The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-06-02
Troops Embark at Tampa
for the Land Campaign
Against the Spanish
GEN. SHAFTER 70 Be IN COMMAND
He will Proceed to Sea,
Conveyed by WarShips
WITH FIFTEEN THOUSAND SOLDIERS.

New YoRK, May 30-The HerGldS
Washington correspondent says
United States troops are being EN-
barked at Tampa tonight for the first
active land campaign against the
Spanish army.
Naturally, the officials of the War
Department and high officials of the
army are reticent as to the destination
of this expedition and the details of
the plan of campaign. The weight
of opinion in well-informed circles is
that it is the purpose of the admins
tration to make the capture or des-
truction of Admiral Cervera's fleet a
certainty by combined land and sea
attack at Santiago de Cuba.
There are also rumors that the
troops will invade Porto Rico.
Long cipher dispatches were sent to
Major General VIM. r. Shafter at
Tampa this morning ordering him to
embark with about u, 900 troops, ,prin-
cipally infantry and artillery, at once
and proceed to sea under the convoy
of naval vessels. Admiral Sampson
has been instructed to furnish suffi-
cient force to convoy the transports
safely.
Few Volunteers Included.
General Skaters 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 guam
titles of ammunition and every kind
of supplies that will be needed by an
army in the field. In addition to the
field guns of the artillery understand
that the expedition will carry num-
Der of siege guns, such as would be
useful in attacking the Spanish for
tifcations or firing on fleet in har-
Dor.
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. 1t will take
some days for the transports to reach
Santiago. More time will be required
for the troops to reach a position in
the interior from which they can ad-
vance upon the Spanish forces.
The topography of the country
about Santiago is such as to make the
movements of an army with artillery
and supply trains difficult, but there
is reason to believe that the plans con-
template landing at a place from
which the march of the troops will be
comparatively short. If the Spanish
forces can be defeated General Shat
ter will probably be able to 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 shipOregon to theCommodore's s
already efficient armor-clad fleet.
A Move On Porto Rico Likely
Porto Rico, understand, is to be
the next scene of land operations af-
ter the taking of Santiago With the
Spanish land forces at Santiago dis
posed of and the fleet of Admiral Ger
vera either captured or sunk, Spaiu's
power in the entire eastern end of
Cuba will be annihilated. 1t is in that
part of the island that the insurgent
forces are the strongest, and with a
few United States troops intrenched
In the healthy, mountainous country
back of Santiago, there will be no
danger of Spain making a successful
effort to reestablish her authority in
that part of Cuba.
Most of the troops could, therefore,
be withdrawn and, accompanied by
reinforcements from the United States
could be sent on to capture Porto
Rico. Admiral Sampson would have
sufficient naval force at his command
to maintain the blockade of Cuba, to
convoy the transports to lombard
San Juan, and ut the same time to be
prepared to meet the Spanish reserve
fleet if it should come across the At
lantic.
Not Ready to Attack Havana.
There seems to be little doubt that