt nmenstres are taken to execute such a plan as is here outllied, it Uill avoid the great sutffnriig an.I- distress that must otherwise prevail, iaml at the same time be the most tTfective land expeditious method of re. storltti the people to a self-supporting condltion. * A special report is 1,erewith sublmitted. 1 I:lve the honor to remain, cery respectfully. NELSON A. MILES.,ietittenant General. Commanding U. S. Arily. A SI I-.CIAL IEPORT FROM GENERAL MILES. llendqlua rters of tie Army, Washington, Feb. 19, 1903. The ilonorable, 1 he Secretary of War: Sir.-1 have the honor to subtmit the following special report: In going from Catauban to Batangas on the 9th of Novembler last. I noticed that the country appeared to h.ve lbeen devastated, large seclions lyvig waste, and in the thirty-eight imiles ride I did not notice any of the large fields under cultivation. Small patches of grounlll nwre beilg cultivated, but I should lot think eno.igh to supply food for the people that I saw along the road. It was all open (counltry, and easy of observation. The p)ple ailppeared to be more depressed thi:l in any -)tler seotlon of the archipelago. T'Ihre n ere but very few men along the road. St,,pping nt Lipa, )ne of the-principal towns. -o change horses. vilile at lunch with the commianding officer one of the offiters report.ed that some citizens desir-.ed to si-iki to me, which request was grated. TIhe patrty consisted of Gorlblo Catigble, the Acting Presidente of the town: Gregoric Aguilera, ex-Presidente; Mr. Jose Liz, transurrer: Dr. Stxto Roxas and Mr.. Itaphall Dymaywga. The conversation was in Spanish, and Colonel Maus, aide-decamp. and the last lamed man acted as Interlpreter. These men were intelligent. well educated, very much in earnest and apparently sitncere. They stated that they desired to make complaint cf the harsh trentm(nit of the people of that community; that they had been concentrated in towns through that aection of the country. and had Ruffered 'grant indignities; that fifteen of their people had been tortlred by what is known as the water tor — tore. and that one man, a highly respected elliot-u, aged sixty-five, named Vineente Luaie., whIle suffering from effects at the torture and uncoosrions, was dragged Into his hooae, which had heen net on lire, anid burned to death. They stated that thoee atrocitinot were eommitted hy a company of souots tinder ronimand of Lieutenant iHennesy, anod that their people-had been crowited into towns. 690 being confined In one I-tultdlng. Dr. Roxast atated that he woo a practicing physician, and that he s-as ready to tent ify before any tribunal that some (if those confined died from 5sffitrattou. They asked toe to look at the nuildling, whielh I did. It wan one stary in hel ght, 18 or 20 feet wide and possibly 690 or 70 feeti long. I informed themn that their statemetsttt were of so aerious a nature that I thoticht It better foe them to make their colopilait In imrps-c form In writing and octnl It tt me ot MN.l1Tu11 by the With of the sooth, st heni I expected to return to that place. I hare no reasons ti- disbelieve thei-r statintonts: in fart, the instances of tortuire anid the i-one of the man Luna havInz isesn tortured and horsed to death are cotefit-mac hy other relports. A written statemntett hiowever. was iever received by ite and w-hithe-r any Influence was brought to bt-ar to prevent their making a statenient. either ty persoansion or coercion, I am nist prepared to nay at the present time. ti;l the Inland of Cebu it wan reported, ndt ini fact nubitobed In a Cebsi paper, esilet I El itebln, doted Nov. 2, 1902, that tis- otficero, Contain Samutels, 44th tnf., 'J. S. V.. outd Lieutenant Footer, 19th tnt., had contiolittit similar atrocities against the people of that Island. It ti-s nilon reported that at Lanag, on the 1Isititd of Lasson, two tnatives were waitpped to death. At Taclobsa, Leyte, It wqo reported that tNijojrt Glenni ortiereQ Lieutenant Caulfield. ittilpititie St-outs, to take eight-prisoners ott listo the? country, and If they did not atiidi hint to the camp of the insurgent, Qlsoti. lie 0-ti not to bring them hark. It s-1to stated tha~t tile ipnt were so taken oat, and thttt they nither~did not cc could not -Is so is directed. -Oute of the men n-io bhtt a non antong the scouts was spatredt. hot the others were separated Into parties. stitaierinir three and four respectiveiv, anti white tied together, were nill unttritered by icing shot or bayonetted to dei iii. Rotte bteinti In a kneeling position a1thSb- lime. The pretettee w-sn made that tIi w'eren a1lled while tattemptting tio eare. liii no far as. t brow, to offirini repo t sois es-er miade? of the circutmstanee, ritene faet-to have beeti reported by Major W~att. s-ho inv-istizatcd the ease. Besides Lit-ttiteant Cattlfield, Civiliap Scouts iatnoti, Preston, Corn sad Me-Keen were pittrrt (fpn1ttiS.I At Cotistyog, aiamar. it wa's reported thiti sev-ertit men In that district