Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-06-03
TROOPS NOW ENBARK|NG.
First Land Campaign Against
the Spanish Army Will Be
at Santiago de Cuba.
GEN. SKATER TO LEAD.
Fighting Will Not Probably Begin
Before the End of the Week or
Beginning of Next.


to BE Hurried to the South Coast of Cuba
Under the Convoy of Some of Admiral
SIMPSONS Ships-Plan to Make a Com
bined Land and Sea Attack on the Spanish
squadron.
Washington, June Limited States
troops are being embarked at Tampa
for the first active land campaign
against the Spanish army.
Naturally, the officials of the War
Department and high officials of the
army are very rcticcnt as to the dcs-
tinatiOn of this expedition and the de-
tails Of the plan of campaign. The
weight of opinion in we'll informed cir
Clcs, however is that it is the purpose
of the administration to make the cap
ture or the destruction OF Admiral
Cervcra's fleet an absolute certainty
by combined land and sea attack on
Santiago de Cuba.
Long cipher dispatches were sent to
Major General ShaftCr at Tampa or
dcring him to embark about 10000
troops, principally infantry and artil
lery, at once and proceed to sea under
the convoy of naval vessels, and Adj
miral Sampson has been instructed to
furnish sufficient force to safely con-
voy the transports.
While no official statement can be
obtained as to the destination of these
troops, there is little doubt that they
are to be landed near Santiago de
Cuba. and that upon General Shafter
and Commodore Schley Will then de-
volve the defeat of the Spanish troops
concentrated in that neighbornood, the
| reduction OF the lOrtlllcatlOns and the
| capture or destruction OF the spanish
ships.
General Shalter'S troops Will be
| nearly all regulars. Probably not
more than two of the best organized
and equipped volunteer regiments now
at Tampa will be embraced in his
command. The transports will carry
large quantities of ammunition and of
every kind of supplies that will be
needed by an army in the field.
In addition to the field guns of the
artillery, il is understood that the eX-
petition will carry number of siege
guns, such as would be useful in at
lacking the Spanish fOrtiticatiOns or
firing ON the fleet in the harbor.
If this is the plan that is to be pur-
sued it is not probable that there will
be any fighting in the neighborhOod
of Santiago de Cuba before the end of
the present week
More time will be required for them
to reach position in the interior from
which they can advance upon the
Spanish forces. The topography of
the country about Santiago de Cuba is
such as to make the movements of an
army with artillery and supply trains
somewhat difficult, but there is reason
to believe that the plans contemplate
landing at point from which the
march of the troops will be compare
lively short.
If the Spanish forces can be de-
feated, General Shafter will probably
be able to so place his siege guns on
the high lands about the harbor so as
to get a plunging fire on the Spanish
fleet and compel Admiral Cervera to
surrender or to steam out to sea,
where Commodore Schley will be
awaiting him with an overwhelming
force of naval vessels.
There is talk tonight of adding the
battle ship Oregon to the Commo-
dore's already efficient armorclad fleet.