Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. IV.djvu/100

72 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS truce was arranged as a preliminary to surrender. Gen. Miles arrived at Gen. Shafter s headquarters on the 12th. Terms were finally settled on the 17th, when the U. S. troops took possession of the city. On the 21st Gen. Miles sailed with an expedition to Puerto Rico, where he landed on the 25th. His progress through the island met with little resist ance, the inhabitants turning out to welcome the in vading troops as deliverers. In less than three weeks the forces of the United States rendered un tenable every Spanish position outside of San Juan; the Spaniards were defeated in six engage ments, with a loss to the invaders of only 3 killed and 40 wounded, about one-tenth of the Spanish loss. After the fall of Santiago it was evident at Ma drid that further resistance was useless, and that a prolongation of the war would mean only more se vere terms. On July 26 Jules Cambon, the French ambassador at Washington, was requested to in quire if peace negotiations might be opened. Presi dent McKinley replied to the note on the 30th, stat ing the preliminary conditions that the United States would insist upon as a basis of negotiations. A protocol of agreement was signed on August 12 by Secretary Day and Ambassador Cambon, in which the stipulations were embodied in six articles, fixing, besides, a term of evacuation for the West Indian islands, and settling October 1 following