had been ntihjvt —e to thle water torture. I saw titee ton i-it i-hi stated that they had teen oittieietej tii this treniment. One was the prenlilente of the town, Mr. Rozales. who showed ant lung, deep scars on his arm swhich he sniti were canned by the cards by tohith he. was hound cutting into his flesh. The seetoid man was named Jose itiria. of the sante place, and the third wsts Padre Jose Utiazuios. who stated that tie wan one of the three priests who had been subjected to torture by the troops under command af Lieateitant Geujat, 10th tag.: that his front teeth had boon knocked out, which was apparent'. that he was otherwise maltreated. and that he was robbhed of $300 at the time. It was also satted that these three priests weri taken oust to be killed. and ware only saved by the prompt action of Major Carcington. 1st 1sf., who sent out for them. Lieutenant Gaujot was tried, pleaded guilty, and given the tri'ial sentence of three months' sitopenisoln train command, forfeiting $50 of his pay sec month for the -same peried. His pleading guilty presented all the facts atid circumstances beitig developed. It appears4 that Maior (tieuns Lieutenant Conger, A. D. C.. and a party of nassistants and native scouts. w,~re nmoved from place is plate, for the purpose of extorting statentents by mneat~s of torture, and It became so notorious that this party waa railed 'Gli-nas Brigade." Whether it was possible for officers to be engaged In stub nets without the personal knowledge of the geztersi upon-whoac, stuff they were seesi-lo at the time, tamnely. Brigadier General Haghes, I leave for others to conjectitre. Thsese facts came to oty notice In a casual way, and many others of similar charatter have b~een reported In different parts of the archipelago. tn fact. I wan Infotrmed- that it was comnmon talk at p)iaees whern- oflicecs anrgtdthat nut-h transnrtloass had teen carried on either with the rontilvanee or approval of certain commandinc office-rs. it is, however, moat gra-tifynitg to stat-n that such atrocities had hi-rn condemned by such commanders as Genera~ 5Ltawttin, Wade, Sumner, Lee. Bttldlwiti and others. I foutid that with (certain officers the tinpresslitt prevailed that such acts were Jistiffisitle. ittd I felt It my iltty, In order itq, cirreit asich an erroaneous and dangers,'s laiaressotn;,catd to prevont the possibility of ouch itts hei-lg committed Is fulitre, which must imitaIr the good name of Ao,erican arais and tiring sitacredit to our stervite tar all time, to addrass to the Division tCommander the follow lug letter of Innistretionst "iteoadquarters of tue Army. "Manila, P. L. Nov. 28. 1902, 'Tue Commaniding General, Division of the r'ltitlppines:.,Sir: -The Lieutenant General Commandlug time Army directs tile to inoarm you tteat his attention havinig been railed to mastters concerninis 'the instruction and itiscipline at the troops_. It 'haa came to his. bliatoledge that (certain tnethtidn have heen used to extort inforumation from Filipinos in the custody of the military, and thai ether acts have beea!omlmitted which are not In accordanceP -with the rules of clvilized warfare and are detrimental to the haisor and tilselpllne itt the army. Tlhe Taiaconntruinz and adroit misinterpretation of orders mug be us itijurloos to the service isa a wanton diorergard of them "The evil methotds altovc referred to are most Injurioiis to the oses-ice, whether deaigndly or Inndverteutly followed, and the prartice of nitch unatithoriaed and unwarrtintei adts tends to give the Junior offieel-s sand soldiers of the army an limpressido that such acts are lasttflable and enstmuamy In civilizoed warfare. In order to comreit suith a dangerous sod injurious impression, and that there may be no mis 7 understandling in the future, the Lieutenant. General directs that any orders, circutlars. or perso:al instructions, or any parts thereof, froir whatever source, that suggest, Inspire, encourage, or permit any acts of cruelty and dnwarranted severity he annulled. cancelled and rescinded, and such acts are hereby strictly prohibited. Acts of retaliation can only be authorized by the highest military authorities, and then should olly be resorted to as measures for the safety of an army. "The attention of vour entire command Is directed to Paragraph 16, General Orders. No. 100, War Department, A. G. 0., April 24, 1,C3, which will be strictly complled with. "The ecunse that the unusual conditions justify the measures h(.rein condemned is without foindation and cannot prevail. The Lieutenant General Is gratified to know that a very great many oficers of the arnmy, including yourself, of high rank, great experience and most commendable records. as well as those occupying subordinate positions, with their commands have, in the prosecution of hostilities In the Philippines, effectively conducted their military op-raitons without resorting to any of the methods prohibited by the rules of civilized warfare, and attained