“The arrival of General Escario on the night of July 2, and his entrance into the city was not anticipated, for although it was known, as previously stated, that General Pando had left Manzanillo with reinforcements for the garrison of Santiago, it was not believed his troops could arrive so soon.  General Garcia, with between four and five thousand Cubans, was intrusted with the duty of watching for and intercepting the reinforcements expected.  This, however, he failed to do, and Escario passed into the city along on my extreme right and near the bay.”

On the 11th, when the firing ceased and was not resumed “the sickness in the army was increasing very rapidly, as a result of exposure in the trenches to the intense heat of the sun and the heavy rains.  Moreover, the dews in Cuba are almost equal to rains.  The weakness of the troops was becoming so apparent I was anxious to bring the siege to an end, but in common with most of the officers of the army I did not think an assault would be justifiable, especially as the enemy seemed to be acting in good faith in their preliminary propositions to surrender.

“July 12 I informed the Spanish Commander that Major-General Miles, Commander-in-Chief of the American army, had just arrived in my camp, and requested him to grant us a personal interview on the following day.  He replied he would be pleased to meet us.  The interview took place on the 13th.”

The Spanish raised many points, as is their habit, and were tenacious about retaining their arms, but yielded, and “the terms of surrender finally agreed upon included about 12,000 Spanish troops in the city and as many more in the surrendered district.”

July 17th “we met midway between the representatives of our two armies, and the Spanish Commander formally consummated the surrender of the city and the 24,000 troops in Santiago and the surrendered district.

“After this ceremony I entered the city with my staff and escort, and at 12 o’clock noon the American flag was raised over the Governor’s palace.”

The men and material surrendered by the Spaniards at Santiago largely exceeded the two English armies and their equipments at Saratoga and Yorktown.

The yellow fever appeared in the American camp at Siboney July 4th, and the fact was soon known to the army.  General Shafter says of the wounded and sick:  “They received every attention that it was possible to give them.  The medical officers without exception worked night and day to alleviate the suffering, which was no greater than invariably accompanies a campaign.  It would have been better if we had more ambulances, but as many were taken as was thought necessary, judging from previous campaigns.”

General Joe Wheeler’s report of the action of July 1st is a paper full of striking points.  The movement into battle began in wading the San Juan river under heavy fire, and the General says: