Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-17
INVASION OF PORTO RICO
Thirty Thousand Men Available for Army
of General Coppinger,
READY AS SOON AS TRANSPORTS arm
Large Proportion of the Force IL Now
in Florida, with Others Nearby
Mt MobiIc-Norc Than
Are Needed Ready.

NEW YORK, June 16.-According to esti-
mates made by Adjutant General Corbin,
says the Washington correspondent of the
Times, the total number of troops left at
Tampa after the sailing of the Santiago eN-
petition is in the neighborhood of $4,000.
This includes the portion of the Fourth
corps remaining at Mobile, which is re-
garded as a sub-station of the Tampa camp.
At jacksonville, it is estimated by the ad-
jutant general, there are about 5000
men. This would make the entire strength
of the forces most eligibly located for en-
barkation to Porto Rico 0 1000. Little doubt
is harbored that out of this it would be pos
sible to organize by the time the other prep
arations for the expedition are completed
an army of %, 600 men thoroughly equipped.
The latest official returns to the War de-
partment show the following as the compo-
sition of the Fourth army corps, commanded
by Major General Coppinger, which is eX-
pected to take part in the movement on
Porto Rico:
At Mobile-First division, commanded by
Brigadier General Schwan, five regiments,
the First and Second Texas, First and Sec
eond Louisiana and First Alabama.
! AT ~Tampa-SeCond division, commanded
by Brigadier General Snyder, nine regi-
'ments, the Eleventh and Eighteenth regi-
ments, infantry, First District of Columbia,
Second New York, Fifth Maryland, Third
| Pennsylvania, One Hundred and Fifty-sev-
enth Indiana, First Ohio and First Illinois.
| Also the Third division, commanded by Brig
adler General Henry, six regiments and cav
airy and artillery attachments, Fifth Ohio.
First Florida, Thirty-second Michigan, Six
ty-ninth New York, Third Ohio and Second
Georgia, a provisional cavalry brigade, made
up of the Sixth regiment cavalry, detach-
ments from the Second, Fourth and Fifth
troops of the First volunteer cavalry, six
batteries of light artillery, c and f, from
the Third, b and f from the Fourth and L
and f from the Fifth, two batteries of heavy
artillery, Nj and K from the Fifth.
At Observation-Disclosures of the First
and Tenth regiment cavalry,
Only one division of the Seventh corps
under General Lee, at Jacksonville, has beer
organized-the Second-commanded by Brig
adler General Arnold, and made up as fol
lows: First North Carolina, Second Illinois
Second New Jersey, First Wisconsin,, Fiji
tieth Iowa, Fourth Illinois, Second and
Fourth Virginia.
The provisional division organized to ac-
company General Shafter, and commanded
by Brigadier General Snyder, was intended
to be the first division of the Seventh, bu'
has now been attached to the Fourth corps
under General Coppinger. The Third divi
sion of General Lees corps has not yet beer
formed, but the Second Mississippi regimen
has been ordered to Jacksonville, and i
will enter that division.
The War department has begun an in
vestigation into the state of preparedness
OF the troops at Tampa, Mobile and Jack
s~onville, with a view to selecting the regi
ments for the Porto Rican force, but it /
by no means certain that all of the regi
ments for that enterprise will be taken from
these commands, In fact, 1t seems well In
sured that selections of equally equippe
and trained regiments from the camps a
Chickamauga and Washington will be mad
in organizing the new expedition. There /
some reason to suppose that a portion O
the force left at Tampa may yet be sent o
to Santiago as a second division of Genera
Skaters army. Should the Spaniards prov
more numerous and formidable about Sar
tiago than is expected, endorsements wi
undoubtedly be hurried to that place,