the best results, thereby reflecting the highest credit and honor upon themselves, their commands, the army and the nation. "It is the duty of the army to preserve nlnsillied the high.haracter it has maintained for more than a century, and it is grotifving to know that a majority of the offieers and soldiers have upheld that standard under all circumstances. "I have the honor to be, "Verv respectfully, "MARION P. MAUB,. "Lietenant Colonel, Aide-de-Camp." In my judgment nothing could be more detrimental to the militar- service of the lUnited States, or more discreditable to -merican arms, than the commission, or in the slightest degree the justification, of such acts, which belong to a different age and civilization than our own. On returning to Manila my attention was called by a communication from the Division Commander (copy enclosed herewith) to a transaction. so far as I have ever known in all my experience or readIng. is without precedent and in direct violation of law. It appears that in the district in which General Bell, commanding the 3rd Brigade, operated, some 400,OQ0 people were concentrated in towng under what Is known as the order of reconcentration. 'Tey were given hut fifteen days to gather In what little property they had and come Into these towns. As the order states -after that their property was subject to destructi.an or confiscation. They were held in these places for several months, until they had nearly exhausted what little substance ihey had. If It had been continned two weeks longer they either would have had to be fed or would have starved. During this time GeneraI Bell and Colonel Woodruff, of the Commissary Department. entered into an arrangement by which money. in the hands of the Commissary Department, which had been appropriated by Congress to support the Army, was used in buying large quantites of second quality rice, which was shipped, together with large quantities of sugar, salt, and damaged flour, at Government expense, and hauled to different places for distrlbution by Government teams, or by private teams forced into service without compensation. there to be sold. not at cost, but at a prcdlt of 25 per cent., according to General Bell's statement, or ranging from 25 per cent. to 100 per cent., according to the communication of General Davis. One excuse fop entering intc this transaction and not permlttlng-he ordinary traders to supply rice to the c6mmunity was the fear that it would go into the hands of the Insurgents, but the distribution of supplies in this way was continued long after Malvar surrendered, and when it was publicly stated that there were no insurgents in the field. Not only was this. second quality of rice purchased and sold to a starving community -in this way, but, according to the statement of Colonel Woodruff, 128,000 pounds of damaged flour was also sent to be sold at the ~ invoice price of good flour, together with the added profits that might be charged. In addition to the cost and the profits, the* persons distributing this rice were authorized to compensate themselves. It does not appear what the compensation was, whether large or small. In the communication of General Davis it will be noticed that he states that these people were considered prisoners of war, but we might challenge history to produce an Instance where prisoners of war, reduced, as the official documents indicate, to a starving condition, have been compelled to buy food at a large profit from those who held them as prisoners. Neither can the transaction be justified on any grounds of philanthropic motive. It has already brought a serious scandal npon the Service, and is in direct violation of law.. To give some idea of the marnitude of this transaction, nearly 21,000,000 pounds of rice and other supplies were furnished by the Commissary Department at a cost (exclusive of the value of the damaged flour) of $306,3210.7. This Is outside of the eost of transportation, which is not stated. It can only be judged approximatel,.; To move that amount of supplies it would require a fleet of sixteen schooners or small steam)er carrying 600 tons each, or twenty-six friight trains of twenty-five cars each, each loaded with 82,000 pounds per car, or 5,250 six mule Army wagori and 31.500 mules The most ex* traordinary feature of this transaction Is that while it was disapproved by the Divl- - sion Commander, who, on the first day of his assuming command, issued an order stopping it and turned the matter over to the civil authorities, they have taken the matter up and continued the transaction i.nder a special act of the Commission, as shown in the accompanying papers; and what is still more remarkable they have authorized the profits or revenue derived from this transaction to be used on-roads and for agricultural experiments and the' pnrchase of traction cars and locomotive,' and for other similar purposes. Veryespeetfnlly, NELSON, A. MILiB,,lent. Gen. Commanding the U, A ry. 8 f