The Portland daily press., 1898-07-30
MILITARY MEN DISAPPOINTED
Over the Prospect of Peace Befor the Ha-
vana Campaign Opens.
Was hington, July a7 i.

Was hington, July s7
Army officers who have been look ing
forward to the campaign against Havana
to furnish real tests of modern arms and
methods of warfare, do not conceal their
disappointment from professional point
of view at the prospect Of peace being
concluded before that campaign is even
begun. In the opionion of military ex.
perts there has been no real test of these
things in the fighting that has taken
place SO far in Cuba, and there is not
likely to be at Porto Rico.
At Santiago, it is pointed out, there
were magnificent exhibitions of pluck
and endurance and spirit, but the fight
ing was of such nature as not to allow
of any deliberate or scientific movements.
1t was dash, and rush, charge. The
m uoh -talked.of three battalion formation
did not figure, nor was there any oppor-
tunity to use any Of the modern improve
ments which theory has evolved, but
which have never been put into practice
At Porto Rico there may be some chance
for the test of tacics in the march through
the enemy's country from Guanica to
San Juan, but the force on the American
side will be 80 overwhelming that the
test will hardly be conclusive. 1t is to
the Havana campaign that the military
experts have looked for really fine mill
tary displays.
sit is pity that the campaign must be
abandoned" said an enthusiastic student
of the art of war who holds IN important
place in the War Department. 1T would
be beautiful military movement, and
would afford the real test in actual war
fare of modern guns and modern meth
ods." According to this officer, who has
access to the best possible sources of in
formation, there are not less than 200, 900
soldiers in and about Havana, all of
whom would be called into the city in
case of its being attacked. The supply
of ammunition, instead of being short,
as sometimes said, is, according to fig
ures in the possession of the Bureau of
Information, practically unlimited.
The batteries commanding the sea are
composed of modern guns. and armed, it
is said, by foreign gunners, which would
make it impossible for the fleet to do any
thing more than shell the city. The land
defenses have been perfected, until they
are believed TO be most formidable.
Those hastily thrown up at Santiago
were found by Gen. Shaf5er to be almost
and it is not doubted that
the work has been done far better at Ha-
vana, where Blanco has been working
night and day for three months building
trenches, digging rifle pits, throwing up
redoubts and generally strengthening the
fortifcations of the land side.
70 take the city now, it is calculated
that an army OF not less than 200, 600
men, all the feet and all the land artill-
cry that could be gotten together, would
be needed. The best officers in the Span
ish army are in Havana. There are
many foreign engineers and artilIerists
there, it is said, and the assault on the
place would pit the American forces
against an enemy as strong and as we'll
armed as themselves. The result in the
eyes of the students of military science
would be u struggle which all the world
would look upon with awe, which would
settle many of the now disputed problems
OF strategy and tactics. Providence Jour
nal