Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-07-22
MILES IS LEADING
,E'
Leaves Santiago With q Small
Force for the Attach on
Porto Rico.
Will Select a Landing Place
for the Thirty Thousand
to Follow.
CONTEMPLATE EASY VICTORY
Overwhelming American Force
Will Be Thrown Upon
the Island.
At the Same Time the Navy
Will Attack the Forts at
San Juan.

WASHINGTON. July l9.-After three
days consultation between the presi'
dent, Secretary Alger and General
Brooke, during which there was fire.
quent communication with General
Miles at Siboney, the details OF the
Porto Rican expedition were perfected
and the expedition itself was gotten
under way, General Miles, with some
infantry aud regular troops, sailing
during the day for Porto Rico on the
converted cruiser Yale, to be followed
quickly by an army Of about 10000
men. There are some notable differ
ences in the plan for this expedition
and for the stately naval pageant that
sailed away from Tampa under Cen
eral Skaters command to attack San.
tiago. First, there will be practically
no navy conveys The navy depart
ment has declared that this is unnec.
essary as there is not Spanish war.
ship in the West Indies that
Dars Thrust Its Bow Out OF Port.
In the second place the expedition does
not start from one point, but will be
divided among several ports, thus pre-
venting the tremendous congestion
that was encountered at Tampa in the
effort to start the big feet. Lastly,
there will be no effort made to get the
ships away together, but the transports
will be allowed to find their own way
to their destination without concerted
movements
General Miles leads the way. He
had been promised by the president
that he should go to Porto Rico and the
promise was redeemed when the Yale
headed from Siboney for Porto Rico,
$50 miles distant. General Brooke
will be the senior officer in Miles, COM
mand, and upon him will follow the
responsibility Of the execution Of the
details of the campaign. II is expected
that General Miles will arrive in two
days at the point set for the land.
ing and
VIII Hoist the American Flag
at once over Porto Rican soil. The
roint chosen for his landing is kept
secret as the general will land before
the full body of the expedition is at
hand, and it is consequently not de-
sirable that the enemy should be able
to asse mble superior force to oppose
him. The distance from Charleston,
where the first body OF troops OF the
Miles expedition is to start, is more
than double the distance from Santi.
sgo to Porto Rico, 80 that the trans.
ports which sail from the former city
can scarcely reach General Miles be.
fore the early part of next week.
These Charleston troops are the First
brigade of the First division of the
First army corps and are commanded
by Brigadier General Ernest. The
brigade comprises the Second and
Third Wisconsin and Sixteenth Penn.
sylvania regiments. The purpose of
Secretary Alger is to make the Porto
Rican campaign short one.
T., An Overwhel ming Force
will be thrown upon the island, and it
is posi- bic that bloodless victory will
be achieved when the Spanish become
convinced that they have no reasonable
chance to resist successfully. The OK.
petition is to comprise $4,000 men at
the start. and it will be swelled soon to
5000 men, and, ii necessary, to $4,000
men. The entire body OF troops at
Tampa will be taken, nun bering about
$4,000 men, and including a number of
heavy and light artillery under COM
mand Of General Rogers. The expedl.
ton will be particularly strong with
artillery, as some OF thar a., Santluv'.
commanded by General Il .ndolpn Is |"
be drawn upon. Genera. B.ooxo WI
take with HIM from Ch.ckanlauga pare!
most of the First and Second Lrlsauc>
Of his army corps, The FIRST. These
are in addition to General Ernest,
brigade ut Charleston. Included III the
corps is the Fourteenth Minnesota.
The part which the navy is 10 take
III the assault against Porto REQ has
been fully matured The several
transport fleets will have with them
one or two auxiliary craft, carrying
strong secondary batteries. Secretary
Long said that no time had been fixed
Tor the departure OF Admiral Samp.
sons f1eet for San Juan. AS to the nuval
plans he would only say that they
would cooperate in every way with
the movements of the army. The Tor.
tifications there are much like those at
Santiago, with Moro castle at the
entrance of the harbor and number
Of lesser Notifications leading up to the
city. These, however, are viewed with
! little awe, since an examination of the
MORO batteries at Santiago has shown
them to be ANTICIPATED aud capable Of
little effective resistance.
go -------.-