The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-30
Cattle and Pack Trains Hamper q
Rapid Spanish Advance.
SKATER LANDED SIEGE GUNS
He Emphasized the Need of Horses
for the Cavalry.
ATTACK TO BE CAREFULLY PLANNED.
His Dfspntchcs show TINT Both Com.
munder and Men Arc In High
Spirits and Confident.

Washington, June pa number of dis
patches from General shafter have been
received covering all the details of the
present military situation.
1t is evidently General Skaters purpose
not to wait for the reinforcements now
going forward to him. but to make his
attack before the 5000 Spanish troops APP
preaching from the west can reach the
city.
The statement that they are now but
flfty-four miles from Santiago is the most
definite information thus far received
The drove of cattle which the Spanish
army Is bringing along and the pack trains
hamper rapid advance, but even with
bad road, the spaniards probably Will
make from ten to twenty miles day.
Much reliance has been placed ON Gem
eral Garcia's Cubans TO prevent this ad-
vancement Of reinforcemenis from the LETT.
But it appears that Garcia's entire force
has been withdrawn from the left and has
now been landed with General Skaters
main body on the right of the city.
From the fact that General Shafter re-
ports that he will take the city as som
! as he can get ready to move, 1t is evident
that he wishes to strike the blow before
there is time for the Spanish troops from
Manzanllo TO reach Santiago.
! General Skaters previous dispatches
also contain much information oil other
features OF the military situation. lie eX-
presses the warmest thanks Tor the con
CALCULATIONS sent TO him by Secretary
Alger and those OF Commanding Henerai
Miles though he refers to the recent al
fair in which the Rough Riders ana cav
alrymen participated as unmportant
He SAYS that 964 OF our men were en-
gagged, but 1t was very decisive In our
favor. the enemy retreating prscipita ely.
General Shafter says that the lack oil
cavalry was all that prevented the capture
OF the Spanish forces. He expresses the
deepest regret at the loss of so many OF oil
brave men.
In a vein OF ridicule he refers 10 reports
reaching him from Santiago that me
American troops were beaten aud that the
Spaniards retired only because the Amer
leans persisted in fghing.'
General Shafter emphasized the need Of
horses in particular. He wants horses fol
the Third battalion of the First cavalry
, and for Colonel Woods Rough Riders. HI
, says the horses he carried on the ex
I petition stood the voyage We'll.
one OF the NEST satisfactory points re
} ported by General Shafter is that the las
of the artillery has been landed. Th
) means a great deal as it was feared tina
the loss of the lighter would seriously de
lay the landing of the heavy artillery.
; He does not specify that the heavy gun
Q as well as the light artillery were landed
2 but his statement that the last OF til
. artillery was landed yesterday is taken t
. cover all of the ordnance.
. With these siege guns on shore Genera
. Shaftor is now in position to support tb
infantry and cavalry with the guns of tn
artillery as well as the lighter field guns.
Il appears also from the reports that tn
It last troops were not landed until yester
G day. This occurred simultaneously WITT
- the landing OF the artillery and the transfe
r. of tho Cubans.
!. II was practically the last move in con
Z Guiding the preparations for actual Ian
i operations. General Skaters dispatche
show the troops to be in high spirits an
in excellent health.
They bring out also that the commandin
Il officer Is no less In high euirts than hi
men, for ne concludes one Of his dispatche
70 with the laconc sentence that he hopes I
ID send favorable reports soon