The United States had suddenly passed from internal debate over free silver to war and conquest. At the end of 1898 the War Department, that had proved its inadequacy in nearly every phase of the war, was forced to develop a colonial policy for Porto Rico and the Philippines and to guide Cuba to independence. It was still under the direction of General Russell A. Alger, but was torn by dissension and criticism upon the conduct of the war. Not until Alger was asked to retire, in 1899, and Elihu Root, of New York, succeeded him, was the War Department made equal to its task. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE The best account of the war with Spain is F.E. Chadwick, _Relations of the United States and Spain: Diplomacy_ (1909), and _Relations of the United States and Spain: The Spanish American War_ (2 vols., 1911). These works have in large measure superseded the earlier studies; J.M. Callahan, _Cuba and International Relations_ (1899); J.H. Latane, _The Diplomatic Relations of the United States and Spanish America_ (1900:--so far as it relates to Cuba); H.E. Flack, _Spanish-American Diplomatic Relations preceding the war of 1898_ (in Johns Hopkins University Studies, vol. XXIV); and E.J. Benton, _International Law and Diplomacy of the Spanish-American War_ (1908). Useful narratives relating to the army are R.A. Alger, _The Spanish-American War_ (1901); H.H. Sargent, _The Campaign of Santiago de Cuba_ (3 vols., 1907); J. Wheeler, _The Santiago Campaign_ (1899); J.D. Miley, _In Cuba with Shafter_ (1899); and T. Roosevelt, _The Rough Riders_ (1899). The navy may be followed in J.D. Long, _The New American Navy_ (2 vols., 1903); E.S. Maclay, _History of the United States Navy_ (3 vols., 1901, the third volume containing allegations that precipitated the Schley-Sampson controversy); G.E. Graham, _Schley and Santiago_ (1902); W.S. Schley, _Forty-five Years under the Flag_ (1904); W.A.M. Goode, _With Sampson through the War_ (1899). The public documents of the war are easily accessible, especially in the Annual Reports for 1898 of the Secretaries of War and Navy, and in the Foreign Relations volume for that year. The controversies after the war illuminated many details, particularly the Schley Inquiry (57th Congress, 1st Session, House Document, no. 485, Serial nos. 4370, 4371), and the Miles-Eagan Inquiry (56th Congress, 1st Session, Senate Document, no. 270, Serial nos. 3870-3872). CHAPTER XVII THEODORE ROOSEVELT