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 surrendered 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 Iscario, 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 marines 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 Spanish Volunteer Battalion, which was between 800 and goo men (this statement I have from the lieutenant-colonel of this very battalion), gives us in round numbers, present for duty on the morning of July 1st, not less than 10,500 men. These men were distributed 890 at Caney, two companies of
