The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-14

Washington, June 13.-The first army
of invasion to Cuba is now well on its
way, 80 transport steamships, bearing
over $4,000 officers and men, conveyed
by battleships, cruisers, gunboats and
auxiliary craft, 16 in number, having
actually sailed from Key West at day
break this morning. An authoritative
statement to this effect was made at
the war department today, setting al
rest all reports that the expedition was
on its way or had landed last week.
The authorities made the announce
ment for the reason that the time for
secrecy was passed. as the scout boats
had made sure that the path was clear
before it, and that no possible menace
could come from the Spanish ships or
troops, even should the enemy know
that our forces were now advancing
against hem.
With the expedition off, officials here
feel that there will be a period of COM
parative inaction for a few days. By
Thursday, at the latest, the transports
Will be off Santiago, and large Amer
lean army will make its landing on Gu
ban soil. Admiral Sampson has cleared
the way for this undertaking, and little
danger is apprehended in getting
ashore. 1t will be after that, when the
advance is made, that the actual devel-
opment may be expected.
By that time it is likely the Amer
lean commanders will be in direct ca
BILE communication with the authorities
here. Admiral Sampson has taken the
shore end of the cable landing at Guam
tanamo, and a force of cable experts
are rapidly restoring the line to work.
ing order. The progress of this work
has been SO satisfactory that one of
the leading officials of the state de-
partment said tonight that it was hop
ed that direct cable communication
would be established by Thursday. 1t
win put an end to the dearth of official
information concerning important
movements and will enable the author
tiles here to keep in close touch with
those executing the strategic move
mentS.
MOSTLY REGULARS.
The United States regular troops
make up the greater part of the force,
there being only three volunteer or
the Seventy-first New York infantry
volunteers, the Second Massachusetts
infantry volunteers and two dismount-
ed squadrons of four troops each from
the First United States volunteer cav
airy, the regiment which Colonel Wood
commands, and of which Theodore
Roosevelt is lieutenant colonel. Wheth-
er any of these officers is with the two
suuadrons named is not yet known cit
the war department. 1t was difficult to
prevail upon the mounted riflemen to
leave their mounts behind, but this
was a matter of necessity, it is said,
owing to lack of accommodations for
the horses on shipboard.
The best hat the department could do
at this time in the way of supplying
the cavalry contingent for the eXpedi
ton was to include among the troops
one squadron of the Second United
States cavalry, fully mounted, with
nine officers and $50 enlisted men.
LIST OF TROOPS.
The full list Of the troops that made
up this expedition, as reported to the
war department by General Shafter, is
as follows:
Infantry regiments-Sixth, Sixteenth,
first New York volunteers;
Tenth, Twenty-frst, Eighth, Twenty
fourth, Twenty second, Second Massa-
chusetts volunteers; First, Fifteenth.
Seventh, seventeenth.
Third, Twentieth. Total infantry, SCI
officers and 10, 7O9 enlisted men.
Cavalry-Two dismounted squadrons
Of four troops each from the Third.
Sixth. Ninth, First and Tenth cavalry.