316 The Rough Riders 



Tejeiro's statements were made for the purpose of 

 saving Spanish honor. On this point his letter runs 

 as follows : 



A word in regard to the number of troops in 

 Santiago. I have had, during my long association 

 here, a good many opportunities to get information 

 which you have not received and probably never will 

 receive; that is, information from parties who were 

 actually in the fight, who are now residents of 

 the city, also information which came to me as 

 commanding officer of the city directly after the 

 surrender. 



To sum up briefly as follows: The Spanish sur- 

 rendered in Santiago 12,000 men. We shipped 

 from Santiago something over 14,000 men. The 

 2,000 additional were troops that came in from 

 San Luis, Songo, and small up-country posts. The 

 12,000 in the city, minus the force of General Is- 

 cario, 3,300 infantry and 680 cavalry, or in round 

 numbers 4,000 men (who entered the city just 

 after the battles of San Juan and El Caney), leaves 

 8,000 regulars, plus the dead, plus Cervera's ma- 

 rines and blue- jackets, which he himself admits 

 landing, in the neighborhood of 1,200 (and reports 

 here are that he landed 1,380), and plus the Span- 

 ish Volunteer Battalion, which was between 800 

 and 900 men (this statement I have from the lieu- 

 tenant-colonel of this very battalion), gives us in 

 round numbers, present for duty on the morning 

 of July ist, not less than 10,500 men. These men 

 were distributed 890 at Caney, two companies of 



